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Life is full of tension...even at the cellular level

Researchers have identified conditions under which the actin cytoskeleton plays a supporting but crucial role in endocytosis.

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Hunting for “hot spots” for chromosome reshuffling

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A master genetic control for the antibody repertoire

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Featured News Story

Life is full of tension...even at the cellular level

Life is full of tension...even at the cellular level

Researchers in the laboratory of Tom Kirchhausen at the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Children's Hospital Boston, the Immune Disease Institute, and the Department of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School have identified conditions under which the actin cytoskeleton plays a supporting but crucial role in endocytosis.
In Nature Cell Biology, Dr. Kirchhausen and his colleagues reported on aspects of clathrin-mediated endocytosis using live cell imaging, a well-established area of research for the lab.  They found that although the clathrin system alone was often sufficient to bring cargo into the cell, certain circumstances including elevated cellular membrane tension required the assistance of the actin cytoskeleton to complete endocytosis.

Endocytosis is the process by which cells take in materials that cannot pass through the cell membrane on their own.  Though there are several endocytic pathways, the one mediated by the protein clathrin… Read More »

Announcements

New Hire in Immune Signaling

New Hire in Immune Signaling

The Immune Disease Institute (IDI) would like to welcome Dr. Hao Wu who is planning to join IDI, the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and the Department of Medicine at Childrens's Hospital… Read More »

Frederick W. Alt, Ph.D., among IOM’s 65 Newly Elected Members

Frederick W. Alt, Ph.D., among IOM’s 65 Newly Elected…

Frederick W. Alt, Ph.D., Director and President of PCMM/IDI, Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Charles A. Janeway Professor of Pediatrics at Children's Hospital Boston has… Read More »

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