DIR provides fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems through basic, clinical, and population-based research. Scroll through the following slideshow to learn about select scientific advances from each affinity group.
Elucidating How Mitochondria Obtain Magnesium
Magnesium is required for many critical biological processes, and its dysregulation can result in various diseases, including cardiac diseases, immunodeficiency, Parkinson’s disease, and cancer. Mitochondria—the energy producers in cells—obtain magnesium through the MRS2 channel, but the details of how this magnesium transport is regulated have remained unclear.
Creating a Genetic Atlas of Early Zebrafish Development
Studying the Effect of Social Stress on Eating Behaviors
Adolescents, particularly girls, are vulnerable to social stressors. Studies have suggested that girls with loss-of-control eating—the experience of being unable to control what or how much one eats—may have atypical brain responses to social threats.
Understanding How Flagella Synthesis Is Regulated
A whip-like appendage called the flagellum helps bacteria move. The flagellum is composed of many proteins, the production of which is tightly regulated.
Developing Reversible Male Contraceptives
Manipulating Cell Signaling to Study Early Development
Signaling pathways allow cells to orchestrate fundamental biological processes, including early development. Experimental methods to manipulate cell signaling help scientists understand how signaling is interpreted in different contexts.
Understanding How Immune Cell Activity is Regulated
Highlighting the Utility of Animal Models in Neuroscience Research
For decades, neuroscientists have relied on animal models to understand how the nervous system works. Yet it remains unclear whether the properties of different types of neuronal junctions, or synapses, discovered in mice are relevant to human synapses and neurological conditions that occur in people.
Studying Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and Children’s Health
Identifying Gene Combinations Critical for Bacterial Virulence
Identifying factors responsible for the virulence of disease-causing bacteria is often complicated by the existence of multiple genes that perform similar functions. Experimental methods to disrupt a single gene may not produce detectable effects, hindering further analyses.
Read about a new method developed by the Machner Lab to simultaneously disrupt multiple genes.
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