The Piezo1 and Piezo2 ion channels are known to open up response to the slightest mechanical stimulus. MDC researchers have now discovered that the channels are also sensitive to changes in membrane voltage. The voltage sensitivity ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 15, 2018
0
14
Experiments increasingly rely on high-performance computing software. Differences in software environments can cause problems when those experiments need to be reproduced—so scientists at the MDC in Berlin are seeking a ...
Computer Sciences
Sep 6, 2017
0
114
After 13 rapid divisions a fertilized fly egg consists of about 6,000 cells. They all look alike under the microscope. However, each cell of a Drosophila melanogaster embryo already knows by then whether it is destined to ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 31, 2017
0
309
While hundreds of circular RNAs (circRNAs) are abundant in mammalian brains, one big question has remained unanswered: What are they actually good for? In the current issue of Science, Nikolaus Rajewsky and his team at the ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 10, 2017
1
70
Oliver Daumke's lab figures out how the inner membranes of mitochondria "get their groove" and assume the complex shapes they need to carry out crucial cellular functions.
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 1, 2017
0
3
Small "bubbles" frequently form on membranes of cells and are taken up into their interior. The process involves EHD proteins - a focus of research by Prof. Oliver Daumke of the MDC. He and his team have now shed light on ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 24, 2017
0
492
In order to use the CRISPR-Cas9 system to cut genes, researchers must design an RNA sequence that matches the DNA of the target gene. Most genes have hundreds of such sequences, with varying activity and uniqueness in the ...
Biotechnology
Oct 25, 2016
0
18
Some anticancer agents intend to disturb the function of the p97 protein complex, which is essential for survival of cancer cells. A team of researchers of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 20, 2016
0
52
Protein kinase A (PKA) is an important signaling enzyme that is found throughout the body and is involved in many cellular processes. It was thought to have been comprehensively studied, but scientists at the Max Delbrück ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 7, 2016
0
6
