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Scientists, linking gene with serotonin and depression, offer insights to new treatments
For the more than 18 million Americans who suffer from depressive illnesses, the best pharmacological treatments are those that increase levels of serotonin, the brain chemical that regulates mood, sleep and memory. New research by an international team of scientists, led by Rockefeller Universit...
New 'PhyloGibbs' software helps scientists make sense of DNA
For scientists studying the link between genes and disease, there’s no shortage of information. The genomes of humans and many other animals have been sequenced and published for several years. The challenge is making sense of the data. A new algorithm designed by Eric Siggia’s Rockefeller labo...
New genetic sequencing technique reveals possible genetic protection from heroin addiction
Sometimes, when it comes to genetics, the smallest changes can make the biggest differences. New research from the laboratory of Mary Jeanne Kreek at Rockefeller University uses a novel sequencing approach to show that even very tiny differences within genes may help protect someone from heroin a...
Protein structure suggests bacteria may be more sophisticated than we thought
When a bacterium or virus infects a plant, the plant fights back: It kills off its own cells in the area that’s infected. This immune response, known as programmed cell death, kills the invading organisms, limits its spread in the plant, and results in characteristic brown patches on the plant’s...
Watching fruit fly larvae crawl towards odors provides clues to how smells are detected
In an effort to understand how smells influence behavior, Leslie Vosshall has been watching fly larvae inch their way across Petri dishes. It may not be high-tech, but this technique has been helping scientists study neurobiology for the past 20 years. And a refinement of it, in which the larvae’...
New evidence that SARS cripples the immune system
Researchers at the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center (ADARC) at Rockefeller University were deeply involved in AIDS research in China when the SARS epidemic broke out in 2003. With their extensive virology background and their knowledge of the country and its government, it was only natural that...
From cell to gel: refined protocol uses GFP to locate proteins and examine their interactions
There are two things cell biologists always want to know: where is their protein found and what other proteins does it associate with. A new protocol has been developed at the Rockefeller University that will enable scientists to answer both in one fell swoop. One of the most common ways scientis...
Neurons in the brain change shape when stressed
Long-term stress, like the kind that occurs when someone cares for a chronically ill parent or spouse, can impair short-term memory. Researchers believe that this occurs because constant stress affects an area of the brain necessary for learning and memory, and the underlying mechanisms for this ...
Immune cell receptors act in combination to regulate attack
The complexities of the mammalian immune system allow our bodies to fend off countless diseases. But researchers are still working to pin down exactly how it works — and to understand why some people’s antibodies, and some therapeutic antibodies, are better able to fight off disease than others...
Scientists say toxins use their shape to wreak havoc on cells
Last year, Rockefeller University scientists used X-ray crystallography to determine the structure of cytolethal distending toxin (or CDT) — a widespread toxin found in diverse, disease-causing bacteria that binds to human cells, inserts a component of itself inside, then proceeds to attack the c...
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