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March 11, 2010 | science news
Scientists pinpoint source of recurrent yeast infections in autoimmune syndrome
| It turns out that the immune system can create its own infections. Scientists now report that the immune-fighting proteins that keep yeast in check in healthy immune systems are under siege in patients with a rare autoimmune disorder known as APS-1. By pinpointing the cause of candidiasis in these patients, the finding paves the way for treating these fungal infections with drugs that are already out in the market. |
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February 9, 2010 | science news
Scientists crash test DNA’s replication machinery
| Important molecular machines routinely crash into one another while plying their trades on DNA. New research shows that the enzymes that copy DNA before cell division, called replisomes, are the kings of this road, kicking aside machines that are performing less critical tasks, such as transcribing instructions for proteins. |
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February 9, 2010 | science news
Research identifies gene with likely role in premenstrual disorder
| Some women are especially sensitive to the natural flux of hormones in the menstrual cycle. New research points to a gene that likely influences how women respond to swings in estrogen levels and could help diagnose and treat premenstrual dysphoric disorder, a condition marked by extreme mood swings and irritability. The work also provides insight into the historically understudied area of medically relevant differences between men and women. |
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January 27, 2010 | science news
Brain arousal heightens sexual activity in male mice
| Ever since the dawn of time, teenage boys have been defined by their sexual urges. Stereotype or not, the same fate has now befallen male mice. In new research that harkens back to those awkward high school moments and uncomfortable coming-of-age memories, scientists now show that male mice genetically selected for high levels of nervous energy act like sex-crazed teenage boys: highly motivated, but awkward and inefficient. |
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January 20, 2010 | studies and trials
Clinical trial to explore link between vitamin D and cholesterol
| An unusual finding in previous studies of vitamin D-deficient patients has prompted a new clinical study at The Rockefeller University Hospital. Investigator Manish Ponda aims to discover if there is a causative relationship between vitamin D supplementation and elevated levels of small LDL cholesterol. The hospital is currently recruiting subjects for the study. |
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January 8, 2010 | science news
Loss of epigenetic regulators causes mental retardation
New findings, published in recent issues of Neuron and Science, indicate that malfunction of a protein complex that normally suppresses gene activation causes mental retardation in mice and humans and may even play a role in promoting susceptibility to drug addiction.  |
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January 8, 2010 | science news
Loosely coiled DNA helps trypanosomes make their escape
| Some animals use camouflage to outsmart their prey; others use mimicry or fake their own death. But Trypanosoma brucei, the wily parasite that causes African sleeping sickness, is the only organism we know of that can change its molecular identity on command to escape the grip of the human immune system. New research reveals a key discovery that has eluded scientists for decades: To avoid capture, trypanosomes must strategically uncoil their DNA. |
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December 28, 2009 | science news
DNA ‘barcoding’ reveals 95 species of life in NYC homes, students show
| Armed with the latest high-tech DNA analysis techniques, two New York City high school students examined every nook and cranny of their homes and were astonished to discover a veritable zoo of 95 animal species surrounding them, in everything from fridges to furniture. |
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December 23, 2009 | science news
Genomic differences identified in common skin diseases
| If you have dry skin, wet it, if wet skin, dry it. This has been a general rule of dermatology for centuries, but scientists are working to develop more precise treatments for the dozen-plus inflammatory skin diseases that afflict people. New research details the fine genetic and immunological differences between two of the most common skin diseases, psoriasis and atopic eczema, presenting a new way to classify the disorders as well as possible novel therapeutics. |
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December 23, 2009 | honors and awards
Titia de Lange awarded grant, named American Cancer Society Research Professor
| The head of Rockefeller University’s Laboratory of Cell Biology and Genetics has received a $400,000 grant from the American Cancer Society and has been named an American Cancer Society Research Professor. The five-year grant, which is effective January 1, 2010, will fund de Lange’s continuing research on telomeres, the strings of extra DNA that cap and protect the ends of chromosomes through numerous cycles of cell division. |
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IN THE NEWS
March 3, 2010
“Operations researchers have appreciated that these redundancies are an effective hedge against damage. What’s most surprising in the new research, according to Marcelo O. Magnasco, head of the Laboratory of Mathematical Physics at Rockefeller University, is that the complex network also does a better job of handling fluctuating loads according to shifts in demand from different parts of the system — a common real-world need within dynamic distribution networks.”
February 15, 2010
“Although scientists still don’t understand the precise biological mechanism behind PMDD, it’s increasingly clear that the brains of women who suffer from the disorder are affected by where they are in their menstrual cycle. Pieces of this puzzle are slowly emerging. On Feb. 8, researchers at the Rockefeller University in New York reported the results of a study in mice that suggested that a particular gene may be involved.”
February 11, 2010
“Another group of researchers at Rockefeller, led by Marcelo Magnasco, also examined vein-loops in leaves. They found that as well as improving efficiency, they also help to ameliorate damage. They discovered this by injecting fluorescent dye into leaves to see if the vein network could distribute the dye to all parts of a leaf that had been damaged. They found the loops are structured in such a way that no matter which piece of a leaf’s supply mechanism is disrupted, there is usually enough capacity in the rest to distribute water and nutrients. ‘It was very surprising,’ Dr Magnasco observes. ‘The famous theorems that tell us that the optimal structure is a tree failed in a spectacular fashion.’”
February 9, 2010
“Scientists have suspected for decades that some phages have a hand at helping the growth of anthrax, Bacillus anthracis, and its less deadly cousins in the Bacillus genus. Then, four years ago, [Raymond] Schuch, along with Vincent Fischetti, a professor of bacteriology at Rockefeller, found a direct link — a type of phage that made anthrax resistant to an antibiotic commonly produced by other bacteria in soil, such as Streptomyces.”
February 5, 2010
“It’s not unusual for both halves of a two-scientist couple to work in the same field, and it can be a painful dilemma to forge parallel but separate careers. But Michael Crickmore and Dragana Rogulja, both postdoctoral researchers at Rockefeller University in New York City, credit much of their success to their partnership. In their art-filled Manhattan apartment, conversations flow effortlessly from practical family matters to the latest art exhibition to the experiments they’re working on. During those conversations, they work out many of their scientific ideas — ideas that they hope will propel them into labs of their own someday. ‘We’re on the same team,’ Crickmore says.”
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