The Hidden World
of Molecules

In the world of molecular biology, sophisticated imaging can present a paradox: the deeper scientists peer beneath the surface, the more complicated the picture often gets. Today, we know that even the most rudimentary bacterial cell houses a universe of RNA, DNA, proteins, enzymes, and other essential cellular constituents. At NYU Langone, researchers are constantly innovating tools and techniques to visualize this cauldron of molecules to better understand how it animates life or unleashes disease.

  • The Skok Lab
  • The Wang Lab
  • The Serganov Lab
  • The Skok Lab
  • The Wang Lab
  • The Serganov Lab
Fluorescently labeled structures on a mouse chromosome illustrate a new technique developed by the Skok Lab called dual-color live imaging. The fluorescent blue tag is marking a larger region near the chromosome's midsection, or centromere, while the magenta tags are labeling two smaller regions of repetitive DNA sequences. Using fluorescent labels, this method allows researchers to track separate portions of the genome as they move inside living cells.
Jane Skok, PhD
Professor of pathology at NYU Langone
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These crystals of a membrane-spanning protein potentially linked to obesity, diabetes, and longevity helped the Wang lab solve the protein's atomic structure and clarify how it carries the building blocks of fatty acids and cholesterols into a cell.
Da-Neng Wang, PhD
Professor of cell biology at the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine at NYU Langone
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Crystals made from a fragment of the fragile X mental retardation protein bound to RNA, shown here, are helping the Serganov lab determine the signature RNA patterns recognized by this protein. A disruption in the protein-RNA interaction can cause fragile X syndrome.
Alexander Serganov, PhD
Assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular pharmacology at NYU Langone
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