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dna

Year
9 May 2024

An epigenome editing toolkit to dissect the mechanisms of gene regulation

Science & Technology A study from the Hackett group at EMBL Rome led to the development of an epigenetic editing system that allows to precisely program chromatin modifications at any specific position in the genome, to understand their causal role in transcription regulation.

2024

science-technology

23 November 2023 Photographs of two scientists on a decorative background

ERC Consolidator Grants awarded to two EMBL researchers

EMBL AnnouncementsLab Matters Alba Diz-Muñoz and Arnaud Krebs from EMBL Heidelberg have received grants to work on projects that aim, respectively, to understand the cellular mechanics that control cell division and investigate the regulatory networks that govern transcription factor function.

2023

embl-announcementslab-matters

31 January 2023

ERC Consolidator Grant success at EMBL

EMBL AnnouncementsLab Matters EMBL Rome group leader Jamie Hackett receives EUR 2 million for the ModLogic project, aimed at understanding how chromatin modifications impact gene activity.

2023

embl-announcementslab-matters

18 July 2022 Large, elongated purple molecule has an on/off switch on it pointed to on.

The retron switch

Science & Technology EMBL researchers now understand the function of an elusive small DNA in bacteria and have developed a tool that can be used to better understand what might ‘switch on’ bacterial immune defences.

2022

sciencescience-technology

3 June 2022 he internal structure of a mitotic chromosome is shown with colourful threads representing DNA, one of which is shown being packaged into loops by the condensin protein complex. The background shows mitotic chromosomes in the cellular space

Shaping up the genome for cell division

Science & Technology Researchers have discovered the mechanism by which a family of DNA motor proteins packages loosely arranged strands of DNA into compact individual chromosomes during cell division.

2022

sciencescience-technology

4 March 2022 Science art expressing the concept of transcriptional neighbourhoods regulating transcript isoform lengths and expression levels.

Understanding genomes, piece by piece

Science & Technology Genomes are made up of thousands of individual pieces – genes – which are expressed at different levels. Researchers at EMBL have shed light on how the placement of a gene affects its expression, as well as that of its neighbours.

2022

sciencescience-technology

13 November 2021 close-up of 3 birds

EMBL alum takes DNA sequencing to the field

Science & Technology EMBL alum Lara Urban has developed mobile DNA approaches to monitor impacts upon biodiversity in remote areas of New Zealand and elsewhere.

2021

alumniscience-technology

2 February 2021 A bacterial cell with the parts needed for information flow from DNA to messenger RNA to protein highlighted in different colours.

The central dogma of molecular biology

Science & Technology This colourful image shows biological information flow in action: It’s a supramolecular assembly of DNA, RNA and proteins, observed directly inside a bacterial cell while turning genetic information into protein.

2021

picture-of-the-weekscience-technology

15 January 2021 young man with beard and mustache stands in front of window with blurry background

Welcome: Olivier Duss

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives One of EMBL’s newest group leaders, Olivier Duss, will explore how RNA folds into functional structures and how it works with proteins to control a diverse range of activities in the cell.

2021

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

28 July 2020 Atomic model of the entire condensin complex

Understanding chromosome organisation

Science & Technology EMBL scientists and collaborators help reveal the process by which enormous quantities of DNA are folded into cells.

2020

sciencescience-technology

28 July 2020 Small dots. Some in bright yellow.

An ocean of droplets

Science & Technology Bacterial cells are embedded in microfluidic droplets in oil. The fluorescence indicates the presence of the targeted DNA strain with the help of a characteristic DNA sequence.

2020

picture-of-the-weekscience-technology

2 July 2020 epigenetic reprogramming, epigenetic memory, Hackett group

Unravelling epigenetic reprogramming

Science & Technology A study conducted by the Hackett group at EMBL Rome has identified key factors controlling the complex system of gene regulation during early embryo development, shedding new light on the mechanisms behind these events and on their evolutionary implications. Their findings are published in Nature…

2020

sciencescience-technology

24 June 2020 Artist's impression of DNA lesions. Credit: Petra Korlevic

Unpicking the complexity of DNA mutations

Science & Technology DNA damage caused by chemical mutagens is not repaired immediately and can create more genetic diversity in tumours.

2020

sciencescience-technology

5 March 2020

New insights into gene regulation

Science & Technology EMBL researchers investigate the role of a histone protein in regulating gene expression

2020

sciencescience-technology

5 February 2020

The Pan-Cancer project

Science & Technology EMBL co-leads most comprehensive study of genetic causes of cancer

2020

sciencescience-technology

17 December 2019

Reshaping our DNA

Science & Technology DNA is present in each cell of our body. If all the DNA from one human cell was removed and aligned in a single strand, it would in theory add up to a total length of about two metres. In order to fit into the nucleus of a cell, DNA has to be compressed by […]

2019

picture-of-the-weekscience-technology

10 September 2019

Tracking the beginning of life

Science & Technology All mammalian life starts with the fusion of egg and sperm, resulting in the creation of a single cell called a zygote. This develops into an embryo through a series of cell divisions, in which the number of cells doubles at each step. Todays’ Picture of the Week was taken by Manuel Eguren of the…

2019

picture-of-the-weekscience-technology

19 June 2019 The ELLS team

Building engagement

Lab Matters The team at ELLS use Lego to teach children the fundamentals of DNA.

2019

lab-matters

6 June 2019 Photo of University of Cambridge professor Tim Lewens

Editing the ethical code

Lab Matters Professor Tim Lewens challenges the human genome’s unique place in bioethics

2019

eventslab-matters

14 May 2019

Walking on DNA

Science & Technology EMBL is a world-leading organisation for life science research. Its scientists work in diverse research fields spanning the whole of molecular biology. While the molecules the researchers are working on are often microscopic and impossible to see with the naked eye, one research topic clearly…

2019

picture-of-the-weekscience-technology

11 March 2019 A visualisation of a membraneless organelle in the green-yellow style of the data presented in the Nature Communications paper

ATP affects proteome-wide solubility

Science & Technology Scientists develop technology to measure how ATP concentration affects protein solubility in cells

2019

sciencescience-technology

29 August 2018 During cell division, cohesin directly engages DNA (purple) and holds the replicated chromosome together. IMAGE: Nasser Rusan/National Institutes of Health

Cohesin: a glue for DNA

Science & Technology EMBL scientists discover how a component of the cohesin ring binds DNA

2018

sciencescience-technology

23 May 2018 As a cell prepares to divide, the chromosomes (shown here in pink) condense, becoming more tightly coiled and easier to observe under the microscope. The faint structure in the centre is a cell nucleus in which the chromosomes are in their usual decondensed state.

Exploring genetic variation

Science & Technology EMBL group leader Jan Korbel reflects on his scientific origins and current research

2018

sciencescience-technology

14 March 2018

DNA replication stress in cancer

Science & Technology Thanos Halazonetis discusses the EMBO/EMBL Symposium: DNA Replication: From Basic Biology to Disease

2018

eventsscience-technology

15 January 2018 This mouse ovary and these immature eggs (in blue), can be used to study patterns of DNA methylation that affect only females.

Welcome: Matthieu Boulard

People & Perspectives New EMBL group leader investigates the mystery of heritable gene silencing

2018

people-perspectivesscience

27 September 2012 Diagram showing looping DNA

Loop the loop, DNA style

Science & Technology In a nutshell: Looping and unlooping DNA adjusts readout from gene and spread of regulation throughout the genome When a gene forms a loop, its output increases, as the transcription machinery that reads it is trapped into moving only along that gene When the gene loop is undone, transcription…

2012

sciencescience-technology

17 June 2011 Condensin loops around several strands of DNA, keeping it coiled up and easier to transport. (Artistic impression) Image credits: EMBL/ P. Riedinger

Keeping it together

As any rock-climber knows, trailing a long length of rope behind you is not easy. A dangling length of rope is unwieldy and hard to manoeuvre, and can get tangled up or stuck on an outcropping. Cells face the same problem when dragging chromosomes apart during cell division. The chromosomes are…

2011

science

26 November 2009 This image represents the integration of genomic, metabolic, proteomic, structural and cellular information about Mycoplasma pneumoniae in this project: one layer of an Electron Tomography scan of a bottle-shaped M. pneumoniae cell (grey) is overlaid with a schematic representation of this bacterium’s metabolism, where blue indicates interactions between proteins encoded in genes from the same functional unit. Apart from these expected interactions, the scientists found that, surprisingly, many proteins are multifunctional. For instance, there were various unexpected physical interactions (yellow lines) between proteins and the subunits that form the ribosome, which is depicted as an Electron microscopy image (yellow). Image credit: Takuji Yamada / EMBL

First-ever blueprint of a minimal cell is more complex than expected

What are the bare essentials of life, the indispensable ingredients required to produce a cell that can survive on its own? Can we describe the molecular anatomy of a cell, and understand how an entire organism functions as a system? These are just some of the questions that scientists in a…

2009

science

4 November 2009 fluorescence microscopy images of fruit fly embryos

Deciphering the regulatory code

Embryonic development is like a well-organised building project, with the embryo’s DNA serving as the blueprint from which all construction details are derived. Cells carry out different functions according to a developmental plan, by expressing, i.e. turning on, different combinations of genes.…

2009

science

1 October 2009 These microscopy images show that, in A. gambiae mosquitoes, the different alleles of the TEP1 gene confer different degrees of resistance to malaria: the midgut of a mosquito whose only functional allele is the 'resistance' one (left) contains a number of dead malaria parasites (black dots), but very few live parasites (fluorescent green dots), whereas in another, genetically identical, mosquito with only the 'susceptibility' allele turned on (right), parasite survival was much higher. Image credit: Marina Lamacchia/INSERM

From foe to friend: mosquitoes that transmit malaria may help fight the disease

For many years, the mosquitoes that transmit malaria to humans were seen as public enemies, and campaigns to eradicate the disease focused on eliminating the mosquitoes. But, as a study published today in Science shows, the mosquitoes can also be our allies in the fight against this common foe,…

2009

science

13 August 2009

Raising the alarm when DNA goes bad

Our genome is constantly under attack from things like UV light and toxins, which can damage or even break DNA strands and ultimately lead to cancer and other diseases. Scientists have known for a long time that when DNA is damaged, a key enzyme sets off a cellular ‘alarm bell’ to alert the…

2009

science

20 June 2008

Scientists fix bugs in our understanding of evolution

What makes a human different from a chimp? Researchers from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) have come one important step closer to answering such evolutionary questions correctly. In the current issue of Science they uncover…

2008

science

7 May 2008

Platypus genome sequence published

UK-based researchers at the Medical Research Council Functional Genomics Unit in Oxford and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory’s European Bioinformatics Institute in Cambridge have revealed the genetic makeup of the one of the world’s strangest mammals. They have analysed the DNA…

2008

science

14 June 2007

New findings challenge established views about human genome

The ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements (ENCODE), an international research consortium organised by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today published the results of its exhaustive, four-year effort to build a “parts list” of…

2007

science

2 February 2007

Investigating the invisible life in our environment

Microorganisms make up more than a third of the Earth’s biomass. They are found in water, on land and even in our bodies, recycling nutrients, influencing the planet’s climate or causing diseases. Still, we know surprisingly little about the smallest beings that colonise Earth. A new…

2007

science

24 November 2005

The earliest animals had human-like genes

Species evolve at very different rates, and the evolutionary line that produced humans seems to be among the slowest. The result, according to a new study by scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory [EMBL], is that our species has retained characteristics of a very ancient ancestor…

2005

science

25 August 2005

A double punch for female survival

Achieving equality between the sexes can be a challenge even for single cells. Since evolution began removing bits of male DNA to create the ‘Y’ chromosome, males have had a single copy of certain key genes on the X chromosome, whereas females have two. Normally this would lead females…

2005

science

22 August 2005

Public collections of DNA and RNA sequence reach 100 gigabases

Lab Matters The world’s three leading public repositories for DNA and RNA sequence information have reached 100 gigabases (100,000,000,000 bases; the ‘letters’ of the genetic code) of sequence. Thanks to their data exchange policy, which has paved the way for the global exchange of many types…

2005

lab-matters

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