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Popular Articles

ChIP-Seq, Drosophila Targeted Mutagenesis Featured In Cold Spring Harbor Protocols
High-throughput whole-genome analysis is becoming a standard laboratory approach for investigating cellular processes. Next-generation sequencing is replacing microarrays as the technique of choice for genome-scale analysis, because it offers advantages in both sensitivity and scale. The June issue of Cold Spring Harbor Protocols features "Native Chromatin Preparation and Illumina/Solexa Library Construction" from Keji Zhao and colleagues at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The article describes sample preparation for sequencing of chromatin-immunoprecipitated DNA (ChIP-Seq) to analyze histone modification patterns using native chromatin and the Solexa/Illumina Genome Analyzer. Step-by-step instructions are given for purification of human CD4+ T cells from lymphocytes and chromatin fragmentation using micrococcal nuclease (MNase) digestion, followed by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and construction of a library for sequencing. The article is freely available on the website for Cold Spring Harbor Protocols (http://cshprotocols.cshlp.org/cgi/content/full/2009/6/pdb.prot5237).

An Animal Model For Schizophrenia Identifies A Novel Approach For Treating Cognitive Impairments Associated With Schizophrenia
Researchers have been seeking a safe and effective way to treat cognitive impairments associated with schizophrenia by enhancing N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors. Functional deficits in NMDA receptors may contribute to the underlying neurobiology of this disorder. The first generation of studies trying to stimulate NMDA receptors administered large amounts of substances, like glycine or D-serine, which indirectly enhance NMDA receptor function. While there were some positive reports of efficacy, findings across studies were more inconsistent than was hoped.
News of the day
What Is The Function Of Lymph Nodes?
If we imagine our immune system to be a police force for our bodies, then previous work has suggested that the Lymph nodes would be the best candidate structures within the body to act as police stations - the regions in which the immune response is organised. However, a new paper - published in this week"s issue of PLoS Biology - suggests that lymph nodes are not essential in the mouse in marshalling T-cells (a main immune foot soldier) to respond to a breach of the skin barrier. This result is both surprising in itself, and suggests a novel function for the liver as an alternate site for T-cell activation.
Endocrinology

Teens Sensitive To Others' Perceptions Of Them

Young adolescents care a lot about what others think about them. A new study confirms this using brain-mapping techniques that shed new light on this complex period of social development. The study, published in the July/August 2009 issue of the journal Child Development, is authored by researchers at the University of Oregon and the University of California Los Angeles. Previous research into this area has relied on reports by teenagers themselves. This study eliminated the potential bias of self-reports by using brain scans to look at the neural systems that support individuals" perceptions of themselves. During the brain scans, 12 early adolescents (11- to 13-year-olds) and 12 young adults (22- to 30-year-olds) responded to researchers" questions about whether short phrases (such as "I am popular") described them, and whether they believed others (mothers, best friends, classmates) thought these phrases described them, too. The researchers then examined activity in the brain that occurred when the participants gave their responses. In comparison to the young adults, the tweens see themselves in ways that may depend more on what they believe others think about their abilities and attributes. And these others - including parents and friends - may have more influence in some areas than in other areas, with moms having more sway over how the tweens view their academic abilities but best friends exerting influence over how they see their social skills. "These findings provide a novel form of evidence confirming the sensitivity of adolescents to what they believe others think of them, especially parents and peers," suggests Jennifer H. Pfeifer, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Oregon and the lead author. "More importantly, they suggest that being able to see others" perspectives on oneself may be particularly critical to development in adolescence. As a result, individuals who lack this social cognitive skill (including those with autism spectrum disorders) may face significant obstacles." The study was funded, in part, by the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Center for Research Res, which is part of the National Institutes of Health. Summarized from Child Development, Vol. 80, Issue 4, Neural Correlates of Direct and Reflected Self-Appraisals in Adolescents and Adults: When Social Perspective-Taking Informs Self-Perception by Pfeifer, JH (University of Oregon), Masten, CL, Borofsky, LA, Dapretto, M, Fuligni, AJ, and Lieberman, MD (University of California Los Angeles). Copyright 2009 The Society for Research in Child Development, Inc. All rights reserved. Sarah Hutcheon Society for Research in Child Development


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