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Weizmann Institute

Fish trip. Figure: The knowledge site using DALEE. The image is for illustration only and should not be considered a scientific image

Fish trip

The institute's scientists have developed a method for detecting the neurological effects of psychedelic drugs. Middle: Zebrafish on hallucinogenic mushrooms. The goal: to pave the way for more effective treatments for depression and other mood disorders
Muscle in the making: stem cells of muscle tissue (their nuclei are marked in blue) gradually change their structure and function and become mature muscle cells (the cells whose nuclei have turned red). These cells will eventually fuse into one long, multinucleated muscle cell. The ability of this muscle to contract is thanks to a large number of protein fibers produced in the mature muscle cells (marked in green)

How a muscle is born

An artificial intelligence model sheds light on the specialization pathway of muscle cells and reveals an important control node along the way
Social hierarchy in mice. The image was produced using DALEE and should not be considered a scientific image

The race to the top of the wild mouse

Research in field mice under conditions simulating a natural environment reveals the different strategies used by females and males in creating social hierarchies
The bright twinkling is the supernova SN 2023ixf in the Vane Galaxy. Image based on telescopic data obtained on May 20, 21 and 22, 2023. Credit: Travis Dew, University of Arizona (Hosseinzadeh et al. 2023)

A once-in-a-lifetime supernova: unprecedented mapping of a stellar explosion

The new yeast was discovered for the first time by chance in a mouse intestine (fluorescence microscope image of intestinal tissue, in red - yeast cells named after Weizmann)

Yeast against yeast: Healthy competition between different fungal species in the gut may protect against life-threatening infections

Scientists of the Weizmann Institute of Science have discovered a new species of Schmer that is able to push the legs of other species that may be dangerous to health; The scientists named the new species after Dr. Chaim Weizman
The experimental setup: microfluidic channels with a diameter of 1 micron in which E. coli bacteria were grown for several generations using a variety of fluorescent markers. These markers make it possible to follow important events in the bacterium's life cycle at the single cell level

How does a bacterium know it's time?

on the cellular division plan
Personalized medicine. The image was prepared with the help of DALEE artificial intelligence software and is not a scientific image

Towards a treatment for Huntington's: two small molecules may revolutionize the treatment of an incurable disease

Weizmann Institute scientists have shown in a mouse model that the drugs succeed in penetrating through the blood-brain barrier, delaying the progression of the disease and even reversing it
The cover of the scientific journal shows the 3D structure of a new protein, as predicted by three different artificial intelligence algorithms

Proteins without parents

Collaboration between Israeli researchers, Chinese students and artificial intelligence reveals new wrinkles between the folds of orphan proteins and updates chapters in the theory of evolution
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 formation of humans
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
Antibody engineering. Illustration: depositphotos.com

humanize the messenger

An algorithm developed by the institute's scientists heralds a leap forward in the field of humanizing antibodies and may enable the rapid, efficient and cheaper development of new drugs. The key: stability
Battle team: A dendritic cell (right) and a T cell connected by BiCE antibody (in yellow). were produced from a lymph node of a mouse with skin cancer

Together we will win: combining forces between the cells of the immune system may lead to improved cancer treatments

Weizmann Institute of Science scientists have developed a new approach to immunotherapy based on communication between the cells of the immune system
Oats and grains of wheat. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Local heroes

The growth of wheat has become an Israeli symbol of hope and renewal after a disaster. So are Prof. Avraham Levy's field experiments in the Gaza Envelope, which continue a glorious Israeli legacy of researching the evolution and genetics of the world-famous grain
Cells infected with the corona virus. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Medicines in the evolution test

Drug safety tests often focus on "physiological safety", meaning their possible effect on patients. Weizmann Institute of Science scientists propose a new type of test: evolutionary safety
The tears flow by themselves. Illustration: depositphotos.com

In the tears you cry: smelling women's tears reduces aggression in men

Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science discovered that tears activate human olfactory receptors, even though they are odorless, affecting the brain activity associated with aggression - and leading to more peaceful and less vengeful behavior
Monsoon rains in a rural area in India.

Heavy rain is about to fall

Weizmann Institute scientists have shown that dry air crossing the equator intensifies the monsoon rains over India. These surprising findings may improve flood warning capabilities and be good news for hundreds of millions
Entry of an insulin molecule into a human cell. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Why are diabetics more susceptible to respiratory infections?

35% of the corona patients who died in the epidemic were diabetics. In a new study, Weizmann Institute of Science scientists reveal that high blood sugar levels disrupt the immune system's ability to fight lung infections and present a therapeutic approach that may save lives
Milk teeth in children. Illustration: depositphotos.com

An autoimmune disease has been discovered that affects the development of tooth enamel and is common among children with celiac disease

The development of the disease in celiac patients is probably related to sensitivity to the protein common in industrialized dairy products. The findings pave the way for early detection of the disease and its prevention
Hadas Calderon with a picture of her son Erez who was kidnapped to Gaza together with his father Ofer and his sister Sahar. The photo was taken on October 30, 2023. Sahar and Erez were later released. Ofer is still in captivity. Photo: L.A.M

The nervous mechanism that goes wrong as a result of exposure to a severe event at a tender age

Weizmann Institute of Science scientists reveal in unprecedented detail how trauma in newborn mice shapes their brains and impairs their social functions in adulthood * A corresponding behavioral expression in humans may take the form of a high level of introversion, social anxiety and avoidant personality - behaviors known to characterize post-trauma"
Right: The solar field in Arava where the measurements were made. Left: Yatir Forest in the Northern Negev - the largest of KKL-Junk's planted forests. Photographs: Yonatan Muller

The solar forest

Trees or solar panels - which strategy wins in dealing with the climate crisis?
Visualization of the XNUMXD structure of a key protein in the coronavirus: the main protease enzyme essential for its ability to replicate and thrive (marked in turquoise). The researchers were looking for molecules that could bind to different targets on the protein (marked in yellow) and thus block its activity. Source: Diamond Light Source

The COVID Moonshot Partnership Presents: A Roadmap for Accelerated Drug Development and Coping with Future Pandemics

A tweet by Prof. Nir London from the Weizmann Institute of Science grew into an international partnership to find a cure for Corona based on the principles of open science and crowd wisdom. Now the scientists involved are laying the groundwork to deal with the next epidemic
Dr. Marcel Freilich Kaplon (front right) handing out certificates of participation in the "We Have Chemistry" competition

"On Saturday morning, out of hell, Marcel worried about the safety of my son who was jumped to the base" - the story of a researcher from the Weizmann Institute who was murdered

Each of the more than 1,400 murdered in the war that began on 7/10/2023 with the invasion of Hamas militants into the Otaf settlements has their own story, Dr. Marcel Freilich-Caplon from the Weizmann Institute is one of them but it turns out that she was primarily concerned for the safety of her colleagues who were attacked by missiles at the same time
Forty babies were murdered in a massacre in the Gaza Strip, 7/10/2023. From the social networks as part of an awareness project to the world.

Stand up against terrorism and violence: a call to the international scientific community

A letter sent by the top of the Weizmann Institute to colleagues in academia around the world requesting that they not evade the condemnation of terrorism on 7/20/32
Tissues removed from mice implanted with lung cancer cells engineered to produce high amounts of PSME4 (left column) or unmodified cancer cells (right column). When the protein is expressed in a high amount, the tumor is larger (top row, the tumor cells are marked in intense and concentrated purple), the number of T cells that can fight the tumor is lower (middle row, in white), and there are more cells that suppress the immune response (bottom row, in green)

The cancer to the basket and eliminated

The cell's garbage disposal system changes in cancer and allows it to escape the immune system
The molecule that carries with it a message of regeneration You are here Homepage > Publications > Science news in a friendly language > There is something new under the nerve Share tags Michael Feinzilbermike Feinzilber molecular neurobiology biomolecular sciences nervous system nerve cells communication between nerve cells Like geckos regrowing their tails, the nerve cell extensions in the peripheral nervous system also know how to regenerate after an injury. Unfortunately, the nerve cells of the central nervous system, i.e. the brain and spinal cord, have a much more limited ability to regenerate. Accordingly, diseases that lead to the degeneration and death of nerve cells in the brain, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and ALS, are irreversible and incurable. What exactly gives the peripheral system - the one that connects the brain and the spinal cord to the body's organs - an increased capacity for regeneration? A new study by Weizmann Institute of Science scientists reveals that a protein, which until now has only been observed during embryonic development, has a key role in the regeneration of mature nerve cells of the peripheral nervous system. When embryonic cells differentiate into adult cells, the composition of the proteins they produce changes. In the case of nerve cells, it was common to think that a decrease in the levels of a protein called PTBP1 in embryonic cells is a key part of their transformation into mature cells of the nervous system. Previous studies have even shown that upon completion of the differentiation process and the transformation of the embryonic cells into mature nerve cells of the central nervous system, the production of the protein stops altogether. In recent years, these findings have led research groups to try to reproduce this process in the laboratory: to lower the PTBP1 protein levels in cells that are not nerve cells and thus produce mature nerve cells from them. The hope was that it would be possible to apply this method to patients with neurodegenerative diseases and to produce new nerve cells for them. From the right: Dr. Rinat Nebo, Dr. Natalya Okladnikov, Dr. Agustina Di Physio, Philip Freund, Dr. Ida Rischel, Prof. Michael (Mike) Feinzilber and Pierluigi Di Matteo However, in a new study, led by the researcher PhD candidate Dr. Stephanie Alber and doctoral student Pierluigi Di Matteo from the research group of Prof. Michael (Mike) Feinzylver in the Departments of Biomolecular Sciences and Molecular Neurobiology at the institute, it was surprisingly discovered that the PTBP1 protein is expressed not only in embryonic cells that have not yet undergone differentiation, but also in mature nerve cells - although not nerve cells of the central nervous system, but yes of the peripheral one. The researchers discovered this completely by accident, while studying processes in the sciatic nerve of mice, nerves that leave the spine and reach the foot. The original experiment carried out by the researchers was aimed at finding molecules that regulate the rate of production of another protein called KPNB1 - "postcarriage" - responsible for carrying most of the messages transmitted from the distant extensions of the nerve cells to the cell nucleus. Among its other functions, the KPNB1 protein is responsible for signaling to the cell nucleus that a nerve branch is injured, so that the cell can regenerate it. However, before the mail car can set off and carry messages from the branches to the nucleus, the cell is required to launch messenger RNA molecules that contain the "recipe" for the production of the mail car in the opposite path (from the nucleus to the branches). On the way or when arriving at the destination, other molecules may bind to the messenger, delaying or speeding it up and thus controlling the rate of production of the mail car. The surprising discovery in the new study was that not only was PTBP1 present in the mature cells, but it also bound tightly to the messenger RNA of the mail car. But does and how does it affect its production and the regeneration of nerve cells? "Tens of millions of people around the world suffer from diseases that lead to the degeneration and death of nerve cells in the brain. In order to understand why the central nervous system fails in its attempt to regenerate after an injury, we must first understand how the peripheral nervous system succeeds in doing so." To answer this question, the scientists followed the nerve cells' response to the injury and noticed that after three days the levels of PTBP1 in the cell began to rise and within A week they reached record levels. With the increase in PTBP1 levels, the researchers noticed that the nerve cell extensions begin to regenerate. Sequencing the messenger RNA molecules that bound to PTBP1 after the injury revealed that the protein binds not only to the messenger RNA molecules of the mail car, but also to other proteins that play a role in nerve regeneration. Dr. Stephanie Alber To continue investigating the activity of PTBP1 in adult cells, the researchers removed it from the cells through genetic engineering, and showed that as a result, the regeneration of nerve cells of the "alarm receptor" type - cells whose role is to transmit a sensation of pain in response to a harmful stimulus that could damage the tissue - was impaired. The scientists also examined whether silencing the gene had additional effects and discovered that it increased the sensitivity to mechanical stimuli and heat. In an attempt to deepen the understanding of how PTBP1 affects the regeneration of nerve cells, the researchers examined whether it also affects another protein, RHOA - an important "control switch" in the process of differentiation and regeneration of nerve cells. When the RHOA protein is produced at high levels, it acts as a sort of off switch that inhibits cell growth. The researchers discovered that PTBP1 suppresses the production of the control switch in the extensions of the nerve cells, thus enabling their growth and regeneration. These findings strengthen the possibility that the production of PTBP1 in peripheral nerve cells is what enables their efficient regeneration, unlike in the central nervous system. Sensory neurons of the peripheral nervous system in culture.

There is a new one under the sadness

The molecule that carries with it a message of regeneration
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