Stowers News

Cancer cells may streamline their genomes in order to proliferate more easily

Jun 22 2017

KANSAS CITY, MO—Research from the Stowers Institute provides evidence suggesting that cancer cells might streamline their genomes in order to proliferate more easily. The study, conducted in both human and mouse cells, shows that cancer genomes lose copies of repetitive sequences known as ribosomal DNA. While downsizing might enable these cells to replicate faster, it also seems to render them less able to withstand DNA damage.

Selfish gene acts as both poison and antidote to eliminate competition

Jun 20 2017

KANSAS CITY, MO—Researchers from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in collaboration with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center researchers have identified an unprecedented genetic survival strategy that would be right at home in an Agatha Christie murder mystery novel.

Genetic cross-talk key to cell balance

Jun 5 2017

KANSAS CITY, MO—Competing regulatory genes "talk" to each other to maintain balance of cell state, according to new research from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research.

Polymerases pause to help mediate the flow of genetic information

May 17 2017

KANSAS CITY, MO — Stop-and-go traffic is typically a source of frustration, an unneccesary hold-up on the path from point A to point B. But when it comes to the molecular machinery that copies our DNA into RNA, a stop right at the beginning of the path may actually be helpful. Recent research from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research shows that this stop prevents another machine from immediately following the first, presumably to better control the traffic and avoid later collisions.

Uncovering new relationships and organizational principles in protein interaction networks

Mar 8 2017

KANSAS CITY, MO—Proteins, those basic components of cells and tissues, carry out many biological functions by working with partners in networks. The dynamic nature of these networks – where proteins interact with different partners at different times and in different cellular environments – can present a challenge to scientists who study them.

Possible key to regeneration found in planaria’s origins

Feb 13 2017

KANSAS CITY, MO—A new report from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research chronicles the embryonic origins of planaria, providing new insight into the animal's remarkable regenerative abilities.

New finding reveals battle behind gene expression

Dec 15 2016

KANSAS CITY, MO— The complex process regulating gene expression is often compared to following a recipe. Miss a genetic ingredient, or add it in the wrong order, and you could have a disaster on your hands.

New research from Stowers Institute for Medical Research suggests the process may be more like a battle between two opposing genetic forces rather than a step-wise assembly of ingredients.

Research points to Orb2 as a physical substrate for memory strength, retention

Dec 5 2016

KANSAS CITY, MO—How do you remember what happened today in the weeks and months that follow? Researchers at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research have answered a piece of that question in a recent study.

Shifts in the microbiome impact tissue repair and regeneration

Aug 29 2016

KANSAS CITY, MO—Researchers at the Stowers Institute have established a definitive link between the makeup of the microbiome, the host immune response, and an organism’s ability to heal itself.

Researchers discover a key molecular signal that shapes regeneration in planarian stem cells

Aug 11 2016

KANSAS CITY, MO — Many living creatures possess exceptional abilities that set them apart from other species. Cheetahs can run up to 60 miles per hour; ants can lift 100 times their body weight; flatworms can regrow amputated body parts. Scientists have spent decades studying the mechanisms that drive such remarkable feats, with the hopes that any secrets they uncover might lead to new perspectives in human biology and new ways to enhance health and ameliorate disease.

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