Stowers News

“K-to-M” histone mutations: how repressing the repressors may drive tissue-specific cancers

Sep 3 2014

Stowers scientists establish Drosophila and mammalian models to study mutations found in pediatric brain tumors

KANSAS CITY, MO—In a cell’s nucleus, chromosomal DNA is tightly bound to structural proteins known as histones, an amalgam biologists call chromatin. Until about two decades ago, histones were regarded as a nuclear “sidekick,” the mere packing material around which the glamorous DNA strands were wrapped. Recently, however, biologists have developed a greater appreciation for how DNA/histone interactions govern gene expression.

Stowers researchers reveal molecular competition drives adult stem cells to specialize

Aug 6 2014

KANSAS CITY, MO—Adult organisms ranging from fruit flies to humans harbor adult stem cells, some of which renew themselves through cell division while others differentiate into the specialized cells needed to replace worn-out or damaged organs and tissues.

It takes two to court

Jul 28 2014

Stowers researchers identify functions of two classes of mouse pheromone receptors

KANSAS CITY, MO—Researchers at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research have identified the functions of two classes of pheromone receptors, and found pheromones crucial to triggering the mating process in mice.

Finding the target: how timing is critical in establishing an olfactory wiring map

Apr 10 2014

Stowers investigators reveal a developmental switch in targeting capacity of olfactory neurons.

Planaria deploy an ancient gene expression program in the course of organ regeneration

Apr 10 2014

Stowers team develops novel assay to identify genes controlling pharynx regeneration in flatworms

KANSAS CITY, MO—As multicellular creatures go, planaria worms are hardly glamorous. To say they appear rudimentary is more like it. These tiny aquatic flatworms that troll ponds and standing water resemble brown tubes equipped with just the basics: a pair of beady light-sensing “eyespots” on their head and a feeding tube called the pharynx (which doubles as the excretory tract) that protrudes from a belly sac to suck up food. It’s hard to feel kinship with them.

Going global

Apr 2 2014

Stowers team reports genome-wide analysis of genes that drive cell division in a multicellular organism

KANSAS CITY, MO—In textbooks, the grand-finale of cell division is the tug-of-war fought inside dividing cells as duplicated pairs of chromosomes get dragged in opposite directions into daughter cells. This process, called mitosis, is visually stunning to observe under a microscope. Equally stunning to cell biologists are the preparatory steps cells take to ensure that the process occurs safely.

Could far-flung mutations in the genome activate cancer-causing genes? Ask an expert!

Mar 20 2014

Stowers Investigator will update cancer researchers on the consequences of DNA enhancer failure at the upcoming AACR meeting

KANSAS CITY, MO—Stowers Institute Investigator, Ali Shilatifard, Ph.D., will take center stage at a Meet-the-Expert Session at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) being held April 5th-9th in San Diego. The AACR meeting is the most important international forum for sharing breakthroughs in cancer research. This year’s event could attract over 17,000 participants from 60 different countries.

What makes memories last?

Feb 12 2014

Stowers researchers identify protein that initiates the formation of stable, long-term memories

Conserved nuclear envelope protein uses a shuttle service to travel between job sites

Feb 10 2014

KANSAS CITY, MO—Researchers at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research have glimpsed two proteins working together inside living cells to facilitate communication between the cell's nucleus and its exterior compartment, the cytoplasm. The research provides new clues into how a crucial protein that is found in organisms from yeast to humans does its work.

Fruit flies reveal normal function of a gene mutated in spinocerebellar ataxia type 7

Jan 31 2014

KANSAS CITY, MO—Disruptive clumps of mutated protein are often blamed for clogging cells and interfering with brain function in patients with the neurodegenerative diseases known as spinocerebellar ataxias. But a new study in fruit flies suggests that for at least one of these diseases, the defective proteins may not need to form clumps to do harm.

Pages

Subscribe to Stowers News