Howard Hughes Medical Institute

About: Howard Hughes Medical Institute is a nonprofit organization based out in Chevy Chase, Maryland, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Gene & RNA. The organization has 20371 authors who have published 34677 publications receiving 5247143 citations. The organization is also known as: HHMI & hhmi.org.

The Genetics of Mammalian Circadian Order and Disorder: Implications for Physiology and Disease

Abstract: Circadian cycles affect a variety of physiological processes, and disruptions of normal circadian biology therefore have the potential to influence a range of disease-related pathways. The genetic basis of circadian rhythms is well studied in model organisms and, more recently, studies of the genetic basis of circadian disorders has confirmed the conservation of key players in circadian biology from invertebrates to humans. In addition, important advances have been made in understanding how these molecules influence physiological functions in tissues throughout the body. Together, these studies set the scene for applying our knowledge of circadian biology to the understanding and treatment of a range of human diseases, including cancer and metabolic and behavioural disorders.

The Human Cell Atlas

Abstract: The recent advent of methods for high-throughput single-cell molecular profiling has catalyzed a growing sense in the scientific community that the time is ripe to complete the 150-year-old effort to identify all cell types in the human body. The Human Cell Atlas Project is an international collaborative effort that aims to define all human cell types in terms of distinctive molecular profiles (such as gene expression profiles) and to connect this information with classical cellular descriptions (such as location and morphology). An open comprehensive reference map of the molecular state of cells in healthy human tissues would propel the systematic study of physiological states, developmental trajectories, regulatory circuitry and interactions of cells, and also provide a framework for understanding cellular dysregulation in human disease. Here we describe the idea, its potential utility, early proofs-of-concept, and some design considerations for the Human Cell Atlas, including a commitment to open data, code, and community.

Aneurysm Syndromes Caused by Mutations in the TGF-β Receptor

Abstract: Background The Loeys–Dietz syndrome is a recently described autosomal dominant aortic-aneurysm syndrome with widespread systemic involvement The disease is characterized by the triad of arterial tortuosity and aneurysms, hypertelorism, and bifid uvula or cleft palate and is caused by heterozygous mutations in the genes encoding transforming growth factor β receptors 1 and 2 (TGFBR1 and TGFBR2, respectively) Methods We undertook the clinical and molecular characterization of 52 affected families Forty probands presented with typical manifestations of the Loeys–Dietz syndrome In view of the phenotypic overlap between this syndrome and vascular Ehlers–Danlos syndrome, we screened an additional cohort of 40 patients who had vascular Ehlers–Danlos syndrome without the characteristic type III collagen abnormalities or the craniofacial features of the Loeys–Dietz syndrome Results We found a mutation in TGFBR1 or TGFBR2 in all probands with typical Loeys–Dietz syndrome (type I) and in 12 probands presenting

Atomic structure of a voltage-dependent K+ channel in a lipid membrane-like environment.

Abstract: Voltage-dependent K+ (Kv) channels repolarize the action potential in neurons and muscle. This type of channel is gated directly by membrane voltage through protein domains known as voltage sensors, which are molecular voltmeters that read the membrane voltage and regulate the pore. Here we describe the structure of a chimaeric voltage-dependent K+ channel, which we call the 'paddle-chimaera channel', in which the voltage-sensor paddle has been transferred from Kv2.1 to Kv1.2. Crystallized in complex with lipids, the complete structure at 2.4 angstrom resolution reveals the pore and voltage sensors embedded in a membrane-like arrangement of lipid molecules. The detailed structure, which can be compared directly to a large body of functional data, explains charge stabilization within the membrane and suggests a mechanism for voltage-sensor movements and pore gating.