Research News
December 23, 2010
Heat shock protein drives yeast evolution
Whitehead Institute researchers have determined that heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) can create diverse heritable traits in brewer’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) by affecting a large portion of the yeast genome.
December 22, 2010
Emerging drug class may enhance red blood cell production in anemic patients
By determining how corticosteroids act to increase production of red blood cell progenitors, Whitehead Institute researchers have identified a class of drugs that may be beneficial in treating some erythropoietin-resistant anemias.
December 22, 2010
Mammalian aging process linked to overactive cellular pathway
Whitehead Institute researchers have linked hyperactivity in the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) cellular pathway to reduced ketone production in the liver, which is a well-defined physiological trait of aging in mice.
December 16, 2010
Whitehead Member Rudolf Jaenisch to receive MGH's Warren Triennial Prize
Whitehead Institute Founding Member Rudolf Jaenisch has been named a recipient of the 2011 Warren Triennial Prize of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).
December 6, 2010
Whitehead Member Iain Cheeseman to receive R.R. Bensley Award
Whitehead Institute Member Iain Cheeseman will receive the 2011 R.R. Bensley Award, one of four Young Investigator Awards distributed by the American Association of Anatomists (AAA).
November 29, 2010
Tiny RNA shown to cause multiple types of leukemia
Whitehead Institute researchers have shown in mouse models that overexpression of the microRNA 125b (miR-125b) can independently cause leukemia and accelerate the disease’s progression in mice.
November 12, 2010
Whitehead Member Susan Lindquist honored with Mendel Medal
Whitehead Member Susan Lindquist has been awarded the Mendel Medal by the Genetics Society in the U.K.
November 4, 2010
Whitehead Member Susan Lindquist awarded Max Delbrück Medal
Whitehead Institute Member Susan Lindquist has received the Max Delbrück Medal in Berlin, Germany, for her work on protein folding.
October 15, 2010
Whitehead Member Susan Lindquist to Receive National Medal of Science
President Obama today named Whitehead Member Susan Lindquist a recipient of the National Medal of Science, the nation’s highest scientific honor.
August 26, 2010
New Whitehead Fellow on the hunt for rare genetic mutations
As Whitehead Institute’s newest Fellow, Yaniv Erlich comes to Cambridge in search of rare genetic variants or mutations occurring in individual human genomes.
August 25, 2010
Whitehead scientist named one of the world's top young innovators
Whitehead Institute postdoctoral fellow Yaqub (Jacob) Hanna has been recognized as a 2010 Young Innovator by MIT's Technology Review magazine.
August 23, 2010
Plant biologist Mary Gehring joins Whitehead Institute faculty
Mary Gehring will be studying epigenetic reprogramming in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Her work has commonalities and potential synergies with research occurring in other Whitehead laboratories.
August 18, 2010
Surprise in genome structure linked to developmental diseases
The genes that are responsible for maintaining each cell type form DNA loops that link control elements for these genes. This surprising genome structure is generated and reinforced by two essential protein complexes that bridge the loops and contribute to proper gene regulation.
August 16, 2010
RNA snippets control protein production by disabling mRNAs
Short pieces of RNA, called microRNAs, control protein production by causing the proteins’ RNA templates (known as messenger RNA or mRNA) to be disabled by the cell, according to Whitehead Institute scientists.
August 11, 2010
New Whitehead Member Piyush Gupta takes aim at normal and cancer stem cells
Cancer biologist Piyush Gupta joins the Whitehead Institute faculty in September on a mission to shed new light on the mechanisms that determine why some cells in our bodies behave appropriately while others venture down destructive, malignant paths.
August 5, 2010
Human embryonic stem cells and reprogrammed cells virtually identical
Human embryonic stem (ES) cells and adult cells reprogrammed to an embryonic stem cell-like state—so-called induced pluripotent stem or iPS cells—exhibit very few differences in their gene expression signatures and are nearly indistinguishable in their chromatin state, according to Whitehead Institute researchers.
July 8, 2010
Protein that predicts prognosis of leukemia patients may also be a therapeutic target
Researchers at Whitehead Institute and Children’s Hospital Boston have identified a protein, called Musashi 2, that is predictive of prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients. High levels of Musashi 2 protein is associated with increased cell proliferation, decreased cell maturation, and multiple cancer-related cellular pathways in human leukemias.
July 1, 2010
Reprogrammed human blood cells show promise for disease research
Cells from frozen human blood samples can be reprogrammed to an embryonic stem-cell-like state, according to Whitehead Institute researchers. These cells can be multiplied and used to study the genetic and molecular mechanisms of blood disorders and other diseases.
June 30, 2010
Gerald Fink awarded 2010 Gruber Genetics Prize
Whitehead Institute Founding Member Gerald Fink has been awarded the 2010 Genetics Prize of The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation for his groundbreaking research in yeast genetics.
May 13, 2010
Low oxygen levels prevent X chromosome inactivation in human embryonic stem cells
Oxygen levels in the lab can permanently alter human embryonic stem (ES) cells, specifically inducing X chromosome inactivation in female cells, according to Whitehead Institute researchers.
May 13, 2010
How microtubules let go of their attachments during cell division
Whitehead Institute researchers have determined a key part of how cells regulate the chromosome/microtubule interface, which is central to proper chromosomal distribution during cell division.
May 3, 2010
Scientists create human embryonic stem cells with enhanced pluripotency
Whitehead Institute researchers have converted established human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells and human embryonic stem (ES) cells to a base state of greater pluripotency.
April 29, 2010
Embryonic stem cells reveal oncogene’s secret growth formula
Whitehead Institute researchers have identified the mechanism that the protein c-Myc uses to regulate gene transcription, which affects one-third of the expressed genes in the genome. The work also reveals a general role for this mechanism in gene control, which is called transcriptional pause release.
April 26, 2010
A different tune: cellular IPOD plays role in prion biology
According to Whitehead Institute researchers, cells take advantage of a biologically ancient compartment to sequester prions, an action that can initially prevent the prions’ phenotypic expression. While in this compartment, less stably heritable prion plaques also mature to a more transmissible state.
April 4, 2010
New model tracks the immune response to a T
Using T cells primed for the infectious disease toxoplasmosis, Whitehead Institute researchers have created novel mouse models of the immune system that more accurately reflect how immune cells actually respond to pathogens in their presence.
April 4, 2010
Whitehead Member Iain Cheeseman awarded Young Investigator grant
Whitehead Member Iain Cheeseman has been awarded a Young Investigator grant from the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP). The grant will fund a team including Cheeseman to study how a structural scaffold of proteins, called the spindle matrix, prepares a cell for cell division.
March 11, 2010
Yasemin Sancak receives Harold M. Weintraub Award
Yasemin Sancak, a researcher in the lab of Whitehead Member David Sabatini, has received a 2010 Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award, which honors outstanding biology graduate students for the quality, originality, and significance of their work.
February 25, 2010
Whitehead again among Best Places to Work for postdocs
For the third year in a row, Whitehead Institute has been named one of the best places in the country for postdoctoral researchers to work in 2010.
February 10, 2010
"Relaxation" a critical step in vertebrate brain development
Normal vertebrate brain ventricle formation relies upon the stretchiness or “relaxation” of the neuroepithelium, which is regulated by the motor protein myosin. This process was discovered in zebrafish and may play a role in the proper expansion of tubes in other organs throughout development.
January 13, 2010
Chimp and human Y chromosomes evolving faster than expected
The first comprehensive comparison of Y chromosomes from two species sheds new light on Y chromosome evolution. Contrary to a widely held scientific theory that the mammalian Y chromosome is slowly decaying or stagnating, new evidence suggests that in fact the Y is actually reinventing itself through continuous, wholesale renovation.
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Last updated December 23, 2010. |
