Kroschewski Group
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Mechanisms of cellular diversity − Self and non-self DNA
Bacterial genomes evolve rapidly due to short generation times, lateral gene transfer and infection by viruses. Hundreds of different defense systems against invading viruses bringing along foreign DNA were recently discovered for bacteria.
Also eukaryotic cells are the product of millions of years of evolution. During this period also their genome was constantly challenged by infecting viruses. Remarkably for mammalian cells little is known
• how diverse on the DNA level are clonal cells, nor
• how mammalian cells handle extra-chromosomal DNA, nor
• if there is a differentiation between chromosomal and extra-chromososomal DNA and possibly a cell-autonomous defense system for chromosomal DNA.
The organismal immune system present in mammals possibly built on such cell-autonomous DNA defense system and viruses exploit it.
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The most recent Lab's publication in Molecular Biology of the Cell has been highligthed far and wide!
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Congrats to the Kroschewski group!
Laura and Ruth publish with coworkers a paper in Molecular Biology of the Cell.
A hygiene program for chromosomes
Cell biologists at ETH Zurich describe a new organelle present in mammalian cells that is made of rings of DNA. This container could potentially play a role in autoimmune diseases, and it could help researchers to understand how cell nuclei evolved.