News
Announcements
Welcome Noah Epstein!
Welcome Noah Epstein! Noah joins our lab as a graduate student and is interested in studying nuclear compartmentalization.
Welcome Olivia Ettlin!
Welcome Olivia Ettlin! We’re thrilled to have Olivia join us as Guttman Lab’s newest Technician-Assistant.
Mackenzie Strehle, finalist in Caltech’s 3 Minute Thesis competition
Did you know that all calico cats are ladies? In just 3 minutes, you can learn about the X-lined biology behind this remarkable fur patterning. Congrats to graduate student Mackenzie Strehle for being a finalist in Caltech’s 3 Minute Thesis competition! Watch the video on YouTube:
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Abhik Banerjee graduates
Congratulations to our newest graduate Abhik Banerjee! We will miss you and we look forward to seeing what exciting things await you!
Welcome Isabel Goronzy!
Welcome Isabel Goronzy! Isabel has joined Guttman Lab as a MD/PhD graduate student.
Moved to Chen
Guttman Lab has moved! We’re now making ourselves at home in the brand new Chen Neuroscience Research Building, a beautiful open-space center constructed with scientific collaboration in mind. Learn more about the space
Mario in Faces of Cell
Mario Blanco is featured in Faces of Cell for his work in “SARS-CoV-2 Disrupts Splicing, Translation, and Protein Trafficking to Suppress Host Defenses“. Learn more
Publication: SARS-CoV-2 Disrupts Splicing, Translation, and Protein Trafficking
Our latest work “SARS-CoV-2 Disrupts Splicing, Translation, and Protein Trafficking to Suppress Host Defenses” is published with Cell. Read the full text at Cell.com
Welcome to Jimmy Guo!
Welcome to Jimmy Guo! Jimmy is joining us as an MD/PhD graduate student.
Welcome to Jamie Wangen!
Welcome to Jamie Wangen! The latest post-doc to join Guttman Lab.
In The News
Hushing the X Chromosome
Hushing the X Chromosome
Changes to the three-dimensional structure of DNA in the nucleus are required for X-chromosome silencing, also known as X inactivation. A single molecule called Xist is responsible for the DNA remodeling, and these structural changes are critical for chromosome silencing.
Read more here
Silencing the X Chromosome
Silencing the X chromosome
Scientists at Caltech developed a new approach allowing them to look at lncRNA complexes in cells and were able to identify the proteins that directly interact with the Xist RNA and, ultimately, are necessary to silence transcription of the X-chromosome. These results provide the first detailed view of how a lncRNA controls gene regulation.
Read the NIH Director’s blog here
How an RNA gene silences a whole chromosome
How an RNA Gene Silences a Whole Chromosome
By studying an important lncRNA, called Xist, researchers at Caltech have discovered how an abundant class of RNA genes, called long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs, pronounced link RNAs) can regulate key genes. The scientists identified how this RNA gathers a group of proteins and ultimately prevents women from having an extra functional X-chromosome.
Read more here
Minding the Gaps in the Genome: An Interview with Mitch Guttman
Minding the Gaps in the Genome: An Interview with Mitch Guttman
Guttman’s lab at Caltech will continue to study lncRNAs—how they work, why they are needed, and what makes them special. Guttman recently took a break from setting up his lab to answer a few questions.
Read more here
New Research Sheds Light on M.O. of Unusual RNA Molecules
The M.O. of Unusual RNA Molecules
The entire genome is coiled and folded up in any number of ways within the nucleus of each of our cells. Think, then, of the challenge that a protein or other molecule, like RNA, faces when searching through that material to locate a target gene.
Read more here
5 questions for Mitch Guttman
5 questions for Mitch Guttman
An interview with Mitch Guttman — one of the Broad Institute’s first generation of “alumni” — who as named to the Forbes “30 Under 30: Science and Healthcare” list of rising stars. This accolade comes on the heels of another prestigious honor for Guttman, who received an NIH Early Independence Award in the fall.
Read more here
Forbes
Forbes magazine names Guttman one of their 2013 and 2014 ’30 under 30′ in science
“Lots of researchers discover genes; Guttman co-discovered a new type of gene…”
Read comment from NIH Director and more at Forbes here and here
An RNA Switch for Stem Cells
An RNA Switch for Stem Cells
A new study reveals the influence of large RNA molecules in controlling stem cells.
Read more at MIT Technology Review here
The genetic sergeants that keep stem cells stemmy
The genetic sergeants that keep stem cells stemmy
Ed Yong explains how lncRNAs act to coordinate proteins and control cell identity.
Read more here