Retrotransposons (a kind of "jumping gene") make up 45 percent of the human genome, and the roles these genetic elements play in traits' evolution and variation hasn't been clear. Nolan Kamitaki, Steven McCarroll, Po-Ru Loh, and colleagues studied how a family of SVA retrotransposons has strongly influenced skin pigmentation and skin cancer risk by inserting themselves in the gene ASIP, which triggers lighter pigment production by skin cells. According to their data, members of this family have inserted themselves into ASIP twice: one ancient insertion turned down ASIP's activity, while a second, much later insertion functionally undid the first. Learn more in Nature Genetics. #BroadInstitute #Science #ScienceNews #Research #ScientificResearch
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Research Services
Cambridge, MA 127,208 followers
About us
The Broad Institute brings together a diverse group of individuals from across its partner institutions — undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, professional scientists, administrative professionals, and academic faculty. The culture and environment at the Broad is designed to encourage creativity and to engage all participants, regardless of role or seniority, in the mission of the Institute. Within this setting, researchers are empowered — both intellectually and technically — to confront even the most difficult biomedical challenges. The Institute’s organization is unique among biomedical research institutions. It encompasses three types of organizational units: core member laboratories, programs and platforms. Scientists within these units work closely together — and with other collaborators around the world — to tackle critical problems in human biology and disease.
- Website
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http://www.broadinstitute.org/
External link for Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
- Industry
- Research Services
- Company size
- 501-1,000 employees
- Headquarters
- Cambridge, MA
- Type
- Nonprofit
- Founded
- 2003
- Specialties
- Chemical biology, Genomics, Imaging, Metabolite profiling, Proteomics, RNAi, Therapeutics discovery and development, Cancer, Cell circuits, Genome sequencing and analysis, Epigenomics, Infectious disease, Metabolism, Psychiatric disease, and Medical and population genetics
Locations
Employees at Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Updates
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Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard reposted this
At our second seminar last month, we welcomed Shyam Prabhakar, PhD from the Genome Institute of Singapore for an insightful talk on spatial and single cell diversity of cells and humans. In case you missed our event, you can watch the recording here: 🧬🧬🧬https://lnkd.in/ep5qrTZX ! 🧬🧬🧬
CHBV: Shyam Prabhakar, Spatial and single cell diversity of cells & humans
https://www.youtube.com/
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Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is an early cancer that can progress to invasive breast cancer and accounts for about one in four breast cancer diagnoses. Currently, doctors cannot reliably predict which tumors will remain benign using conventional tests, and many patients are overtreated. In Nature Communications, Xinyi Zhang, Caroline Uhler, GV Shivashankar (ETH Zürich), and colleagues report an AI model that can identify DCIS disease stage using cell states and tissue features extracted from low-cost chromatin images. The researchers trained the model on 560 sample images and verified its performance by comparison with a pathologist. #BroadInstitute #Science #ScienceNews #Research #ScientificResearch
Unsupervised representation learning of chromatin images identifies changes in cell state and tissue organization in DCIS - Nature Communications
nature.com
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Our #BroadDiscoveryCenter hours are changing! Effective August 1, the museum will now be open Thursday- Saturday 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM. The Broad Discovery Center is an active, public educational space that showcases how researchers in Kendall Square and around the world are seeking to understand and treat human disease. Visitors will learn how researchers at Broad and our partner institutions are teaming up with collaborators across the globe to chase down the basis of psychiatric conditions, cancer, infectious diseases, and more, develop new strategies for treatment, and build datasets and technologies to share with scientists everywhere. Learn more about visiting the Broad Discovery Center: https://lnkd.in/eDndnwqS #BroadInstitute #KendallSquare #KSQ Kendall Square Association #Science #ScienceMuseums #ScienceEducation
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The G-protein coupled receptor GPR65, expressed primarily in immune cells, is an important regulator of homeostasis, responding to changes in extracellular pH caused by inflammation and tumorigenesis, and has been associated with several autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. One GPR65 variant associated with inflammatory bowel disease leads to decreased receptor signaling, dampening immune activity and heightening inflammation. Ilona Neale, Daniel Graham and Ramnik Xavier identified a molecular probe that binds to GPR65 and spurs receptor signaling at low pH, where GPR65 plays an important role, effectively rebalancing inflammation and immune signaling. Read more in Science Advances. #BroadInstitute #Science #ScienceNews #Research #ScientificResearch
Small-molecule probe for IBD risk variant GPR65 I231L alters cytokine signaling networks through positive allosteric modulation
science.org
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Learn more about how stem cells are helping scientists understand psychiatric disorders in a new Q&A with Ralda Nehme, director of Broad’s stem cell program. Nehme has established the Stanley Center’s Stem Cell Resource, which holds frozen cell lines from about 1,000 donors with a range of diagnoses and ancestral backgrounds. Scientists can use these cells to generate different cell types that more faithfully model human disease than animal cell lines. “The possible applications are almost limitless,” Nehme said. https://lnkd.in/dH-VGQxT #BroadInstitute #Science #ScienceNews #Research #ScientificResearch #PsychiatricResearch
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Although studies have identified several genetic risk loci for Crohn’s disease, a type of IBD, their roles are unclear. One such locus codes for the protein FGFR1OP, a part of the centrosome: a cellular structure that helps coordinate cell division. Ramnik Xavier and colleagues found that deleting FGFR1OP in mice deformed the small indentations in the intestinal tract, known as crypts, that house the stem cells that regenerate the intestinal lining. Mice with insufficient FGFR1OP were more susceptible to intestinal injury. In healthy models, FGFR1OP supported the crypt cytoskeleton by promoting phosphorylation of non-muscle myosin II. Read more in Developmental Cell: https://lnkd.in/eK_hejtM #BroadInstitute #Science #ScienceNews #Research #ScientificResearch
The centrosomal protein FGFR1OP controls myosin function in murine intestinal epithelial cells
cell.com
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Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with reduced species diversity of gut bacteria, but figuring out which strains are involved, and how, has proven challenging. Adarsh Kumbhari, Thomas Cheng, Helena Lau, Ramnik Xavier, Christopher Smillie, and colleagues analyzed fecal metagenomes and identified hundreds of ancient strains enriched in IBD patients. These strains have adapted over millions of years to survive in the difficult environment imposed by inflammation, outcompeting healthy strains during bouts of heightened inflammation. Moreover, health-associated strains were predictive of an inflammation biomarker, indicating their possible protective role and potential as a diagnostic tool. Read more in Cell Host & Microbe: https://lnkd.in/eVS_3NTq #BroadInstitute #Science #ScienceNews #Research #ScientificResearch
Discovery of disease-adapted bacterial lineages in inflammatory bowel diseases
cell.com
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Congratulations to Broadies Steve McCarroll, Vijay Sankaran, Jonathan Abraham, and Edward Chouchani for being named #HHMIInvestigators!
⭐️ Big news! We are thrilled to announce that HHMI is investing over $300 million in 26 new #HHMIInvestigators from 19 US institutions. These top scientists will drive groundbreaking research in diverse fields, from neuroscience to immunology to structural biology and beyond. This significant investment will enable these scientists to push the boundaries of science and make pioneering discoveries over the next seven years. We are excited to see the incredible advancements and innovations that will emerge from their work. Please join us in welcoming these brilliant minds to the HHMI community! Read more: https://hhmi.news/4dakbnW
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Meet Lindsey Erion-Barner, senior scientist for the Broad’s Spatial Technology Platform. A mechanical engineer and microscope builder, Erion-Barner leads the development and implementation of imaging-based spatial transcriptomics and proteomic profiling technology. We spoke with the self-described “space nerd” about the goals of the platform, the joys of building and jerry-rigging, and what astronomy and microscopy have in common. https://lnkd.in/etChfx4g #BroadInstitute #Careers #CareerProfile #MechanicalEngineer #Science
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