MDA5: A sensor of viral RNA length
Researchers in the laboratory of Sun Hur provide novel insights into the mechanisms underlying the role of a cellular sensor called MDA5 in alerting the immune system to viral invasion.
Early HIV treatment dramatically increases survival in patients co-infected with tuberculosis
Cambodian study demonstrates that starting antiretroviral treatment two weeks, not two months, after TB treatment increases survival 33 percent.
Hunting for “hot spots” for chromosome reshuffling
Researchers map where in the genome chromosomes rejoin after breaking; could help guide understanding of cancer genomics and efforts to develop gene therapies
A master genetic control for the antibody repertoire
Researchers have identified a long-sought region of the chromosome responsible for both the diversity and specificity of the antibody response, also defining a new role for the generally expressed protein CTCF.
A Movie Is Worth 1,000 Immunoblots
Led by Judy Lieberman and Tom Kirchhausen, researchers at the Immune Disease Institute and the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Children's Hospital Boston (PCMM/IDI) have discovered that two types of immune killer cells use the host cell's membrane repair pathway and the pore-forming protein perforin to deliver lethal granular enzymes, or granzymes.
Mapping out DNA’s extra bases
5-methylcytosine (L) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (R): the two DNA bases you didn't learn about in high school biology.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Stopping HIV transmission with a molecular barrier
Mouse studies point to long-lasting protection against HIV infection using topical, RNAi-based microbicide.
Lights, Camera, Molecular Action!
A novel technique from the laboratory of Tom Kirchhausen shows how tiny molecules manage to disassemble a large clathrin lattice, a fundamental structure used by cells to promote engulfment of vesicles from cellular membranes.
Cover photo courtesy of Nature Publishing Group.
TET makes Embryonic Stem Cells Tick
The TET family of enzymes, discovered just two years ago, plays a key role in the lineage decisions of stem cells. TET enzymes are important for the proper function of embryonic stem cells and may also be valuable players in the development of induced pluripotent stem cells.
The RNA exosome and immunity: It's all about access
Researchers in the laboratory of Frederick Alt at the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Children's Hospital Boston and the Immune Disease Institute (PCMM/IDI) have determined that the RNA exosome, known to be a cellular 'quality control' mechanism for RNA transcription, makes crucial contributions to immunity.
Featured News Story
MDA5: A sensor of viral RNA length
Researchers in the laboratory of Sun Hur provide novel insights into the mechanisms underlying the role of a cellular sensor called MDA5 in alerting the immune system to viral invasion.
Reporting in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science online December 12, 2011, an interdisciplinary team led by Sun Hur (Immune Disease Institute and the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Children's Hospital Boston) in collaboration with Thomas Walz (Department of Cell Biology, HMS) has characterized a novel mechanism whereby the viral RNA sensor MDA5 binds to the invading double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), forming an ordered filament. The binding then stimulates ATP hydrolysis, which causes the MDA5 to un-bind, or dissociate from the dsRNA. Because the dissociation occurs primarily from the filament ends, longer dsRNA makes the MDA5:dsRNA complex more stable. In the report by first authored post-doctoral fellow Alys Peisley, Dr. Hur and her team suggest that this length-dependent… Read More »
Announcements
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…
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 »
