Inside our cells are many small transport vesicles that act as carriers to move proteins and lipids around the cell. To maintain cell function, these vesicles have to deliver their cargo to exactly the right destination. New research by Mie Wong from Sean Munro’s group in the LMB’s Cell Biology Division has shown that when […]
Insight on Research
Unexpected role of Histone H3.3 in replication of damaged DNA
An unexpected finding from Julian Sale’s group in the LMB’s PNAC Division has revealed that a specialised histone protein called H3.3 is needed for packaging UV-damaged DNA during replication. Use of this histone may act as a flag to help the cell find and repair the damage once replication has been completed, potentially reducing the […]
New mechanism of antiviral immunity discovered
Research from the LMB’s PNAC Division has revealed a new mechanism that cells use to fight infection. Jerry Tam and other members of Leo James’s group have discovered that the protein complement C3, which covalently labels viruses and bacteria in the bloodstream, activates a potent immune response upon cell invasion. Molecular biologists chemically modify proteins […]
mRNA on the move – localisation can affect cell signalling and regulation
New research from Madan Babu’s group in the LMB’s Structural Studies Division, in collaboration with Toby Gibson from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, has shown that the targeted movement of mRNA molecules to allow proteins to be synthesised in specific locations has important implications in cell signalling and development. Proteins have many different […]
The mother’s role in protecting the fetal genome from aldehyde damage is revealed.
Whilst a mother’s metabolism provides essential nutrients to enable embryonic development, both mother and embryo can also produce reactive metabolites that can damage DNA. Research undertaken by Nina Oberbeck in KJ Patel’s group, in the LMB’s PNAC Division, has uncovered how the embryo is protected from these genotoxins. Birth defects are common and are a […]
How cells adapt proteasome assembly under stress conditions
Research carried out by Anne Bertolotti’s group in the LMB’s Neurobiology Division has identified a novel protein, named Adc17, that acts as an inducible chaperone to help cells make more proteasome when needed. Cells and organisms constantly need to adapt to maintain protein homeostasis under adverse stress conditions in order to avoid cell death. Cells […]