The human body contains proteins that are designed to protect us from cancerous growths. Like most proteins, to do their job properly, these “guardians” have to fold into a specific three-dimensional structure – and they often need a helping hand to do so. Guarding these guardians, therefore, are chaperone proteins – molecules that ensure that proteins are folded properly so they can function as they are supposed to.

On occasion, genetic mutations in guardian proteins can turn them from inhibitors into promoters of cancer. Unable to discern the change, the chaperones that guard them unfortunately provide them with the same assistance that they do for regular proteins. In a new study, Dr. Rina Rosenzweig and her research team at the Weizmann Institute of Science have uncovered a mechanism by which chaperones protect a protein with a cancerous mutation. Their findings, published in Molecular Cell, could pave the way for the development of new, targeted cancer treatments.

Not only do the nasal conchae serve as a leading site for pathogen invasion into the airways, but they also have a major weak spot: Because they are located so close to the brain, they are not accessible to the antibodies dispatched by our immune system via the blood stream during an upper airway infection. How, then, are we relatively protected from invading microbes and not constantly sick? In a new study published today in Nature, researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science discovered that antibody-secreting cells migrate to the nasal conchae whenever we are sick or given a vaccination, and from there they secrete antibodies locally into the nasal cavity. This discovery could pave the way for more effective nasal vaccinations and new treatments for nervous system disorders, allergies and autoimmune diseases.

In a new study, Weizmann Institute of Science researchers reveal a bacterial immune system that thwarts the phages’ plot by attaching a small protein molecule to their tails. The components of this new immune system are similar in structure to a human immunity mechanism, and they might help reveal how this mechanism works and how our own immune system has evolved.

One of the most common locations for fatal motor vehicle–bicyclist crashes is at intersections. A newly published National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) report offers guidance for improving intersection safety, especially in situations where a bike is traveling straight through an intersection and a car is turning across the cyclist's path. The research was led by Toole Design in partnership with Portland State University (PSU), Safe Streets Research and Consulting (SS) and Oregon State University (OSU). The PSU team members were Chris Monsere, Sirisha Kothuri, Jason Anderson and Nathan McNeil. The decision tool and supplemental design guidelines shared in this report provide an expanded framework for practitioners to assess trade-offs between various intersection treatments, as well as decision-making guidance to manage conflicts between bicyclists and turning motorists. 

Within minutes of fertilization, the egg of a fruit fly becomes a scene from the battle of the sexes. The egg attacks and destroys the cellular “power plants,” or mitochondria, from the sperm that had fertilized it, so that only its own mitochondria remain. These findings from a new Weizmann Institute of Science study, published in Nature Communications, might provide insights into advanced fertilization treatments and shed light on a long-standing mystery: How and why do we inherit all of our mitochondria from our mothers?