https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us provides the latest news from Research Institute of Molecular Pathology In recent decades, immunotherapy has transformed cancer treatment, offering effective options for diseases once considered uncurable, such as melanoma, lung, and bladder cancers. What began as laboratory research has now moved to real-world clinical applications, providing new possibilities for patients facing a range of challenging conditions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-11-cancer-treatment-monocytes-boost-cells.html Wed, 27 Nov 2024 11:00:01 EST news651919915 In most animals and plants, the life cycle of an individual begins with fertilization, when egg and sperm fuse to combine their genetic material. Together, they form the zygote, the first cell of an embryo that will eventually develop into a complex organism. https://phys.org/news/2021-09-mouse-sperm-molecular-vip-egg.html Fri, 24 Sep 2021 09:39:11 EDT news551695147 The spinal cord is an important component of our central nervous system: it connects the brain with the rest of the body and plays a crucial part in coordinating our sensations with our actions. Falls, violence, disease—various forms of trauma can cause irreversible damage to the spinal cord, leading to paralysis, sometimes even death. https://phys.org/news/2021-06-stem-cells-synchronize-spinal-cord.html Tue, 15 Jun 2021 10:36:40 EDT news542972196 Proteins are the essence of life: they give structure to cells and organelles, catalyze metabolic reactions, build, break, tug, and pull—they carry out most of the actions that sustain a cell's existence. https://phys.org/news/2021-06-disrupting-ribosome-production-renewed-potential.html Wed, 09 Jun 2021 09:47:17 EDT news542450834 In Lake Xochimilco of central Mexico dwells a rare salamander, the axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum). In the wild, the axolotls do not metamorphose: adults very much resemble their larval counterparts and keep the external gills that ornate their head. Throughout their lives, axolotls have the ability to regrow lost parts of their body, such as a limb munched by a predator. The process may take months, but when it is complete, a regenerated leg is indistinguishable from the original: fully functional and scar-free. While this phenomenon is common in salamanders, it is rare in other vertebrates. https://phys.org/news/2021-05-frogs-regenerate-lost-limbs-axolotls.html Wed, 19 May 2021 10:31:28 EDT news540639084 Mature egg cells and early embryos do not generate their own RNA molecules—instead, they rely on stored maternal RNAs to synthesize their proteins. As the embryo develops, some of these RNAs become superfluous and need to be degraded. Researchers at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) pinpointed Ski7 as a regulator of normal RNA levels in early zebrafish embryos. Their findings were published in the journal PLOS Genetics. https://phys.org/news/2021-03-egg-embryo-zebrafish-rna.html Wed, 10 Mar 2021 12:42:21 EST news534602538 It has long been known that the acquired immune system can generate a vast antibody (immunoglobulin) repertoire by gene recombination in developing B-cells. However, it was not understood how the different immunoglobulin gene segments can meet each other in the three-dimensional space of a B-cell nucleus to undergo recombination, thus generating a functional antibody gene. Scientists at Vienna's Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) have now discovered that the transcription factor Pax5 plays a central role in this process by promoting the interaction of immunoglobulin gene segments through cohesin-mediated loop extrusion. These novel findings have been published by Nature today. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-07-immune-vast-antibody-repertoire-infections.html Thu, 02 Jul 2020 09:30:03 EDT news512900572 New insights into the process of DNA looping have changed old perspectives about how the genome is organized within cells. Discoveries by IMP researchers have now elucidated a fundamental mechanism of life and settle a decade-long scientific dispute. https://phys.org/news/2019-11-groundbreaking-cohesin-molecular-motor-genome.html Fri, 22 Nov 2019 07:43:46 EST news493631010 B cells are white blood cells that generate antibodies against an almost unlimited number of pathogens, a capacity that is vital for any higher organism. However, establishing a diverse repertoire of pathogen recognition comes at a price, as some B cells will inevitably go wild and turn against the organism's own, healthy tissue. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-10-mechanism-autoimmunity.html Tue, 08 Oct 2019 09:23:11 EDT news489745377 IMP scientists from the lab of Alexander Stark show why certain activators—enhancers or cofactor proteins—activate specific promoters. The findings, which are now reported in the journal Nature, could have implications for gene therapies. https://phys.org/news/2019-05-gene-scientists-basis-regulatory-specificity.html Thu, 16 May 2019 07:57:49 EDT news477212085 Anxiety disorders are a major medical problem affecting a large population. They can be treated with a range of psychiatric drugs, including a group of substances called benzodiazepines (BZDs). BZDs have been used to treat patients with anxiety for 50 years and it is well-understood what they do on the molecular and cellular level. However, doctors and neuroscientists had much less understanding of the neural circuit interactions through which BZDs unfold their anxiety relieving effect. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-12-scientists-brain-hot-drugs.html Wed, 05 Dec 2018 10:00:41 EST news463226428 Screening for mutations influencing the migration of nerve cells in mice, scientists found a gene that plays a role in the transport of proteins within nerve cells. If less of the protein is present in the developing mouse, the scientists found that its brain showed severe defects. Investigating the situation in humans, they discovered that a mutation of the same gene underlies neural degeneration. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-02-neurological-disease-mice-humans-linked.html Thu, 01 Feb 2018 10:13:05 EST news436702375 Scientists at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna study fundamental aspects of sleep in roundworms. Using advanced technologies, they monitor the activity of all nerve cells in the brain while they are falling asleep and waking up. The journal Science publishes their ground-breaking results this week. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-06-brains-surrender.html Fri, 23 Jun 2017 06:21:10 EDT news417417654 Minimalism is an increasingly popular lifestyle choice that encourages individuals to decrease the overall number of possessions owned and live more simply. According to minimalist philosophy, the reduction of unnecessary clutter enables one to live a more functional and purposeful existence. IMP-IMBA Group Leader and Centre for Structural Systems Biology scientist Thomas Marlovits, in collaboration with colleagues from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), discovered that a minimalist approach can also be applied to complex biological systems, such as the type III secretion system. The findings of this collaborative study have been published in the scientific journal, Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2017-05-molecular-needle-biological.html Tue, 16 May 2017 08:20:01 EDT news414139617 Twenty years ago, the protein complex cohesin was first described by researchers at the IMP. They found that its shape strikingly corresponds to its function: when a cell divides, the ring-shaped structure of cohesin keeps sister-chromatids tied together until they are ready to separate. https://phys.org/news/2017-04-looping-genomehow-cohesin.html Thu, 20 Apr 2017 08:56:30 EDT news411897376 Cells never forget to take out the trash. It has long been known that cells tag proteins for degradation by labelling them with ubiquitin, a signal described as "the molecular kiss of death". Tim Clausen's group at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna identified an analogous system in gram-positive bacteria, where the role of a degradation tag is fulfilled by a little known post-translational modification: arginine phosphorylation. The discovery, which is published online by the journal Nature, opens new avenues for designing antibacterial therapies. https://phys.org/news/2016-10-cells-trashphosphoarginine-deciphered.html Fri, 07 Oct 2016 08:30:02 EDT news395047643 When one cell divides into two - that is how all forms of life are propagated - the newly born daughter cells have to be equipped with everything they will need in their tiny lives. Most important of all is that they inherit a complete copy of the genetic information from their mother cell. If this is not the case because a wrong number of chromosomes – on which the genetic information is stored – gets passed on during cell division, the daughter cells will often not survive, or worse, contribute to the development of diseases such as cancer or conditions such as Down Syndrome. https://phys.org/news/2016-08-molecular-machines.html Fri, 12 Aug 2016 04:10:06 EDT news390192781 Using the example of the fruit fly, a team of biologists led by Prof. Dr. Andrew Straw has identified patterns in the genetic activity of brain cells and taken them as a basis for drawing conclusions about the structure of the brain. The research, published in Current Biology, was conducted at the University of Freiburg and at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna, Austria. https://phys.org/news/2016-07-brain-regions-automatically.html Fri, 15 Jul 2016 08:03:41 EDT news387788611 Our environment teems with microorganisms and viruses that are potentially harmful. The reason why we survive their daily attacks is the ability of the immune system to neutralize these invaders in numerous ways. Plasma cells are key players in this process. They fight infections and establish long-lasting protection against pathogens. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-01-important-immune-decoded.html Tue, 19 Jan 2016 08:00:04 EST news372412235 Manuel Zimmer and his team at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) present new findings on the brain activity of the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans. The scientists were able to show that brain cells (neurons), organized in a brain-wide network, albeit exerting different functions, coordinate with each other in a collective manner. They could also directly link these coordinated activities in the worm's brain to the processes that generate behavior. The results of the study are presented in the current issue of the journal Cell. https://phys.org/news/2015-10-neuroscientists-decode-brain-worm.html Fri, 16 Oct 2015 07:37:54 EDT news364199863 The cohesin molecule ensures the proper distribution of DNA during cell division. Scientists at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna can now prove the concept of its carabiner-like function by visualizing for the first time the open form of the complex. The journal Science publishes the new findings in its current issue. https://phys.org/news/2014-11-cohesin-molecule-safeguards-cell-division.html Fri, 21 Nov 2014 09:36:20 EST news335784971 In a joint effort, with collaboration partners from the Vienna University of Technology and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the team of Andrew Straw at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) developed a special device for the thermogenetic control of flies. This tool, called FlyMAD, enabled the scientists to target light or heat to specific body regions of flies in motion and to analyse the animals' brain cells. Compared to other techniques, FlyMAD allows highly improved temporal resolution. Using the new technology, Straw and his colleagues got new insight into the role of two neuronal cell types in courtship behavior of flies. https://phys.org/news/2014-05-mind-device-fruit-flies.html Mon, 26 May 2014 19:05:14 EDT news320349890 Researchers at the Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna managed to isolate "moonwalker flies" in a high-throughput screen. Screening a large collection of fruit flies, the scientists found specimens that seemed locked in reverse gear. Dickson and his co-workers were able to trace these changes in walking direction back to the activity of specific neurons in the brain. The results of the study will be published in the current issue of Science. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-04-brain-cells-fruit-flies.html Thu, 03 Apr 2014 17:54:50 EDT news315766461 Scientists at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna uncover basic mechanisms of action for hormones. https://phys.org/news/2014-04-hormones-action-partner.html Tue, 01 Apr 2014 10:00:04 EDT news315561378 Meinrad Busslinger and his team from the Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) investigate the differentiation of stem cells to mature B cells. They now present for the first time molecular details on the role of the Ikaros gene during early B cell development. A defect in Ikaros function causes an early block in B-lymphopoiesis and prevents the development of mature B cells. The cells stay in an aberrant state, which closely resembles that of cells in B-ALL, a special form of human B cell leukemia. The results of this study are published in the current Advance Online edition of Nature Immunology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-02-defect-ikaros-gene-mimics-human.html Tue, 11 Feb 2014 08:40:01 EST news311328896 The team of Johannes Zuber at the IMP in Vienna, Austria, managed to overcome remaining key limitations of RNA interference (RNAi) - a unique method to specifically shut off genes. By using an optimized design, the scientists were able to inhibit genes with greatly enhanced efficiency and accuracy. The new method facilitates the search for drug targets and improves the interpretation of experimental results. The IMP will make this "RNAi toolkit" available to researchers. Results of the study are published in the current issue of Cell Reports. https://phys.org/news/2013-12-molecular-toolkit-gene-silencing.html Fri, 13 Dec 2013 09:10:02 EST news306147639 A team of researchers from the IMP Vienna together with collaborators from the Vienna University of Technology established a new microscopy technique which greatly enhances resolution in the third dimension. In a simple set-up, the scientists used the translation of position information of fluorescent markers into color information. Overcoming the need for scanning the depth of a sample, they were able to generate the precise 3D information at the same speed as it would take to acquire a 2D image. The general principle of this innovative approach can be used for broader applications and is published online in the PNAS Early Edition this week. https://phys.org/news/2013-11-limits-microscopy.html Fri, 29 Nov 2013 09:00:03 EST news304935351 Scientists at the Campus Vienna Biocenter (Austria) have found a way to overcome some of the limitations of light microscopy. Applying the new technique, they can record the activity of a worm's brain with high temporal and spatial resolution, ultimately linking brain anatomy to brain function. The journal Nature Methods publishes the details in its current issue. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-09-capturing-brain-sculpted.html Mon, 09 Sep 2013 07:50:01 EDT news297930659 Researchers at the IMP Vienna discovered that cohesin stabilizes DNA. Jan-Michael Peters and his team at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) found that the structure of Chromosomes is supported by a kind of molecular skeleton, made of cohesin. Their discovery is published in the forthcoming issue of the journal Nature. https://phys.org/news/2013-08-skeleton-chromosomes.html Mon, 26 Aug 2013 07:40:01 EDT news296720761 In each cell, thousands of regulatory regions control which genes are active at any time. Scientists at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna have developed a method that reliably detects these regions and measures their activity. The new technology is published online by Science this week. https://phys.org/news/2013-01-scientists-dark-dna.html Fri, 18 Jan 2013 06:46:45 EST news277713996