22.11.18 Role for Notch signalling in neural stem cell state progression in Drosophila brain
The Brand lab publish in Neural Development on the dynamic regulation of Notch signalling in the transition from optic lobe neuroepithelial cells to asymmetrically dividing neural stem cells
15.11.18 Phosphorylation of histone H4T80 triggers DNA-damage-checkpoint recovery
The Kouzarides and Jackson labs tease out the series of biochemical events, including a histone modification, that allows cells to recover from the DNA damage checkpoint
26.10.18 Mapping regulatory elements across the C. elegans lifespan
The Ahringer lab and international colleagues used multiple assays to systematically identify and annotate accessible chromatin in the six C. elegans developmental stages and at five time points of adult ageing
31.10.18 Cell polarisation of fly midgut epithelium provides better model for mammalian epithelia
The St Johnston lab's discovery of the mechanism for epithelial cell polarisation in the fly gut disproves the idea that the same conserved system establishes apical-basal polarity in all epithelia
30.10.18 Long RNA species contribute to intergenerational effects of early life trauma in mice
The Miska lab with colleagues in Switzerland show that early life trauma can cause alterations in long RNA in mouse sperm, and this contributes to transmitting the effects to the next generation
16.10.18 CRISPR screen identifies further genes that regulate mouse germ cell specification
A team of current and former Surani lab researchers apply fluorescent reporters with a genome-wide CRISPR screen to track changing cellular identity in a model of developing primordial germ cells
11.10.18 Scientists watch development of lab-engineered human neurons transplanted into mouse brain
Livesey lab and colleagues' technique for transplanting engineered human brain cells in mice, published in Science, provides insights into Down syndrome, with potential wider application
26.09.18 Role for alpha-ketoglutate in pluripotency and germ cell specification
The Surani lab, with colleagues in Cambridge and Germany, demonstrate a link between epigenetic control of germ cell specification and the mitochondrial oxidative metabolite, alpha-ketoglutarate
25.09.18 The optic lobe neuroepithelium generates neural stem cells over 60 hours earlier than previously thought
Hakes, Otsuki and Brand show that neuroepithelial cells in the Drosophila optic lobe produce previously unidentified neural stem cells during embryonic development
08.09.18 Branching gene expression in response to infection analysed with Gaussian processes
Penfold et al from the Surani lab apply statistical methods to understand patterns in changes in gene expression following perturbations such as infection
10.09.18 New technique reveals how Zika interacts inside cells and could enable new anti-viral therapies
The COMRADES technique, developed by the Miska lab with international colleagues, can screen for host–virus RNA base-pairing and reveal the interacting sequences of RNA in a single experiment. In this Nature Methods paper they apply it to the Zika virus in human cells.
05.09.18 MaTaDa method reveals cell-type-specific transcription factor binding in small numbers of mammalian cells
The Brand and Surani labs combine expertise to apply the Targeted DamID approach to studying binding of mammalian pluripotency factors
13.08.18 Antiviral gene screen in C elegans reveals third mechanism for antiviral defence
The Miska lab, with UK and USA collaborators, developed a system for antiviral gene discovery and identified 3'-terminal uridylation of viral RNAs as a defence mechanism in animals
21.06.18 RNA helicase DDX3X is indirect regulator of breast cancer cell cycle
The Kouzarides lab identify how DDX3X plays oncogenic role in breast cancer cells via effect on expression and downstream function of KLF4
18.08.18 Resolving the cellular basis of mouse pancreas development
The Simons and Huch labs, with Cambridge Stem Cell Institute colleagues, tease out the cellular mechanisms by which the pancreas develops its branched ductal structures
10.07.18 Chromatin accessibility is a central factor in successful reprogramming in oocytes
In this Cell Reports article the Gurdon and Livesey labs show an association between the local chromatin state and whether genes are activated by or resistant to reprogramming
18.07.18 'Shieldin' protein complex identified that affects response of BRCA1-negative cells to PARP inhibitors
The Jackson lab, with an international team of collaborators, show that testing for levels of the Shieldin complex in BRCA1 mutant tumours could help predict response to anti-cancer therapy
18.07.18 Genome-scale oscillations in DNA methylation as cells undergo fate decisions
The Simons lab with colleagues from the Babraham Institute combined single-cell sequencing and biophysical modelling to follow DNA methylation states as cells begin to differentiate
03.07.18 Identifying and targeting a nuclear transport pathway affected in premature and healthy ageing
The Jackson and Kouzarides labs present a model for how NAT10 inhibition rescues cells with phenotypes of the premature ageing disease Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome
26.06.18 New method for sequencing cell type-specific transcriptomes without cell sorting
In this Development report, Matsushima et al. present their new technique based on using a cell-specific promoter for in vivo metabolic RNA sequencing without cell sorting or RNA isolation
19.06.18 RNA-binding protein SRSF3 shown to regulate the maternal transcriptome in mouse oocyte
The Surani lab, with colleagues in Cambridge, Norwich, London and Singapore, highlight the role of RNA-binding proteins in controlling the maternal transcriptome for correct development of fertilised oocytes
10.05.18 Surani lab show epigenetic modifier G9a is vital in preimplanation embryo development
In this eLife paper the Surani lab examine effects of loss of maternally inherited G9a on regulation of cell fate choices at onset of embryo development
27.04.18 Mouse study identifies new target for increasing health and lifespan in a human accelerated ageing syndrome
The Jackson lab, working with colleagues at Wellcome Sanger Institute, have identified a potential therapeutic target in the devastating genetic disease Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome
27.03.18 Ben Simons awarded Royal Society EP Abraham Research Professorship
In March the Royal Society announced the latest awards of coveted professorships to six world-class scientists, with Ben Simons of the Gurdon Institute among them
18.04.18 Jackson lab establishes method to detect spontaneous or chemically-induced suppressor mutations
In this Scientific Report, Herzog et al. of the Jackson lab demonstrate a method of detecting functional protein domains that can be used to identify drug targets and predict resistance mechanisms
24.04.18 Invitation to our special event at Kettle's Yard on 12th May 2018
Come along to hear from the artists and scientists involved in our collaborative project, 'Experiments in Art and Science'
16.04.18 Rawlins lab identify two genes required for regulation of multiciliated cell differentiation
In this Biology Open paper, Johnson et al. developed an in vitro explant assay of embryonic mouse trachea to test over-expression of genes from multiciliated cells
05.04.18 Otsuki and Brand identify new stem cells that could aid regenerative medicine for brain repair
In this paper in Science, Otsuki and Brand report the discovery in the brain of a new type of quiescent stem cell (known as ‘G2 quiescent stem cell’) with higher regenerative potential than quiescent stem cells identified previously
29.03.18 In vitro model of human microglia derived from patient's stem cells developed in Livesey lab
This stem cell model of microglia, the brain’s macrophages, enabled the Livesey lab to examine the effects of mutations in the TREM2 receptor, which are causative for dementia
27.03.18 Livesey lab show that neurons take up single and aggregated tau molecules by two mechanisms
The transfer of aggregated tau between neurons was proposed to underlie the spread of pathology in dementia, but the Livesey lab show that neurons in vitro take up extracellular tau using endocytosis and micropinocytosis
