The Rockefeller University

July 15, 2003

Science News

Obese mice provide clues to natural system that puts brakes on obesity

First gene discovered that is switched on only in fat cells of obese mice A gene that gets switched on only in the fat cells of obese mice may be a key to preventing obesity in humans, according to new research at The Rockefeller University in New York City and the Joslin Diabetes Center in Bosto...

July 7, 2003

Science News

From creatures of the dark to photosynthesizing green beings

How plant seedlings respond to light A plant born into darkness, underneath a blanket of soil and leaves, will grow long and thin, its spindly stem stretching up towards the hidden sun. When at last it reaches the light, the plant will sprout green leaves, thicken its stem and begin to breathe - ...

July 3, 2003

Science News

Genetic clues to stem cells' unlimited potential

Rockefeller research team completes first map of human embryonic "stemness" As an embryologist, Ali H. Brivanlou wants to know every genetic route taken by a small mass of undifferentiated, or unformed, embryonic cells as they develop into an organism. Now he knows. The first atlas, or map, of ge...

June 30, 2003

Science News

New clues to schizophrenia come from mice, humans

Gene linked to schizophrenia in humans may provide new target for drug treatment Improper signaling by a brain enzyme called calcineurin may contribute to the development of schizophrenia, according to new research by scientists at The Rockefeller University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology...

June 20, 2003

Science News

Cellular transport vehicles caught on film

Specialized fluorescence microscopy movies show clathrin traveling on microtubules near surface of living cells They look like soccer balls -- only much smaller. They are tiny transport vehicles used by cells to import biological cargo and, for the first time, Rockefeller University researchers h...

May 23, 2003

Science News

"Bacteria-eating" viruses may spread some infectious diseases

Phage may be new therapeutic target A strep-infected child in a daycare center plays with a toy, puts it in her mouth and crawls away. Another child plays with the same toy and comes down with strep. Until now, scientists thought that disease-causing bacteria left on the toy was the culprit in tr...

May 19, 2003

Science News

Sperm cells shaped by natural cell suicide mechanism

In male fruit flies, fertility requires it; Trigger for release of "beastly caspases" also identified Since discovering that body cells actively commit suicide over 35 years ago, scientists have come to learn that this natural process, called programmed cell death, occurs throughout human tissues...

May 15, 2003

Science News

Frog (and histone) tails tell the tale

Rockefeller researcher proposes "death code" for cells Using laboratory cultures of human leukemia cells and the tails of tadpoles, a Rockefeller University researcher has shown that specialized proteins in the cell nucleus contain chemical flags that provide a "code" that spells death. The findi...

April 30, 2003

Science News

MacKinnon lab's newest picture tells action potential story

Voltage-dependent channel structure reveals masterpiece responsible for all nerve, muscle activity Scientists studying the tiny devices — called voltage-dependent ion channels — that are responsible for all nerve and muscle signals in living organisms for 50 years have been working like a bun...

April 28, 2003

Science News

"Smartness' about social life is different from smartness about SAT scores"

Four gene "micronet" found to regulate social behavior in female mice What do the brain, ovaries and nose have in common? According to new research from The Rockefeller University, these three organs help orchestrate the complex behavior called social recognition in female mice through the intera...

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