Mitochondria—the organelles responsible for energy production in human cells—were once free-living organisms that found their way into early eukaryotic cells over a billion years ago. Since then, they have merged seamlessly ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 20, 2022
0
69
In a study from the lab of Whitehead Institute Member David Bartel, researchers have identified genetic sequences that can lead to the degradation of cellular regulators called microRNAs in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. ...
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 27, 2022
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23
During fruit fly embryo formation, primordial germ cells—the stem cells that will later form eggs and sperm—must travel from the far end of the embryo to their final location in the gonads. Part of the primordial germ ...
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 16, 2022
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18
Much like humans, plants, and bacteria, the single-celled parasite Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) uses calcium as a messenger to coordinate important cellular processes. But while the messenger is the same, the communication ...
Biotechnology
Sep 1, 2022
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31
While nearly every cell in the body contains identical genetic instructions packaged in DNA, there is flexibility on how that genetic information is expressed and in turn translated through RNA to create proteins, the building ...
Biotechnology
Jul 28, 2022
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36
During cell division, chromosomes are replicated into two copies—one for each daughter cell. These copies, called sister chromatids, are usually considered identical. In fact, it's the two pairs of sister chromatids that ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 28, 2022
0
97
Many animals, including humans, have a preference for nutrient-balanced diets. Among all essential nutrients, multicellular organisms need to consume the building blocks of proteins, called amino acids, in order to build ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 21, 2022
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13
An important function of our cells' signaling pathways is to coordinate growth with environmental cues, such as the availability of nutrients in the cell's environment. Cell growth plays an important role in normal cell function—for ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 14, 2022
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441
Thanks to advances in genomics in recent decades, researchers now know the genetic mutations responsible for many diseases. However, researchers often still do not know how the mutation leads to the disease—what it changes ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 11, 2022
0
500
A new paper from Whitehead Institute researchers reveals how mice sense an essential amino acid called leucine, which many people get from eating fish, eggs, or nuts. Down the line, the work could inform research into creating ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 6, 2022
0
16
