Cells

MIT neuroscientists have linked the vulnerability of neurons in Hungtington's disease to the release of mitochondrial RNA and an associated immune system response. In this image, on the right are neurons from a Huntington's model mouse showing much more PKR (a marker of immune response to mitochondrial RNA) in green than neurons on the left, which are from a healthy mouse.

Neural vulnerability in Huntington’s disease tied to release of mitochondrial RNA

Unique survey of gene expression by cell type in humans and mice reveals several deficits affecting the most vulnerable neurons.

July 21, 2020

Graduate student Pyae Phyo uses the Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory's 800 MHz NMR spectrometer to observe plant wall structure, finding insights that could prove useful in creating biofuels.

Pyae Phyo: From Myanmar to NMR

PhD candidate’s journey to the center of the plant cell wall relies on nuclear magnetic resonance technology.

April 21, 2020

From developing vaccines to helping governments keep communities informed, a number of companies with MIT ties are working to address problems brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.

MIT-affiliated companies take on Covid-19

A variety of companies with MIT ties are working to address aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

March 26, 2020

MIT researchers observe ripples across a newly fertilized egg that are similar to other systems, from ocean and atmospheric circulations to quantum fluids.

The growth of an organism rides on a pattern of waves

Study shows ripples across a newly fertilized egg are similar to other systems, from ocean and atmospheric circulations to quantum fluids.

March 23, 2020

Using a detergent-free method, biologists can prepare fluorescently-tagged proteins along with a small segment of the associated cell membrane, preserving the protein’s native environment.

Building a platform to image membrane proteins

Biologists devise an efficient method to prepare fluorescently tagged proteins and simulate their native environment.

December 18, 2019

Vijay Raj Singh, SMART research scientist, and Zahid Yaqoob, MIT LBRC principal investigator, study tumor cells using the new confocal reflectance interferometric microscope.

Diagnosing cellular nanomechanics

SMART has developed a new way to study cells, paving the way for a better understanding of how cancers spread and become deadly.

October 7, 2019

Ruth Lehmann, a world-renowned developmental and cell biology researcher, will be Whitehead Institute’s fifth director.

Ruth Lehmann elected as director of Whitehead Institute

Lehmann, a world-renowned developmental and cell biology researcher, is the institute’s fifth director.

September 19, 2019

Seychelle Vos (left) and Pulin Li recently joined the Department of Biology as assistant professors.

Understanding genetic circuits and genome organization

Assistant professors Pulin Li and Seychelle Vos are investigating how cells become tissues and the proteins that organize DNA.

September 12, 2019

Illustration of scientist cutting a cell in half with a pizza cutter.

To divide or not to divide?

Whitehead Institute team reveals molecular program that controls cells’ capacity for division.

August 21, 2019

MIT neuroscientists have found that neural extensions called dendrites, which act as antennae to help neurons listen to their neighbors, play a more active role in neural computation than previously thought.

Neurons’ “antennae” are unexpectedly active in neural computation

Tiny, branching extensions called dendrites may be more than just passive information-carriers, study finds.

June 6, 2019

MIT biologists found that intestinal stem cell populations declined in aged mice (right), compared to younger mice (left). Messenger RNA encoding a protein associated with intestinal stem cells is labeled in black.

Biologists find a way to boost intestinal stem cell populations

Study suggests that stimulating stem cells may protect the gastrointestinal tract from age-related disease.

March 28, 2019

In these tumor cells, acidic regions are labeled in red. Invasive regions of the cells, which express a protein called MMP14, are labeled in green.

How tumors behave on acid

Acidic environment triggers genes that help cancer cells metastasize.

March 20, 2019

MIT researchers have come up with a way to use acoustic waves to noninvasively measure the stiffness of living cells.

Acoustic waves can monitor stiffness of living cells

Technique sheds light on cells’ health and development; may be useful for precision medicine.

February 11, 2019

MIT researchers found that when they halted cell division in human fibroblast cells, they became abnormally large and then entered a non-dividing state known as senescence (right panel). Untreated, normal-sized fibroblasts are shown at left.

Biologists answer fundamental question about cell size

The need to produce just the right amount of protein is behind the striking uniformity of sizes.

February 7, 2019

The common model of gene regulation imagines the nucleus of the cell as a large space in which molecules involved in DNA transcription float around seemingly at random.

Activating a new understanding of gene regulation

Study reveals the role of the activation domain, a part of transcription factors previously shrouded in mystery.

November 16, 2018

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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