Skip to main content
Displaying 125 of 2850 articles.

New Mtb study offers a novel paradigm for understanding bacterial transcription

A novel sequencing technique reveals a genetic trick TB may be using to evade the immune system and resist antibiotics.

A new way of thinking about how organ architecture develops 

By focusing on the emergent features of cell collectives, instead of individual cells, scientists forge a new path for understanding how organs develop their architecture.   

How intricate patterns arise in developing tissues

In developing bird skin, immature cells move around and form intricate patterns. Scientists are zeroing in on the mechanical forces guiding the process.

One protein's surprising partnership with single-stranded DNA

Linker histone H1 appears capable of distinguishing between single-stranded and double-stranded DNA, suggesting that its role in maintaining our genomes extends far beyond that of keeping chromosomes compact.

A synthetic antibiotic may help turn the tide against drug-resistant bacteria

The compound attacks MRSA, C. diff, and several other deadly pathogens. Its discovery demonstrates the power of combining computational biology, genetic sequencing, and synthetic chemistry to study bacterial evolution.

Titia de Lange elected to the Royal Society

She receives the honor for elucidating mechanisms of telomere protection and genome maintenance.

How a narrow-spectrum antibiotic takes aim at C. diff

A new study reveals how the drug fidaxomicin selectively targets a dangerous pathogen without causing harm to beneficial bacteria. The findings could inform the development of new narrow-spectrum antibiotics for treating other types of infection.

Insights into a cystic fibrosis treatment may herald a novel class of drugs 

Protein folding diseases, from Alzheimer's to Gaucher's, may one day be treated by a unique class of protein corrector molecules that are already helping manage cystic fibrosis.  

A novel compound might defeat multidrug-resistant bacteria common in hospitals

Increasingly, hospitalized patients contract infections that evade current antibiotics including colistin, long used as a last treatment option. The discovery of a new colistin variant might make it possible to outmaneuver these pathogens.

Linker histones tune the length and shape of chromosomes

A new study finds that proteins known as linker histones control the complex coiling process that determines whether DNA will wind into long and thin chromosomes, made up of many small loops, or short and thick chromosomes with fewer large loops.

Study reveals how ribosomes are assembled in human cells

Three-dimensional images of human small ribosomal subunits offer the most detailed explanation for how the cell's protein-making machines are assembled.

The physics behind a water bear's lumbering gait

Animals as small and soft as tardigrades seldom have legs and almost never bother walking. But a new study finds that water bears propel themselves through sediment and soil on eight stubby legs, in a manner resembling that of insects 500,000 times their size.

Inside the protein channel that keeps bacteria alive

A novel method for studying how one crucial membrane protein functions may pave the way for a new kind of broad-spectrum antibiotic.

An old antibiotic may combat drug-resistant tuberculosis

Drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis bacteria affect half a million people a year. A compound first discovered in the 1980s may be able to help.

As COVID-19 vaccines emerge, the search for antiviral drugs continues

Scientists are digging through drug libraries of 430,000 compounds, in pursuit of an antiviral drug that can stop the novel coronavirus in its tracks.

How cells use mechanical tension sensors to interact with their environment

In a painstaking experiment, scientists suspended a single protein filament between two microscopic beads. Their results have shed light on an elusive process in which cells receive and respond to mechanical cues.

Rockefeller's Charles M. Rice honored with Nobel Prize for research that contributed to a cure for hepatitis C

Rice will receive the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for research that led to a cure for hepatitis C, a viral disease affecting 170 million people worldwide. His lab worked on the virus for three decades and became the first to produce a version of it that could be grown and studied i...

Cancer cells use nerve-cell tricks to spread from one organ to the next

New research suggests that breast and lung tumors metastasize by hijacking a neural signaling pathway, potentially opening the door to better diagnostics and treatments.

>

How dividing cells avoid setting off false virus alarms

A new molecular structure explains how cells hold an alarm-triggering protein captive during cell division, preventing cells from targeting their own DNA.

A never-before-seen image of the coronavirus copy machine

The high-resolution 3D image can speed COVID-19 drug discovery.

Amid the rush for COVID-19 drugs, a case for the helicase

The enzyme is essential for the virus to replicate itself inside our cells. Scientists already have ideas for how to block it.

Transparent fish reveal the subtle, cellular dance in which sensory organs take shape

How do primitive cells “know” where to go during development? Scientists studying the fish equivalent of inner-ear hair cells have shown that biochemical and mechanical cues work together to orchestrate a highly complex arrangement.

>

Study captures the molecular architect of cells’ infrastructure

Using atomic-resolution technology, scientists have constructed the most detailed view yet of the molecular complex that decides where microtubules form.

Rockefeller scientists launch a broad range of studies into novel coronavirus

Over 130 scientists in 18 labs are conducting research to advance the development of new, urgently needed approaches for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

Researchers discover a new mechanism in childhood kidney cancer

A problem in reader proteins that identify which gene is up for expression may cause normal cells to turn malignant during development.

>

Study sheds new light on how epigenetic events might spur disease

Research that began with the analysis of two developmental syndromes ultimately helped scientists understand how diverse epigenetic mechanisms can combine to drive tissue overgrowth in cancer.

C. David Allis elected to the National Academy of Medicine

Allis, whose pioneering research established that enzymes that modify histone proteins, which package DNA in the nucleus, regulate gene expression, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine.

Shapeshifting receptors may explain mysterious drug failures

Scientists have found that many receptors with high potential for drug discovery take a different configuration inside the body than in the test tube. The findings could explain why some promising drugs fail in clinical trials, and potentially open doors to new drug-development approaches.

Vanessa Ruta named a 2019 MacArthur Fellow

Ruta, who investigates how the brain is modified by experience, has received a MacArthur Fellowship, an award intended to encourage people of outstanding talent to pursue their own creative, intellectual, and professional inclinations.

With tiny technological tweezers, researchers uncover new aspects of cell division

Cell division is critical to creating and sustaining life. It’s also incredibly difficult to study. Now, advanced technology is enabling researchers to take their understanding of this process to the next level.

Exploring genetic “dark matter,” researchers gain new insights into autism and stroke

For the brain to function smoothly, its cells must carefully regulate which proteins are produced and when. By studying gene regulation, researchers are now shedding light on complex brain conditions like autism and stroke.

Hinge-like protein may open new doors in cystic fibrosis treatment

Drugs known as potentiators alleviate some symptoms of cystic fibrosis. Researchers recently figured out how these compounds work—a finding that may lead to better drugs that patients can more easily afford.

Learning from experience is all in the timing

Animals learn the hard way which sights, sounds, and smells are relevant to survival. New research in flies shows that the timing of these cues plays an important role in how mental associations arise, and elucidates brain pathways involved in this process.

>

New molecular diagnostics test could help guide lupus treatments

A tool that detects glitches in gene expression could help doctors tailor treatments for lupus-related kidney damage.

New compounds could be used to treat autoimmune disorders

In autoimmune disorders, the body’s defense system erroneously attacks normal cells, leading to serious health problems. Researchers have developed new molecules that potentially could be used to treat many of these conditions.

New hope for treating a childhood brain cancer

Recent research has shown that a drug known as MI-2 can kill cells that cause a fatal brain cancer. But only now have scientists been able to explain how the compound works: by targeting cholesterol production in tumors.

New approach to treating gastrointestinal disease patches up leaky intestines

Researchers have discovered a new compound that helps fortify the intestine's inner lining, which becomes porous in inflammatory bowel diseases.  

>

New tool allows scientists to catch elusive protein in action

Scientists still have a lot to learn about the processes that trigger cell division, partly because they happen so quickly. A new chemical probe will make it possible to capture the workings of one of the key players.

>

Researchers discover a common link among diverse cancer types

Some cancers have been traced to changes in histones, proteins responsible for packaging DNA and regulating genes. Now, research from Rockefeller scientists shows that, among tumors, mutations to these proteins are a lot more common than previously suspected.

>

Enzyme structure reveals how DNA is opened up for transcription

DNA’s two strands must be separated before its code can be read, or transcribed. By studying the structure of the enzyme RNA polymerase, researchers have elucidated how DNA unwinds and becomes legible.

Study explains how geckos gracefully gallop on water

Geckos are amazingly agile. In addition to running across land and up trees, the animals can prance across the surface of water. A new study reveals how they do it.

Shape-shifting protein protects bacteria from invaders

Researchers have discovered how bacteria manage to destroy enemy DNA, while keeping their own genetic material safe.

First mapping of cells in the early human placenta to advance research on problem pregnancies

Scientists have made the first comprehensive inventory of cells present in the human placenta of the first trimester, a stage when many pregnancy complications are thought to arise. The findings could fuel new research on conditions such as preeclampsia and pre-term birth.

>

Enzyme structure helps to explain how protein factories are constructed

Researchers characterized the structure of Mdn1, an enzyme key to making ribosomes.

Sohail Tavazoie promoted to professor

Sohail Tavazoie, a physician-scientist who studies the genes that regulate a tumor’s ability to metastasize, has been promoted to professor.

>

Structural studies help explain how cancer cells resist chemotherapy

New research sheds light on how some cancer cells use molecular pumps to expel chemotherapy drugs before they have a chance to work.

Scientists map the portal to the cell’s nucleus

The gateway to cellular headquarters has 552 components. A new map that shows how all these pieces fit together could help scientists study numerous diseases.

Scientists caution that a rare childhood liver cancer can spread to the brain

A new report details three cases of secondary brain tumors in people with fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma. The researchers say imaging tests could improve treatment for patients whose cancer spreads to the brain from the liver.

Molecular doorstop could be key to new tuberculosis drugs

In discovering how an antibiotic kills the bacteria that cause tuberculosis, scientists open the door to new treatments for the disease—and possibly others, as well.

>

Building the machinery that makes proteins

Scientists have used cryo-electron microscopy to capture the very first snapshots of the large ribosomal subunit—part of the ribosome responsible for forging bonds between amino acids, the building blocks of proteins—coming together.

Molecule discovered in dirt could help against multi-resistant bacteria

In mining soil for natural drugs, scientists have discovered a brand-new antibiotic potent against many bacteria. They hope it could be used to treat infections that cannot be stopped with existing drugs.

>

In brief: Tweaking RNA protects cells from harmful inflammation

New research has helped explain what goes wrong in Aicardi-Goutières syndrome, a rare brain disorder. Patients with the disease have genetic abnormalities that may put their cells at risk of accidentally triggering an antiviral response.

Günter Blobel, a Nobel laureate who redefined cell biology, has died

Günter Blobel, a Nobel Prize-winning Rockefeller biologist who discovered the mechanisms by which proteins are targeted for delivery to specific locations within cells, died February 18 at 81.

New images reveal how the ear’s sensory hairs take shape

Our ability to hear relies on tiny bundles of hair-like sensors inside the inner ear. Scientists have identified a key component of the machinery that makes these bundles grow in an orderly fashion.

New immunotherapy approach boosts body’s ability to destroy cancer cells

A new treatment may help cancer patients who don't respond to traditional immunotherapy. Findings from the first-ever clinical trial reveal that it is effective in activating immune cells that kill cancer cells.

3D imaging of fat reveals potential targets for new obesity treatments

With new imaging methods, scientists hope to make significant progress in the fight against obesity. A new report reveals striking images of neural projections within fat tissue, and clues for the development of new drugs.

Neuroscientist Vanessa Ruta promoted to associate professor

Ruta, who explores how brains produce such flexible responses to fixed stimuli, has been promoted to Gabrielle H. Reem and Herbert J. Kayden associate professor.

New study points the way to therapy for rare cancer that targets the young

Scientists have engineered a mouse model to study a rare and often-fatal form of liver cancer. They’ve used it to clarify what drives these tumors at the molecular level, and discover new drug concepts.

Targeting a single protein might treat a broad range of viruses

Scientists have identified a protein that many viruses require to spread within a host—a discovery that could lead to fighting diseases as varied as parainfluenza, West Nile, and Zika with a single drug. This finding could also lead to the development of treatments for emerging viruses.

Potential new treatment for Fragile X targets one gene to affect many

Scientists found that inhibiting a regulatory protein alters the intricate signaling chemistry that is responsible for many of the disease’s symptoms. The findings provide a path to possible therapeutics for disorders associated with Fragile X.
View
View