Recent Research Highlights

How cells keep their nucleus clean: a fundamental discovery

Scientists at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna have developed a CRISPR-Cas9 screening assay that allows to systematically…

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Mission possible: how cohesin fits two meters of DNA into a human cell

Human cells fit extremely long DNA molecules into their microscopic nucleus. To do so, they need the help of a protein complex, cohesin, that acts…

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Cross-resistance: when cancer therapy backfires

Scientists at the IMP and collaborators have investigated how different forms of cancer therapy can influence the efficacy of subsequent therapies.…

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Disrupting ribosome production – renewed potential for cancer therapy

Proliferating cells are in constant need of ribosomes, the molecular machines that help them produce proteins. Tumour cells, for instance, divide…

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A new role for histone modifications in genomic imprinting

Imprinted genes are expressed from either the paternal or maternal allele. Reporting in Nature Communications, scientists led by Martin Leeb have now…

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The left panel corresponds to an artistic collage, showing Spo11-complexes (blue and yellow shapes) that cleave pieces out of chromosomes (shown in black). Red halos depict DNA-damage signalling. Liberated pieces carry a part of the Spo11-complex on each end. The right panel shows observed chromosomal break sites at a meiotic recombination hotspot. Each arc labels start and end of an isolated fragment coming from a different cell. Wild-type fragments are in red, fragments from a mutant that doesn’t degrade longer fragments, are in blue. (c) Franz Klein, Chromosomenbiologie, Universität Wien

Meiosis: Mind the gap

Meiosis is a specialized cell division process required to generate gametes, the reproductive cells of an organism. During meiosis, paternal and…

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Colouring tumours reveals their bad influence

Red2Onco, an innovative genetic mouse model, allows to detect the very initial steps that lead to cancer development. Red2Onco’s multi-colour…

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Cardioids – Heartbeat, heartbreak and recovery in a dish

Self-organizing heart organoids developed at IMBA – Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences – are also effective…

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Lockdown for genome parasites

Researchers at GMI – Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences – uncover an ingenious mechanism by which…

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Record-breaking lungfish genome reveals how vertebrates conquered land

380 million years ago, fish started to crawl out of the water to colonise land. The Australian lungfish – an endangered, air-breathing fish – is one…

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Revealing the genetic code of ribosomal RNAs

Despite modern sequencing methods, determining the precise sequence of the genetic code for ribosomal RNA (rRNA) has been technically challenging due…

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More than just a sun tan: ultraviolet light helps marine animals to tell the time of year

Changes in daylength are a well-established annual timing cue for animal behavior and physiology. An international collaboration of scientists led by…

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