Pseudomonas aeruginosa grows as biofilms in the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) but it remains unclear if the bacteria persist because the biofilms are antibiotic-resistant or if resistant variants are selected by antimicrobial therapy itself. In April 18 Nature, Eliana Drenkard and Frederick Ausubel of Harvard Medical School show that Pseudomonas biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance are linked to phenotypic variation and are switched on together.Drenkard & Ausubel observe

Short-segment Hirschsprung disease (S-HSCR) involves interactions between just three loci.

Vitamin D receptor knockout mice show normal myelopoiesis but abnormal T lymphocyte responses.

Neuropilin-1 mediates interactions between dendritic and T cells essential for initiation of primary immune responses.

Neurons from the central nervous system (CNS) can regenerate, but little is known about the potential of adult neural stem cells to develop into functional nervous cells. In April 15 online Nature Neuroscience, Hong-jun Song and colleagues from the Salk Institute, La Jolla, California, show that neural stem cells derived from adult tissues retain the potential to differentiate into cells with properties similar to that of mature CNS neurons.Song et al. established an in vitro co-culture system t

An IgG/DNA complex activates B cells and provokes autoimmune responses.

Bacterial chondroitinase ABC promotes functional recovery after spinal cord injury in rats.

The single-cell resolution (the sequence of mechanisms that establish cell lineages and cell fates during metazoan development) is a major aspect of animal development, but the specific genes involved remain unclear. In April 1 Development, Scott Cameron and colleagues from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas show that PAG-3, a Zn-finger transcription factor, determines neuroblast fate in Caenorhabditis elegans and is essential for development of the erythroid and megakaryocy

The mechanism by which a linear sequence of amino acids controls the folding of a protein into its unique three-dimensional structure remains incompletely understood. In April 8 online Nature Structural Biology, Christian Wigley and colleagues from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, show that a protein sequence can encode the native structure by disfavouring the formation of a misfolded structure.Wigley et al. observed that a proline residue in the center of the third trans

Lipoid proteinosis is caused by mutations in the extracellular matrix protein 1 gene on chromosome 1q21.

Protein folding intermediates are cytotoxic, independent of cell damage caused by mature folded proteins.

primase inhibitors are orally available drugs active against herpes simplex virus.