News & HighlightsNews
First evidence that the brain’s native dendritic cells can muster an immune response
The human brain is a delicate organ, robustly defended. A thick skull shields it from any direct exposure to the outside world, and the blood-brain barrier keeps out any foreign substances that are circulating within. New research shows that the brain may have its own specialized immune defenses,...
Clinical trial to explore link between vitamin D and cholesterol
An unusual finding in previous studies of vitamin D-deficient patients has prompted Rockefeller University researchers to launch a new clinical study to determine whether there is a causative link between vitamin D supplementation and changes in cholesterol levels in people at risk for cardiovasc...
Loosely coiled DNA helps trypanosomes make their escape
To escape the grip of the human immune system, Trypanosoma brucei, which causes African sleeping sickness, performs its acclaimed disappearing act. Every time the host’s immune cells get close to eliminating the infection, a small number of trypanosomes avoid detection by changing their surface ...
Loss of epigenetic regulators causes mental retardation
Developing neurons don’t just need the right genes to guide them as they grow, they need access to the right genes at the right times. The improper functioning of one specific protein complex that normally suppresses gene activation is responsible for a mental retardation-like syndrome in mice, r...
DNA ‘barcoding’ reveals 95 species of life in NYC homes, students show
Two New York City high school students exploring their homes using the latest high-tech DNA analysis techniques were astonished to discover a veritable zoo of 95 animal species surrounding them, in everything from fridges to furniture. Guided by DNA “barcoding” experts at The Rockefeller Univer...
Scientists visualize how a vital hepatitis C virus protein moves along its nucleic acid substrate
By taking three conformational snapshots of a hepatitis C virus motor protein in association with its substrate, researchers at Rockefeller University have provided the first structural explanation of how a representative superfamily 2 helicase moves unidirectionally along nucleic acid, suggestin...
Genomic differences identified in common skin diseases
It’s sometimes said that dermatologists do one of two things (though it’s not dermatologists who say it): Faced with a skin disease that’s too dry, they try to wet it; if the disease is too wet, they try to dry it. There’s some wisdom in this general approach, says James G. Krueger, head of ...
Rockefeller University receives nearly $27 million in ARRA grants
Investigators at The Rockefeller University have so far been awarded 41 federal grants and supplemental awards through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) — the so-called “stimulus” legislation passed by Congress last winter. The awards — 40 from the National Institutes...
Mutation leads to new and severe form of bacterial disease
Fighting an illness is not just about fighting the bacteria or viruses that cause it, it also has to do with your genes. In new research from Rockefeller University and the Necker Medical School in Paris, scientists have identified a gene mutation that makes children susceptible to a severe form ...
Bacterial protein mimics its host to disable a key enzyme
Helicobacter pylori infects up to 90 percent of people in the developing world and causes gastric ulcers and cancers of the gut. Now scientists have revealed a subterfuge used by the bacterium to trick stomach cells into playing along. By injecting a protein into the stomach lining that mimics a ...
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