Home
Subjects
study story

study story

Bladder epithelial tissue, where cell junctions are shown in green and nuclei in blue. This was grown in vitro from cells taken from mice with chronic cystitis.

Bladder ‘Memory’ Influences Urinary Tract Infection Recurrence in Mice

Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Apr 12, 2023 | 3 min read

Urinary tract infections leave permanent epigenetic marks in the mouse bladder epithelium, reprogramming its response to subsequent infections, a study finds.

Hormone Therapy Triggers Male Gene Patterns in Transgender Men’s Cells

Holly Barker, PhD | Mar 15, 2023 | 3 min read

A study deepens the scientific understanding of how androgens influence breast tissue, which may offer clues to treating breast cancer.

Artistic rendition of droplet DNA amplification

Finally, Scientists Sequence Single Cells with Long-Read Technology

Holly Barker, PhD | Mar 8, 2023 | 4 min read

By combining two innovative approaches, researchers can now sequence the full spectrum of mutational differences between individual cells’ genomes.

Nerve cell labelled with different colours

Psychedelics Slip Past Cell Membranes When Treating Depression

Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Feb 24, 2023 | 4 min read

The antidepressant properties of hallucinogenic drugs may stem from their ability to bind to intracellular serotonin receptors, a study suggests.

Ribbon diagram of the bacterial histone Bd0055

Bacteria Have Histones After All: Study

Kamal Nahas, PhD | Feb 14, 2023 | 4 min read

Researchers identify hundreds of candidate histone proteins in bacteria, including one with an unusual way of binding to DNA.

Illustration of DNA double helix with purple background.

Unbalanced Allele Expression Associated with Mutation, Disease

Natalia Mesa, PhD | Feb 2, 2023 | 5 min read

A study identifies nearly 3,000 genes where one allele tends to be expressed more than the other, but the findings ignited controversy in the field.

Closeup of a pair of hands in blue gloves holding a white mouse and injecting it with an amber colored liquid.

Opioids Recruit the Immune System to Cause Withdrawal Symptoms

Dan Robitzski | Jan 25, 2023 | 6 min read

A study finds that T cells induced by heroin cross the blood-brain barrier to wreak havoc on the brain, hinting at new ways to prevent withdrawal.

three black mice lined up next to each other. the one on the left, fed a low-fat diet, has one small bald patch, the middle mouse, fed fish oil, has a large bald spot across its shoulders and back, and the right mouse, fed cocoa butter, has no baldness.

Fish Oil in Diet Can Cause Hair Loss in Mice, Study Finds

Katherine Irving | Jan 19, 2023 | 3 min read

The oil’s omega-3 fatty acids accumulate in the mice’s skin, triggering an immune response that causes hair loss.

A younger-looking mouse next to an older-looking one

Epigenetic Manipulations Can Accelerate or Reverse Aging in Mice

Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Jan 12, 2023 | 4 min read

Repairing damaged DNA appears to drive aging by causing the loss of epigenetic information, but restoring that information reverses such effects, a study finds.

A colored microscopy image of a dividing breast cancer cell

Transfer RNAs Have a Surprising Role in Breast Cancer Growth

Natalia Mesa, PhD | Jan 5, 2023 | 4 min read

A particular leucine-ferrying tRNA is more abundant in cancerous cells than healthy ones, and lowering its levels inhibits cancer growth, a study finds.

illustration of T cell attached to protein

“Smarter” CAR T Cells Target Tumors with Precision

Natalia Mesa, PhD | Dec 16, 2022 | 5 min read

Two studies in mice now show that researchers can control when and where CAR T cells are active, potentially overcoming previous hurdles for CAR T–based treatments.

a white mouse sits on a blue exercise wheel, looking out onto the shavings below

Mice With a Healthy Gut Microbiome Are More Motivated to Exercise

Katherine Irving | Dec 16, 2022 | 4 min read

A neural pathway between the gut and the brain led to the release of dopamine when the mice ran on a wheel or treadmill, but only in the presence of a robust microbiome.

Artist’s rendition of the molecular structure of a ribosome (blue and purple) as it produces a polypeptide chain (red) from an mRNA template (orange and gray), with tRNA molecules (dark purple) shuttling amino acids.

Specialized Sperm Ribosomes Are Key to Male Fertility in Mice

Dan Robitzski | Dec 15, 2022 | 4 min read

A previously unknown kind of ribosome is responsible for folding sperm proteins, which decay before fertilization if prepared by other ribosomes.

Silent Synapses May Provide Plasticity in Adulthood

Holly Barker, PhD | Dec 13, 2022 | 4 min read

Inactive synapses—found on tiny neuronal projections called filopodia—are abundant in the adult brain, a mouse study suggests.

Human hand with white glove holding a white mouse in a green background.

Study Traces a Neural Circuit Behind Green Light–Mediated Pain Relief

Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Dec 9, 2022 | 4 min read

A mouse study concludes color-detecting cones in the eye and a subset of neurons in the brain’s thalamus are why green light exposure has an analgesic effect.

Artist’s rendition of neural connections, with inactive neurons in the background

Ketamine Flips a “Switch” in Mice’s Brain Circuitry: Study

Andy Carstens | Dec 9, 2022 | 6 min read

After injecting moderate doses of the dissociative anesthetic into the animals, previously “awake” brain cells go dark, and those that had been dormant suddenly light up.