Molecular biology of the cell

A sample from a tumor of a human patient with the most common lung cancer (adenocarcinoma). The presence of senescent cells expressing the proteins P16 (in red) and PD-L1 (in green) can be detected. The cell nuclei in the sample are marked in blue

to open blockages in the immune system

The layers of glioblastoma tumors: first layer of necrotic tissue in the center of the tumor that does not receive oxygen supply (red), second layer of cancer cells that mimic fetal connective tissue (yellow), third layer of immune cells (green) and blood vessels (white) and fourth layer of tumor cells that receive oxygen and imitate normal tissues in the brain (in pink and light blue)

peel back the layers from the brain tumors

In two recently published studies, Weizmann Institute of Science scientists mapped common brain cancer tumors with unprecedented resolution, and identified a possible reason why some patients do not respond to a new treatment
Mouse, rabbit and human embryos (right to left) in the same developmental stage - gastrulation (days 8-7.5 of pregnancy in rabbits and mice and around day 18 of development in humans). At this stage the human, rabbit and other vertebrate embryos are almost flat disc-shaped, while the mouse embryo is elongated cylinder-shaped. The images of the mouse and rabbit embryos were created as part of the current study, the image of the human embryo is taken from a study published in 2021 (Richard CV Tyser et al. Single-cell transcriptomic characterization of a gastrulating human embryo. Nature 600: 285-289)

In the rabbit hole

The institute's scientists developed a method that allows real-time monitoring of the development of embryos at the beginning of their journey and applied it for the first time to rabbits. The comparison they made between embryonic development in rabbits and mice gave rise to answers to fascinating questions about
The pituitary gland of the zebrafish. The variety of cell types are marked in different colors: in purple - phytocytes, in red and green - two types of hormone-producing cells

Where does the fish secrete from: back to the origins of the pituitary gland

Weizmann Institute scientists are challenging a 200-year-old doctrine about the formation of the gland from the secretion of hormones. Their findings may lead to new approaches in the treatment of various medical problems
Cancer treatment. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Break the boundaries of immunotherapy

The method that may make the new generation of cancer treatments accessible to more patients
Autoimmune diseases of specific organs are manifested, among others, in the thyroid gland, the adrenal gland, and the beta cells in the pancreas. Why does the immune system attack these organs and not others? Illustration Prof. Uri Alon, Weizmann Institute

What causes autoimmune diseases?

Cancer cell genome. Illustration: shutterstock

Biomarkers that may predict the chances of success of cancer immunotherapy

Diagram of the spatial interaction between the DNA control regions and the controlled genes. The "reporters" (in red and green) reveal these interactions. The laboratory of Dr. Yonatan Stanzler, Weizmann Institute

A cell following its fate

The hormone oxytocin (in purple) at the secretion points in the synapses (in green) in the transparent brain of a genetically modified zebrafish. Prof. Gil Levkovitch, Weizmann Institute

the love bubble

Transient aging: Zebrafish (top row), newborn mouse (middle row) and adult mouse (bottom row) hearts are seen (left column) with almost no senescent fibroblasts (indicated in turquoise). After injury to the heart muscle (accompanying agrin injections in an adult mouse), many fibroblasts went into a state of senescence (middle column), which passed about three weeks later (right column)

Aging cells, young heart

Image 1: E.coli bacteria at 10,000x magnification. Image source: Agricultural Research Service, via Wikipedia.

Same bacteria - different effect

Arabidopsis_thaliana From Wikipedia

The eyes of the plants

A significant decrease in the number of senescent cells (blue spots) in the liver and lung tissues of mice following the drug treatment

Forever young - the lab version

Two endothelial cells in the liver. The cell on the right expresses high levels of the Wnt2 gene (red), and the cell on the left - high levels of the Dkk3 gene, which suppresses Wnt (green)

Friend brings a friend

T cells of the immune system (in red) attack melanoma cancer cells (in green). T cells that "know" how to read "signposts" on the cancer cells are particularly effective in destroying them. Illustration: Prof. Jordana Samuels, Weizmann Institute

Towards personalized treatment of melanoma skin cancer

Close-up of a zebrafish eye. A sophisticated and accurate vision system

A look at the fish's eye

Breast cancer cells in culture as seen under an optical microscope. You can see the bands connecting the cells. Photo: Prof. Geiger, Weizmann Institute

All together and each separately

Cells. Illustration: shutterstock

The genetic internet

Calcium carbonate walls that protect a bacterial colony. Illustration: Weizmann Institute

Break down walls - and heal

Neurons communicate with each other. Illustration: shutterstock

The protein will react at the appropriate time and place

Illustration. Credit: Darryl Leja, NHGRI.

The cell's rule book

Cellular "selfie": an mTEC cell that was photographed using the new method called PLIC. The green dots indicate an interaction between proteins that helps prevent an autoimmune attack. Source: Weizmann Institute magazine.

Security selfie

Cancer cells, illustration. Source: National Cancer Institute.

Not all cancer cells are created equal

Senescent cells (top) and normal cells (bottom) from the inner lining of a mouse lung, stained with colors that highlight the markers of aging (left) or the characteristics of the lining (right). Filmed with ImageStreamX technology. Source: Weizmann Institute magazine.

Inventory count of senescent cells

Plasmodium parasite that causes malaria. Source: Ute Frevert / Margaret Shear / Wikimedia Commons.

The trick of the malaria parasite

Cell T (in red) selects cell B (in blue) for the "training camp". In green - B cells lacking ICAMs. Photographed using a two-photon laser scanning microscope. Source: Weizmann Institute magazine.

Corrective immune discrimination

Macrophages (in green) and axons (in red) in brown fat tissue. Photographed using two-photon microscopy. Source: Weizmann Institute magazine.

The surprising role of the "big gluttons" in preventing obesity

Image: pixabay.

Molecular amnesty

Fluorescent actin fibers. Produce rounded folds on the cell membrane. Source: Weizmann Institute magazine.

Reshaping the surface: wave fronts create folds in the cell membrane

The fibers look like Legos in an electron microscope. Source: Weizmann Institute magazine.

Self-assembling proteins

This is not a new version of the national flag of The Gambia, but a lining of the intestine as seen under a microscope. Messenger RNA molecules of two different genes (red and green) are located on both sides of the cell nucleus (blue). Source: Weizmann Institute magazine.

Intestinal economy

Chicken embryo. Source: NIH / Jessica Ryvlin, Stephanie Lindsey, and Jonathan Butcher, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

open heart

Between matching and cutting

"Throughout evolution, the cells that knew how to produce proteins in the most 'cheap' way acquired a huge advantage. You can say that the one who was the most economical survived." Source: Weizmann Institute magazine.

A traffic light of bacteria

Know yourself