News & HighlightsNews
Three-D images shed light on first steps of RNA synthesis
The first three-dimensional images of the initiating form of the molecular machinery in bacteria that "transcribes" genetic information from DNA into RNA — the crucial first step for making proteins — is reported in a pair of papers in the May 17 issue of the journal Science. These research fin...
More Than Just Packaging, Histones Help Turn Genes On
Rockefeller scientists redefine role of proteins responsible for bundling DNA into cells Histones, the proteins that help roll several feet of DNA into the microscopic span of a single nucleus, are turning out to be much more than just packaging material. Instead, recent studies indicate that the...
"Good Citizens" in the Immune System Carry Out State's Orders
Diversity in PKC signaling enzymes yields clues to tolerance The difference between good and evil matters as much in the immune system, it turns out, as it does to humankind. The problem is understanding how the immune system's cells perceive the difference. In the April 25 issue of the journal N...
Leprosy bug provides clues to early nerve degeneration
Possible insight to multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases that destroy nerve cell "insulation" In the May 3 issue of Science, scientists at Rockefeller University and New York University School of Medicine report that the nerve damage that leads to a loss of sensation and disab...
Nature's Own Antidote to Cocaine
Brain opiate may explain why some people are less susceptible to addiction Some people's brains may harbor their own built-in defense system against the addictive powers of cocaine. According to new research at The Rockefeller University, a naturally occurring brain opiate called dynorphin may, i...
How Aging Cells Retire
Loss of protection at tips of chromosomes may explain why older cells cease to reproduce As we grow older, our hair turns gray, our bones grow thin and, among other changes, our telomeres shrink. But, more than markers of the passage of time, telomeres, the tips of chromosomes, may harbor answers...
Schizophrenia Predisposition Linked to Two Genes on Chromosome 22
In a systematic study of 13 genes on human chromosome 22 in an area of the chromosome previously linked to schizophrenia, a team of scientists in the United States and South Africa identified two genes from this group that contribute to susceptibility to this psychiatric disorder. The report, pub...
Mouse Model of Diabetes Shows Synergy of Multiple Genes in Failure of Insulin-Secreting Cells
Potential Drug Target for Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Identified Researchers at The Rockefeller University and the Vanderbilt Medical Center have shown for the first time in a mouse model that genes predisposing for Type 2 diabetes interact in a hierarchical manner and have identified a potenti...
Researchers Pinpoint How Estrogen Prevents Alzheimer's "Senile Plaques"
Evidence that the speed of a pathway changes the metabolic fate of a protein Estrogen prevents the build-up of Alzheimer's disease's "senile plaques" in the brain by scooting key proteins through their normal pathways before they can form the debilitating plaques. This finding, by scientists in ...
"Sugar-Coating" on Proteins May Safeguard Body Against Further Insult
M.D.-Ph.D. student shows mannose receptor performs clearance role Much like a cadre of emergency workers at the scene of an accident, the body's immune system cells gather at the site of an injury, whether it is a simple cut or an infection. This microscopic crowd largely consists of inflammatory...
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