NIH Record - National Institutes of Health
Two cells form bubbles

July 26, 2019

  • ‘Big Read’ Delves into Quirky Brains

    The brain can perform in unusual ways beyond our imagination that, in some cases, defy explanation. So explained author Helen Thomson, guest speaker at NIH's 3rd annual Big Read.
  • Kieffer Dissects Opioid Effects on the Brain

    According to recent Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series guest Dr. Brigitte Kieffer, researchers are closer than ever to understanding, witnessing, mimicking and perhaps predicting opioids’ work within the gray matter.
  • NHGRI, CC Sleuths Uncover an Uncommon Bacteria

    Using a cutting-edge NIH genomic center, a sophisticated microbiology lab and cross-disciplinary collaboration, experts at NIH were able to identify the source of a decade-long outbreak of rather uncommon hospital-acquired Sphingomonas koreensis infections, said NHGRI's Dr. Sean Conlan.
  • La Spada Plots Progress Leading to Vision-Saving Treatment

    A therapy designed to prevent blindness in people with the inherited neurodegenerative disorder spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA-7) is nearing the launch pad for testing in clinical trials, said Dr. Albert La Spada, director of the Duke University Center for Neurodegeneration & Neurotherapeutics.
Two cells form bubbles

On the Cover

Cells forming bubbles. On the right, two cells (greenish yellow) are in the process of forming bubbles, or plasma membrane vesicles (PMVs). During the blebbing process, a cell’s membrane temporarily disassociates from its underlying cytoskeleton, forming a tiny pouch that, over the course of about 30 minutes, is “inflated” with a mix of proteins and lipids from inside the cell. After the PMVs are fully filled, these bubble-like structures are pinched off and released like those seen in the background.

Chi Zhao, David Busch, Connor Vershel & Jeanne Stachowiak, University of Texas at Austin

The NIH Record

The NIH Record, founded in 1949, is the biweekly newsletter for employees of the National Institutes of Health.

Published 25 times each year, it comes out on payday Fridays.

Assistant Editor: Eric Bock
Eric.Bock@nih.gov (link sends e-mail)

Staff Writer: Amber Snyder
Amber.Snyder@nih.gov (link sends e-mail)