V. ALTOUNIANGut microbes appear to influence the development of the blood-brain barrier in mice, before and soon after they’re born, according to a study published in Science Translational Medicine this week (November 19).
“It’s absolutely fascinating to think that gut bacteria can control permeability of the blood-brain barrier,” Caltech microbiologist Sarkis Mazmanian, who was not involved in the study, told The Scientist.
FLICKR, WOODLEYWONDERWORKSResearchers often recount the perils of early-life stress, but, according to a mouse study published in Nature Communications this week (November 18), unpredictable maternal separation combined with unpredictable maternal stress may make the animals more resilient—and this trait may be passed on to their pups, epigenetically.
“It’s interesting . . . that now we’re seeing some of those beneficial effects of stress being passed, as well,” said Deena Walker of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City who was not involved in the research.
THOMAS ROLLANDA new human interactome map, published this week (November 20) in Cell, depicts 14,000 pairwise interactions between proteins. This map, the result of a nine-year effort to systematically screen 13,000 humans proteins, could help researchers better understand processes leading to cancer and other diseases.
“Our goal is to help facilitate ...
