Yearly Archives: 2007
Newly solved structure reveal how cells resist oxygen damage
Cells have evolved multiple lines of defense to protect themselves from the effects of singlet oxygen, a toxic byproduct of photosynthesis. After five years of study, Rockefeller University researchers have become the first to solve the structure of a protein complex that regulates this process, using a zinc ion to quench singlet oxygen’s harmful properties. More »
Tags: Seth Darst
Jeffrey Ravetch elected to Institute of Medicine
Jeffrey V. Ravetch, head of Rockefeller University’s Leonard Wagner Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Immunology, is one of 65 new members and four foreign associates whose election to the Institute of Medicine was announced today. More »
Viewing dye-packed vesicles causes them to explode
A fluorescent marker, long used in imaging to help researchers watch membrane-bound vesicles as they exit a cell, can actually cause the vesicles to break open as soon as they’re hit with light from a microscope. New research describes how to differentiate a microscopy side effect from the cell’s true process. More »
Tags: Sanford M. Simon, vesicles
Sizing cells up: Researchers pinpoint when a cell is ready to reproduce
Like people, cells must reach a certain size before they can reproduce. A collaboration between Rockefeller University biologists, physicists and mathematicians shows how and when cells reach this size requirement, findings that provide researchers with a new quantitative framework to get to the core mechanisms involved in how a cell monitors its size. More »
Tags: cell division, Eric Siggia
New cell death pathway involved in sperm development
Good swimmers, like healthy sperm, are sleek and light. They shed extra pounds, shape their body and even shave their legs to move efficiently and fast. Sperm also remove excess baggage to function optimally, and caspases, proteins involved in apoptosis, or programmed cell death, facilitate this process. New research from Rockefeller University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute uncovers a new pathway that regulates caspase activity in Drosophila sperm, a finding that represents a new and promising drug target for therapeutic purposes. More »
Gene determines whether male body odor smells pleasant
Up to one third of the adult human population does not perceive an odor in androstenone, a component of male body odor that has been shown to induce physiological responses in both men and women. To those who do, androstenone either takes on a pleasant sweet odor or a repulsive urine-like one. New research from Rockefeller University and Duke University traces this variability to point mutations in a single odorant receptor gene, a finding that raises questions of how people detect other people’s body odor. More »
Tags: androstenone, Leslie B. Vosshall, olfactory
Rockefeller immunologist receives Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research
This year’s Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research honors Rockefeller University’s Ralph M. Steinman, who discovered dendritic cells, the preeminent component of the immune system that initiates and regulates the body’s response to foreign antigens. More »
Dendritic cells stimulate production of immune-repressing T cells
Regulatory T cells, which are important for suppressing immune response, could potentially be exploited for different immune therapies. A new study takes researchers a step closer to this goal, showing that the suppressor cells are generated by dendritic cells — cells already known for their ability to direct immune system response. More »
Tags: dendritic cells, Ralph M. Steinman, T regs
Construction begins on new Collaborative Research Center
After nearly two years of planning, construction is under way on The Rockefeller University’s new Collaborative Research Center, a building and renovation project that will transform two historic limestone and masonry buildings into modern open-plan laboratories connected by a dramatic six-story glass atrium. More »
A global view: Researchers build microRNA atlas
Rockefeller University scientists have created a comprehensive microRNA catalog that encompasses more than 250 cell and tissue samples across 26 organ systems as part of a global effort to clarify the role of microRNAs in development and in various diseases, particularly cancer. More »
Tags: MicroRNAs, Thomas Tuschl
Core tenets of the “histone code” are universal
Histones, specialized proteins that package and control DNA, rely on a code to regulate gene transcription. Certain chemical modifications at histone tails act like a code that signals genes to turn on or off. Rockefeller University scientists show that nonhistone proteins recognize features of this histone code, and reveal an instance of histone mimicry. More »
Common immune cell marker shown to be off target
In a case of mistaken identity, an immune cell marker that researchers have been using for 15 years to identify a specific type of skin dendritic cell doesn’t identify dendritic cells at all. Instead, the marker, called FXIIIA, is highlighting macrophages — a completely different group of immune cells. More »
Tags: #dendritic, James G. Krueger, Michelle Lowes
From frogs to humans, brains form the same way
Scientists had believed that mammals and amphibians, distinctly different animals, have distinctly different developmental patterns when it comes to the nervous system. But a new model of ”mammalian neural induction“ provides a bridge across the evolutionary gap. More »
Food supply affects bacteria’s response to temperature
Bacteria respond to dwindling food supplies through their ability to sense temperature changes in their environment. When nutrients are sufficiently abundant, bacteria are drawn to warm regions. As they continue to grow and their food supply decreases, they swim to cooler regions and slow their metabolism. A chemical signal initially mediates this switch, which is then reinforced via changes in gene expression. More »
Tags: Albert J. Libchaber, bacteria, E. Coli
Mice use specialized neurons to detect carbon dioxide in the air
New research shows that a special set of olfactory neurons helps mice detect carbon dioxide, a finding that may have implications for how predicted increases in atmospheric levels of the gas may affect animal behavior. More »
Tags: olfactory, Peter Mombaerts
Blood-clotting protein may be new target for Alzheimer’s drugs
By decreasing fibrin in the brains of mice with Alzheimer’s, researchers found they were also able to decrease inflammation — a known correlate of cognitive impairment. More »
Biostatistics methodology yields an objective Tour de France ranking
The problem with ranking cyclists is similar to the problem encountered by biostatisticians attempting to analyze data about the immune system or drug interactions: To get meaningful results you have to make subjective decisions about how important individual data are. But by applying biostatistical methodology to 54 years of Tour de France statistics, Rockefeller University scientists have created an objective ranking of the world’s best cyclists. More »
Tags: Knut M. Wittkowski, tour de france
Two proteins found on telomeres control DNA damage response pathways
The shelterin complex, which binds specifically to telomeres, has a built-in mechanism to repress DNA damage response pathways at chromosome ends. More »
Tags: Telomeres, Titia de Lange
Initial trigger is not enough to determine a cell’s fate
Research uncovering how a signaling pathway regulates stem cell behavior reveals that adult stem cells continue to respond to their environment even after they are activated and can switch their developmental agenda, putting a whole new spin on our understanding of stem cells. More »
Tags: BMP, Elaine Fuchs
New method better identifies functionally related genes on the bacterial chromosome
A new technique developed at Rockefeller University takes advantage of information already stored within the structure of bacterial chromosomes to group genes in biologically meaningful ways. More »
