Research Highlights

Researchers at the MDC and the Charité have discovered that the presence of a protein indicates...

Human cells produce a protein called the Coxsackie-adenovirus receptor, or CAR, which is mainly known for the trouble it causes. The protein sits on the surfaces of cells in the heart and other tissues, where it serves as a docking station for viruses. They use CAR to enter the cells and wreak havoc on the heart. CAR obviously didn’t evolve for the sake of viruses, but most of its healthy functions have been a mystery. Recent work by Michael Gotthardt’s group at the MDC now reveals crucial functions for the molecule in the development of the heart, communication between its cells, and the destructive effects of viral infections. The results come from a joint study between basic scientists at the MDC and clinical partners throughout Berlin, particularly Robert Fischer, of the Franz Volhard Clinic of the Charité, and Rene Jüttner, in Fritz Rathjen’s group at the MDC. The work has been published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. Taken together with an upcoming paper by the group, the results may yield a new strategy to treat some types of heart disease.

What happens in a cell – when it divides, how it specializes, and whether it wards off disease –...

Hypertension and heart disease arise through a life-long interaction of hereditary and environmental factors. This complexity has made it hard to discover how individual genes contribute to the development of disease.

Most animal species regard the same things as painful – a pin-prick, a hot surface, acid, and the hot ingredients of chili peppers. But a very odd rodent called the naked mole rat isn’t bothered by some of these sensations. Trying to find out why has given Gary Lewin and his colleagues at the MDC new insights into the mechanisms underlying human pain. Their latest findings appear in the Jan. 6, 2008, issue of PLOS Biology.

Our nervous system is an incredibly complex labyrinth in which single cells are wired up to many...

Sometimes the survival of the body calls for the sacrifice of some of its own cells, such as those...

Local rescue workers are usually the first to respond in an emergency, followed by a quick...

The watchmen of the immune system – white blood cells, or leukocytes – squeeze through the lining of...

Many of our body’s tissues carry out self-repair by calling up stem cells, which specialize to...