Cells talk at each other to specialize different functions
During development, cells must specialize their function in a well defined timeline: formation of different tissues must be coordinated from a pile of cells. The research group led by Aneta Koseska (former Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology (MPI), CAESAR Bonn) has now developed a ... more
Neandertal gene variants and Covid-19
Last year, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, and at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden showed that a major genetic risk factor for severe Covid-19 is inherited from Neandertals. Now the same researchers show, that Neandertals also contri ... more
Genotoxic E. coli “caught in the act”
Escherichia coli bacteria are constitutive members of the human gut microbiota. However, some strains produce a genotoxin called colibactin, which is implicated in the development of colorectal cancer. While it has been shown that colibactin leaves very specific changes in the DNA of host c ... more