The Gurdon Institute

Methylation of deoxyadenosine is precise and consistent in human genome

A novel DNA modification, N-6 methylated deoxyadenosine (m6dA), was recently discovered in animal and human genomes, and has been implicated in disease. Now the Gurdon lab's Koziol et al. identify m6dA sites at the nucleotide level. They find that the m6dA mark occurs consistently at precise locations in the human genome, suggesting that these marks are also precisely inherited in humans.

Brain location determines stem cell activation speed

Otsuki and Brand reveal that stem cells activate rapidly or slowly depending on where they reside in the brain. G2 quiescent stem cells, which activate first and have high regenerative potential, reside primarily in ventral brain regions. G0 quiescent stem cells are more numerous in the dorsal brain. This is an important consideration in designing regenerative therapies.

New mechano-chemical theory extends Turing's idea on morphogenesis

Adrien Hallou from the Simons Lab and colleagues in France and Austria have together devised a new model for tissue patterning that extends Turing's reaction-diffusion model. They propose that mechanical forces work in combination with biochemical gradients to generate robust spatial patterns during embryonic development.

Reaction-diffusion mechanism underlies the 'proneural wave'

The Simons and Brand labs combined experimental and theoretical modelling-based methods to show that the ‘proneural wave’ of neurogenesis in the Drosophila optic lobe relies on an excitable reaction-diffusion type process. Their findings suggest a generic mechanism for regulating the sequential differentiation of tissues.

Functional long non-coding RNAs in C elegans

Hundreds of new long non-coding RNAs have been identified in C elegans by the Miska lab and collaborators in Norwich. Deleting several of these lncRNAs had physiological effects on the growth and fertility of the worms, showing that regions of animal genomes that do not ultimately code for protein are contributing RNA transcripts with biological activity.

Sex differences in environmental response in C elegans

Environmental factors can leave an impression on subsequent generations. An example is double stranded RNA that can induce changes in gene expression via small-RNA-mediated silencing. Using C elegans as a model, the Miska lab and colleagues show clear differences between sexes in small RNA abundance that are associated with trans-generational inheritance.

The frog room: our source of eggs

Our latest video is out! Hear from our aquatics services manager about the joys of looking after African Clawed Frogs in order to supply eggs for research in several Gurdon Institute labs.

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Single-cell RNA sequencing is 10 yrs old

The technique for examining all the gene products in one cell at one timepoint, single-cell RNA sequencing, was established right here at the Gurdon Institute in Azim Surani's lab. The method was published on 6 April 2009 and has been followed by an explosion in developments that scale up the analysis to hundreds of thousands of cells.

Who's that working in the basement?

A crack team of specialists is working on a high-tech project in the basement of the Gurdon Institute....building super-resolution microscopes! Find out more in our video.

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Next Gurdon Institute Seminar: 30th April

Our next Gurdon Institute Seminar is this year's Anne McLaren Lecture, to be delivered by Janet Rossant (Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto). Her talk title is 'The blastocyst and its stem cells: from mouse to human relevance'. Join us at 11.30am on Tuesday 30th April. All welcome.

Meet Jenny Gallop in our new video

Our new group leader video features Jenny Gallop describing her work on the actin cytoskeleton. The Gallop lab use frog egg extracts and fruit flies in their analysis of how actin forms structures protruding from the cell membrane, called filopodia. They have developed a unique microscopy system to watch filopodia growing, and an image analysis tool that quantifies the tiny movements.

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