Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Rett Syndrome Research Trust advisor makes significant discovery

A paper published online today in Nature Neuroscience reveals the presence of methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) in glia. MeCP2 is a protein associated with a variety of neurological disorders, including Rett Syndrome, the most physically disabling of the autism spectrum disorders.

Mom's pre-teen years can affect offspring's brain

A mother's life experience can affect the biology of her offspring, according to new animal research in the February 4 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

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In India: A search for more effective tuberculosis drugs

Rajesh Gokhale has created a compound in his lab in India that stops tuberculosis in its tracks. In a test tube, the molecule hits four of the bacterium's crucial metabolic pathways at the same time, weakening and ultimately destroying the pathogen.

Natural brain substance blocks weight gain in mice

Mice with increased levels of a natural brain chemical don't gain weight when fed a high-fat diet, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

Another job discovered for a master metabolic off-switch

Researchers have discovered that an important cellular "off-switch" that desensitizes receptors on the cell surface also regulates a second deactivation mechanism that had not been suspected before. Their finding that the off-switch, known as beta-arrestin, operates in two distinct ways may hint at a broader set of regulatory roles for the molecule.

Researchers Determine How 'Hospital Staph' Resists Antibiotics

Drug-resistant staph infections are a major concern to health care providers. Hospitals in particular have become home to some strains of Staphylococcus aureus that resist every known antibiotic, including the last-resort vancomycin. But two researchers say they've discovered just how so-called "Hospital staph" develops resistance, potentially opening the door for development of new drugs that beat it to the punch.