Cell Biology

A new study led by researchers in the lab of Whitehead Institute Member Sebastian Lourido identifies how the widespread parasite Toxoplasma gondii adjusts its metabolism to survive in crowded environments in infected cells. The mechanisms they identify appear to help the parasite persist in long-lasting brain cysts.

A new study led by the lab of Whitehead Institute Director Ruth Lehmann reveals the mechanisms that determine where future egg and sperm cells will form in the fruit fly embryo, illuminating an important aspect of how organisms maintain the ability to reproduce over generations.

Researchers in the lab of Whitehead Institute Member Sebastian Lourido have uncovered the protein machinery that enables Toxoplasma gondii parasites to rapidly alter their form and function as they replicate inside human cells. These findings could guide future strategies to treat parasitic infections. 

A new study from Whitehead Institute Member Jonathan Weissman reveals how cells may activate a compensation system that can, in some cases, reduce the effects of potentially harmful genetic mutations. The findings could inform the development of new gene therapies.

Rare disease treatment and care relies on the combined efforts of clinicians, researchers, and families. Yet these people rarely find themselves in the same room. BridgeRD brought together stakeholders to address challenges of understanding, diagnosing, and treating rare diseases.

Whitehead Institute's Innovation Centers are a source of research services and much more, including potent collaborators and thought-partners. Graduate student Pushkal Sharma in Whitehead Institute Member Ankur Jain’s lab learned this firsthand by working with Heather Keys, the director of the Functional Genomics Platform, on research into small molecules called polyamines.

Iain Cheeseman and colleagues reveal the underappreciated role of single genes producing multiple proteins in atypical presentations of rare disease, and present case studies of affected patients through a collaboration with Boston Children’s Hospital. The findings help to identify genetic mutations that may contribute to rare diseases.

Chemotherapy-induced injury of organ tissue is the culprit, Whitehead Institute Founding Member Robert Weinberg and colleagues have found.

Jonathan Weissman and colleagues developed an optogenetic approach to study where in the cell proteins get made and used it to characterize two groups of proteins produced next to mitochondria. This could lead to new insights into mitochondrial function and dysfunction in disease.

Science in 60 breaks down the latest research at Whitehead Institute through one-minute explainers. In this video, Gayathri Muthukumar discusses how the outer mitochondrial membrane, which is a hub for signaling proteins, helps regulate mitochondrial functions.