Interbreeding
With Neanderthals (March 04, 2013)
Telltale evidence of ancient liaisons with Neanderthals and
other extinct human relatives can be found in the DNA of
billions of people.
Eggs
may be made throughout adulthood [BUT, newer evidences
refutes this claim: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/egg-production-after-birth-questioned)
(April 7, 2012) Discovery of stem cells in human ovaries
overturns dogma. (http://www.sciencenews.org/)ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://bms.ucsf.edu/sites/ucsf-bms.ixm.ca/files/20120412.feuer_.sky_.pdf
Gene
Therapy Shows Promise for Treating Beta-Thalassemia and
Sickle Cell Disease
(Mar 28, 2012) β globin gene-ankyrin insulator construct
boosts production of Hb levels in transplanted bone marrow
cells. (http://www.genengnews.com/)
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0032345
Making
mouse memories
(March 22, 2012) Neuroscientists create a synthetic
recollection of fear in rodents. (http://www.sciencenews.org/)
The
yin and yang of male pattern baldness
(March 21, 2012) The discovery of a hormone-like molecule in
the scalp may offer new clues for treating baldness.
(http://www.sciencenews.org/)
Geneticists
go ape for better primate family tree
(March 15, 2012) The first gorilla genome and a more detailed
look at chimp genetics provide new clues to evolution of
humans and their closest relatives.
(http://www.sciencenews.org/)
Carnivores
can lose sweet genes
(March 13, 2012) A string of mammals that eat a lot of meat
have lost the power to detect sweetness.
(http://www.sciencenews.org/)
Long-lived
people distinguished by DNA?
(March 10, 2012) Study finds genetic signatures of the
extremely old (controversial finding).
(http://www.sciencenews.org/)
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0029848
Exercise
brings on DNA changes (Epigenetics -- methylation)
(March 7, 2012) Breaking a sweat can activate genes that make
energy-regulating proteins.
(http://www.sciencenews.org/)http://download.cell.com/cell-ORIGINAL ARTICLE: metabolism/pdf/PIIS1550413112000058.pdf?intermediate=true
Arsenic-based
life finding fails follow-up
(February 25, 2012) Tests see no evidence that microbe uses
element in cellular machinery. (http://www.sciencenews.org/)
Eight-legged
evolution exploits editing (RNA Editing)
(February 11, 2012) RNA tweaks adapt octopuses to water
temperature. (http://www.sciencenews.org/)
Drugs
activate dormant gene
(January 28, 2012) Chemotherapy agent may offer hope for
treating Angelman syndrome. (http://www.sciencenews.org/)
DNA
to flutter by (Monarch Butterfly's Genome)
(January 14, 2012) Monarchs' genetic instructions help meet
migration, navigation needs. (http://www.sciencenews.org/)
A
gland grows itself
(December 31, 2011) Pituitary develops in a lab dish with
chemical coaching. (http://www.sciencenews.org/)
DNA
highlights Native American die-off (Mitochondrial DNA)
(December 5, 2011) Brief, dramatic population decline after
European contact left genetic mark.
(http://www.sciencenews.org/)
Unraveling
synesthesia
(November 22, 2011) Tangled senses may have genetic or
chemical roots, or both. (http://www.sciencenews.org/)
GTF2I
gene copy number tied to separation anxiety
(November 17, 2011) Finding joins other links between extra or
missing genes and mental conditions.
(http://www.sciencenews.org/)
Three
Gene
Discovery May Lead to New Breast Cancer Treatments
(04 May 2011 - 8:00 PDT) Scientists from the United Kingdom
(UK) have hailed their discovery of three genes linked to the
most common form of breast cancer as groundbreaking.
Cardiovascular
Side
Effects of Popular Diabetes Drugs Explained
(04 May 2011 - 7:00 PDT) Drugs known as thiazolidinediones, or
TZDs for short, are widely used in diabetes treatment, but
they come with a downside.
Tracking
the
Evolution and Spread of Deadly Fungus, One of the World's
Major Killers
(04 May 2011 - 7:00 PDT) New research has shed light on the
origins of a fungal infection which is one of the major causes
of death from AIDS-related illnesses.
The
Early
History of Genetics Revised
(04 May 2011 - 7:00 PDT) The early history of genetics has to
be re-written in the light of new findings.
Researchers
Demonstrate
Why DNA Damage Occurs in Cancer Cells
(04 May 2011 - 6:00 PDT) Now, for the first time, researchers
at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have shown that in early
cancer development, cells suffer from insufficient building
blocks to support normal DNA replication.
Bone
Deformity
Gene Discovered
(04 May 2011 - 1:00 PDT) The Human Genetics team at The
University of Queensland Diamantina Institute have
successfully used a new gene-mapping approach for patients
affected by severe skeletal abnormalities.
Researchers
find
way
to
assemble
full genome of fetus
Los Angeles Times,
Amina Khan (4:33 PM PST, December 8, 2010) - The discovery,
made using a sample of the mother's blood, could offer a safer
alternative to invasive screening procedures used to detect
genetic problems in fetuses, experts say.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/2/61/61ra91.full.html
Genome of barley disease reveals surprises
Science Centric (10 Dec 2010 21:48 GMT) - Scientists
have sequenced the genome of a major fungal disease that
affects barley and other cereal crops, a breakthrough that
could lead to significant advances in our understanding of how
plant diseases evolve. The research, published today in the
journal Science, suggests that parasites within the genome of
the fungus help the disease to adapt and overcome the plant's
defences...
Gene that causes some cases of familial ALS
discovered
Science Centric (10 Dec 2010 21:54 GMT) - Using a new
gene sequencing method, a team of researchers led by
scientists from Johns Hopkins and the National Institutes of
Health has discovered a gene that appears to cause some
instances of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The
finding could lead to novel ways to treat the more common form
of this fatal neurodegenerative disease, which kills the vast
majority of the nearly 6,000 Americans diagnosed with ALS
every year...
Satellites, DNA and dolphins
Science Centric (1 May 2010 09:33 GMT) - Using DNA
samples and images from Earth-orbiting satellites,
conservationists from Columbia University, the Wildlife
Conservation Society, the American Museum of Natural History,
and Fundacion AquaMarina, are gathering new insights about the
franciscana - a poorly known coastal dolphin species of
eastern South America - in an effort to understand populations
and conserve them...
Lake sturgeon have genes from parasite,
signs of human STD
Science Centric (12 May 2010 13:43 GMT) - While trying
to find a DNA-based test to determine the sex of lake
sturgeon, Purdue University researchers found that the
sturgeon genome contains trematode genes that didn't
originally belong to it and may harbour a protozoan parasite
that causes a sexually transmitted disease in humans...
From toxicity to life: Arsenic proves to be
a building block
Science Centric (3 Dec 2010 17:14 GMT) - Arsenic - an
element that triggers death for most Earthly life forms - is
actually allowing for a bacterium to thrive and reproduce…
HOWEVER: see more recent
news:
Arsenic-based
life finding fails follow-up
(February 25, 2012) Tests see no evidence that microbe uses
element in cellular machinery. (http://www.sciencenews.org/)
New Parkinson's gene is linked to immune
system
Science Centric (28 Aug 2010 10:07 GMT) - A hunt
throughout the human genome for variants associated with
common, late-onset Parkinson's disease has revealed a new
genetic link that implicates the immune system and offers new
targets for drug development...
NIA researchers find gene to explain mouse
embryonic stem cell immortality
Science Centric (25 Mar 2010 11:46 GMT) - Researchers
at the National Institute on Ageing (NIA), part of the
National Institutes of Health, have discovered a key to
embryonic stem (ES) cell rejuvenation in a gene - Zscan4 - as
reported in the March 24, 2010, online issue of Nature. This
breakthrough finding could have major implications for ageing
research, stem cell biology, regenerative medicine and cancer
biology...
Making the blind see: Gene therapy restores
vision in mice
Science Centric (1 Apr 2010 11:24 GMT) - Take a look at
this: Scientists from Buffalo, Cleveland, and Oklahoma City
made a huge step toward making the blind see, and they did it
by using a form of gene therapy that does not involve the use
of modified viruses. In a research report published in the
April 2010 print issue of The FASEB Journal
(http://www.fasebj.org), scientists describe how they used a
non-viral, synthetic nanoparticle carrier to improve and save
the sight of mice with retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited
disease characterised by progressive vision loss and eventual
blindness...
Rice physicists help unravel mystery of
repetitive DNA segments
Science Centric (7 Dec 2010 17:58 GMT) - With new tools
that can grab individual strands of DNA and stretch them like
rubber bands, Rice University scientists are working to
unravel a mystery of modern genomics. Their latest findings,
which appear in Physical Review Letters, offer new clues about
the physical makeup of odd segments of DNA that have just one
DNA base, adenine, repeated dozens of times in a row...
Scientists uncover novel role for DNA repair
protein linked to cancer
Science Centric (2 Jul 2010 11:44 GMT) - Tufts
University researchers in the School of Arts and Sciences have
pinpointed a key cellular protein that repairs damaged DNA
molecules but may also promote the development of cancer...
New DNA repair pathway
Science Centric (10 Nov 2010 14:13 GMT) - UC Davis
researchers have found a new pathway for repairing DNA damaged
by oxygen radicals. The results are published this week in the
journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences...
Genome of barley disease reveals surprises
Science Centric (10 Dec 2010 21:48 GMT) - Scientists
have sequenced the genome of a major fungal disease that
affects barley and other cereal crops, a breakthrough that
could lead to significant advances in our understanding of how
plant diseases evolve. The research, published today in the
journal Science, suggests that parasites within the genome of
the fungus help the disease to adapt and overcome the plant's
defences...
Study links microRNA to shut-down of
DNA-repair genes
Science Centric (1 May 2010 09:48 GMT) - New research
shows for the first time that molecules called microRNA can
silence genes that protect the genome from cancer-causing
mutations...
Genome sequence marks big leap forward
for frog researchers
Science Centric (30 Apr 2010 09:25 GMT) - An African
clawed frog has joined the spotted green puffer fish, the
honeybee, and the human among the ranks of more than 175
organisms that have had their genetic information nearly
completely sequenced...
Study reveals new genetic link to scleroderma
Science Centric (30 Apr 2010 09:22 GMT) - An
international research consortium including scientists from
The University of Texas Health Science Centre at Houston
(UTHealth) has identified a new genetic link to the systemic
form of scleroderma. Researchers believe a thorough
understanding of the genetic nature of the disease is crucial
to developing a cure...
Spanish gene
expression data promise targeting of anti-angiogenesis
treatment
Science Centric (30 Apr 2010 09:10 GMT) - Analyzing the
expression of particular genes in lung cancers could soon
allow researchers to identify groups of patients who are
likely to benefit most from treatment with
angiogenesis-inhibitor drugs, a Spanish team reports...
Stanford study first to analyse individual's
genome for risk of diseases, responses to treatment
Science Centric (30 Apr 2010 08:49 GMT) - For the first
time, researchers have used a healthy person's complete genome
sequence to predict his risk for dozens of diseases and how he
will respond to several common medications. The risk analysis,
from the Stanford University School of Medicine, also
incorporates more-traditional information such as a patient's
age and gender and other clinical measurements. The resulting,
easy-to-use, cumulative risk report will likely catapult the
use of such data out of the lab and into the waiting room of
average physicians within the next decade, say the
scientists...
Our
genes can be set on pause
Science Centric (30 Apr 2010 08:37 GMT) - New evidence
in embryonic stem cells shows that mammalian genes may all
have a layer of control that acts essentially like the pause
button on your DVR. The researchers say the results show that
the pausing phenomenon, previously thought to be a peculiarity
of particular genes, is actually a much more general feature
of the genome...
New research about human
genetic diseases and human development
Science Centric (30 Apr 2010 08:19 GMT) - The density
of transposable (jumping) elements between sex chromosomes in
primates may have important consequences for the studies of
human genetic diseases, say Penn State University researchers.
Erika Kvikstad, a 2009 Penn State Ph.D. graduate in genetics,
and Kateryna Makova, an associate professor of biology at Penn
State, used a statistical regression method to study the
genomes of the human, chimpanzee, macaque, and orangutan,
concluding that there is a strong sex-chromosome bias in the
distribution of transposable elements, and providing insights
about whether these non-coding, but important, DNA elements
integrate themselves specifically into the male germline or
female germline, or integrate themselves into the genome
during the early stages of embryogenesis. Their study will be
published in the May 2010 issue of the scientific journal
Genome Research...
Hypertensive
rat
genome
sequence
expected
to
uncover genetic basis of human hypertension
Science Centric (29 Apr 2010 11:22 GMT) - Chronic high
blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a serious
health risk factor that afflicts more than 25% of all adults
worldwide, but the molecular basis of the disease remains
poorly understood. In a study published online today in Genome
Research (www.genome.org), scientists have sequenced the
genome of the spontaneously hypertensive rat, building a rich
catalogue of genetic variants that will help researchers to
understand causes of the disease in humans...
The
Search
for Genes Leads to Unexpected Places By CARL
ZIMMER New York Times
Published: April 26, 2010
Edward M. Marcotte and colleagues have found hundreds of genes
involved in human disorders.
Student research team sequences genome of bacterium discovered in Virginia Tech garden Science Centric (22 Apr 2010 09:56 GMT) - Under the supervision of a Virginia Tech plant pathologist, a group of high school, undergraduate, and graduate students isolated and characterised a formerly unknown group of bacteria...
Gene therapy cures canines
of inherited form of day blindness
Science Centric (22 Apr 2010 09:50 GMT) - Veterinary
ophthalmology researchers from the University of Pennsylvania
have used gene therapy to restore retinal cone function and
day vision in two canine models of congenital achromatopsia,
also called rod monochromacy or total colour blindness...
Gene variant may protect
memory and thinking skills in older people
Science Centric (20 Apr 2010 11:11 GMT) - New research
shows a gene variant may help protect the memory and thinking
skills of older people. The research will be published in the
April 20, 2010, issue of Neurology(R), the medical journal of
the American Academy of Neurology...
Obesity
gene,
carried
by
more
than
a third of the US population, leads to brain tissue loss
Science Centric (20 Apr 2010 10:20 GMT) - Three years
ago, geneticists reported the startling discovery that nearly
half of all people in the U.S. with European ancestry carry a
variant of the fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene,
which causes them to gain weight - from three to seven pounds,
on average - but worse, puts them at risk for obesity...
First named female genome sequenced
Surprising genetic connections between humans and hydras
UTHealth research shows modified adult stem cells
may be helpful in spinal cord injury 25 Feb 2010 15:30
Researchers at UTHealth have demonstrated in rats that
transplanting genetically modified adult stem cells into an
injured spinal cord can help restore the electrical pathways
associated...
Stem cells restore sight in mouse model of retinitis
pigmentosa 25 Feb 2010 13:25
An international research team led by Columbia University
Medical Centre successfully used mouse embryonic stem cells to
replace diseased retinal cells and restore sight in a mouse...
Mayo
oral
cancer
study
shows
full
tumor genome 24 Feb 2010 13:29
Mayo Clinic researchers along with collaborators from Life
Technologies are reporting on the application of a new approach
for sequencing RNA to study cancer tumours. Their findings...
Successful
genome
sequencing
of
pea
aphid
is a breakthrough for ecology and agricultural research 24
Feb 2010 13:05
A special issue of Insect Molecular Biology reports the detailed
analyses of specific aspects of the genome of the important
plant pest, the Pea Aphid. The analyses are based on the...
Gene
mutation
is
linked
to
autism-like
symptoms in mice 24 Feb 2010 12:41
When a gene implicated in human autism is disabled in mice, the
rodents show learning problems and obsessive, repetitive
behaviours, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Centre
have...
Gene
regulation: Can we stomach it? 24 Feb 2010 12:32
About 50 percent of the world's population carry Helicobacter pylori in
their gastrointestinal tract - 30 percent of the German
population are infected. Besides cancer,...
Genes That Make Us Human
ScienceNOW Daily News, 1 September 2009 - Intensive
computer search turns up three newly formed human genes.
(Article to appear in Genome
Research - Online - September 2, 2009).
Anti-ageing gene linked to high blood pressure
Science Centric (20 Aug 2009 13:57 GMT) - Researchers at
the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Centre have shown the
first link between a newly discovered anti-ageing gene and high
blood pressure. The results, which appear this month in the
journal Hypertension, offer new clues on how we age and how we
might live longer...
New reagents for
genomic engineering of mouse models to understand human
disease
Science Centric (19 Aug 2009 14:05 GMT) - The ability to
specifically target and modify genes in the mouse allows
researchers to use this small rodent to study how certain genes
contribute to human disease. A common method used to make
genetic changes in mice and cells is called site-specific
recombination, where two DNA strands are exchanged. The two
strands may contain very different sequences, but are designated
at their ends by specific target sequences that are not commonly
found elsewhere in the genome. A protein, called a recombinase,
cuts the DNA at its target sites and rearranges it. Scientists
use this technique to exchange a naturally occurring DNA
sequence for an altered or deleted gene to gain insight into the
gene's normal function or how it contributes to disease...
Mutation in renin gene linked to
inherited kidney disease
Science Centric (19 Aug 2009 11:55 GMT) - A mutation in a
gene that helps regulate high blood pressure is a cause of
inherited kidney disease, according to a new study by
researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine,
Charles University in Prague and colleagues...
Scientists
link
genetic
glitches
to
common
childhood cancer
Science Centric (18 Aug
2009 12:08 GMT) - A multicentre team of childhood cancer
researchers has discovered two genetic variations linked to an
increased risk for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, or ALL, the
most common childhood cancer in the United States...
To
contract
or
not
to
contract:
Decision controlled by 2 microRNAs
Science Centric (18 Aug
2009 11:36 GMT) - The walls of blood vessels contain muscle
cells known as vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). These cells
contract and relax to modulate blood pressure and distribute
blood to the areas of the body that need it most. However, some
environmental signals, many of which are associated with human
disease, cause VSMCs to switch from being contractile in nature
to being dividing cells that produce large amounts of the
proteins that form tissue matrix...
Gene
vital
to
brain's
stem
cells
implicated in deadly brain cancer
Science Centric (18 Aug
2009 11:31 GMT) - Researchers from Columbia University Medical
Centre's Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Centre have
identified a protein that activates brain stem cells to make new
neurones - but that may be hijacked later in life to cause brain
cancer in humans. The protein called Huwe1 normally functions to
eliminate other unnecessary proteins and was found to act as a
tumour suppressor in brain cancer...
The
first gene-encoded amphibian toxin isolated
Science Centric (18 Aug
2009 11:16 GMT) - Researchers in China have discovered the first
protein-based toxin in an amphibian - a 60 amino acid neurotoxin
found in the skin of a Chinese tree frog. This finding may help
shed more light into both the evolution of amphibians and the
evolution of poison...
Faster,
cheaper
way
to
find
disease
genes in human genome passes initial test
Science Centric (18 Aug
2009 10:29 GMT) - University of Washington (UW) researchers have
successfully developed a novel genome-analysis strategy for more
rapid, lower cost discovery of possible gene-disease links. By
saving time and lowering expenses, the approach makes it
feasible for scientists to search for disease-causing genes in
people with the same inherited disorder but without any family
ties to each other...
Newly
discovered
mechanism
in
cell
division
has implications for chromosome's role in cancer
Science Centric (18 Aug
2009 10:13 GMT) - 'A biologist, a physicist, and a
nanotechnologist walk into a...' sounds like the start of a
joke. Instead, it was the start of a collaboration that has
helped to decipher a critical, but so far largely unstudied,
phase of how cells divide. Errors in cell division can cause
mutations that lead to cancer, and this study could shed light
on the role of chromosome abnormalities in uncontrolled cell
replication...
Evolutionarily
preserved
mechanism
governs
use
of
genes
Science Centric (18 Aug
2009 09:58 GMT) - Researchers at Uppsala University have found
that the protein coding parts of a gene are packed in special
nucleosomes. The same type of packaging is found in the
roundworm C. elegans,
which is a primeval relative of humans. The mechanism can
thereby be traced back a billion years in time, according to the
study presented in the journal Genome Research...
Synonymous,
Not the Same
The genetic code is redundant--many of the 20 common amino acids
can be coded for by more than one codon, known as synonymous
codons--which means that different DNA sequences can code for
the same protein sequence. Synonymous codon usage has been
thought to be determined by the abundances of iso-accepting
transfer RNAs, which can play an important role in either
increasing the efficiency or the accuracy of protein synthesis
by the ribosome. To test this idea, Kudla et al. created 154
synonymous variants of the green fluorescent protein gene.
Rather than synonymous codon usage playing a dominant role in
overall translational efficiency, instead, the secondary
structure of the messenger RNA, especially at its 5-end, was
most critical. Thus, with regard to protein synthesis,
initiation of translation rather than elongation, is limiting
for gene expression. Article: Coding-Sequence
Determinants
of
Gene
Expression
in
Escherichia coli,
Kudla et al., Science: 10 April 2009:
vol. 324. no. 5924, pp. 255-258. Abstract: Synonymous
mutations do not alter the encoded protein, but they can
influence gene expression. To investigate how, we engineered a
synthetic library of 154 genes that varied randomly at
synonymous sites, but all encoded the same green fluorescent
protein (GFP). When expressed in Escherichia coli, GFP protein
levels varied 250-fold across the library. GFP messenger RNA
(mRNA) levels, mRNA degradation patterns, and bacterial growth
rates also varied, but codon bias did not correlate with gene
expression. Rather, the stability of mRNA folding near the
ribosomal binding site explained more than half the variation in
protein levels. In our analysis, mRNA folding and associated
rates of translation initiation play a predominant role in
shaping expression levels of individual genes, whereas codon
bias influences global translation efficiency and cellular
fitness.
Genes from tiny algae
shed light on big role managing carbon in world's oceans
Science Centric (10 Apr 2009 14:09 GMT) - Scientists from
two-dozen research organisations led by the U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and the Monterey Bay
Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have decoded genomes of two
algal strains, highlighting the genes enabling them to capture
carbon and maintain its delicate balance in the oceans. These
findings, from a team led by Alexandra Z. Worden of MBARI and
published in the 10 April edition of the journal Science, will illuminate
cellular processes related to algae-derived biofuels being
pursued by DOE scientists...
Scientists identify key gene that
protects against leukemia
Science Centric (9 Apr 2009 14:19 GMT) - Researchers have
identified a gene that controls the rapid production and
differentiation of the stem cells that produce all blood cell
types - a discovery that could eventually open the door to more
streamlined treatments for leukaemia and other blood cancers, in
which blood cells proliferate out of control...
DNA
used
to distinguish wildfowl meat
Science Centric (8 Apr 2009 16:12 GMT) - A team of
researchers from the Veterinary Faculty of the Complutense
University of Madrid (UCM) have developed a quick and easy
technique to distinguish the meat of quail, pheasant, pigeon and
other wildfowl using DNA analysis. Monitoring the authenticity
of these types of meat avoids their being marketed under
fraudulent names that do not correspond to the real identity of
the product...
Antibiotics could treat
cystic fibrosis, other genetic diseases
Science Centric (8 Apr 2009 13:03 GMT) - By modifying the
properties of the common antibiotic gentamicin, researchers at
the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have developed what
could become an effective treatment for many human genetic
diseases, including cystic fibrosis (CF), Duchenne muscular
dystrophy, Usher Syndrome and numerous cancers. The findings
were published online 23rd March by the Journal of Medicinal
Chemistry...
Is love at first sight
real? Geneticists offer tantalizing clues
Science Centric (8 Apr 2009 12:38 GMT) - Leave it to
geneticists to answer a question that has perplexed humanity
since the dawn of time: does love at first sight truly exist?
According to a study published in the April 2009 issue of the
journal GENETICS, a team of scientists from the United States
and Australia discovered that at the genetic level, some males
and females are more compatible than others, and that this
compatibility plays an important role in mate selection, mating
outcomes, and future reproductive behaviours. In experiments
involving fruit flies, the researchers found that before mating,
females experience what amounts to 'genetic priming,' making
them more likely to mate with certain males over others...
Genetic risk
factors play role in autoantibody-negative rheumatoid
arthritis
Science Centric (8 Apr 2009 11:55 GMT) - During the past
few years, several new genetic risk factors for rheumatoid
arthritis (RA) have been identified. The majority of genetic
risk factors identified so far have been associated with
autoantibody-positive RA, which affects about two-thirds of RA
patients, but distinguishing this variant from
autoantibody-negative RA, which is less destructive, is
considered increasingly important...
Gene therapy appears safe to regenerate gum tissue
Science Centric (8 Apr 2009 11:30 GMT) - Scientists at
the University of Michigan have developed a method of gene
delivery that appears safe for regenerating tooth-supporting gum
tissue - a discovery that assuages one of the biggest safety
concerns surrounding gene therapy research and tissue
engineering...
UIC biologists use DNA
to study migration of threatened whale sharks
Science Centric (8 Apr 2009 12:03 GMT) - Whale sharks -
giants of the fish world that strike terror only among tiny
creatures like the plankton and krill they eat - are imperilled
by over-fishing of the species in parts of its ocean range...
Altered gene can increase risk of schizophrenia
Science Centric (7 Apr 2009 15:36 GMT) - Rutgers
geneticist Linda Brzustowicz and her colleagues have identified
a specific DNA change that is likely to increase risk for
developing schizophrenia in some people. It provides a potential
mechanism that may be a point of entry for drug therapy,
consistent with the growing trend of personalised medicine...
Researchers develop new
way to see single RNA molecules in living cells
Science Centric (7 Apr 2009 15:05 GMT) - Biomedical
engineers have developed a new type of probe that allows them to
visualise single ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules within live
cells more easily than existing methods. The tool will help
scientists learn more about how RNA operates within living
cells...
Rare window on spinal muscular atrophy genetics
Science Centric (7 Apr 2009 14:50 GMT) - Caused by a
mutation of the SMN gene, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an
infantile and juvenile neurodegenerative disorder where motor
neurone loss causes progressive paralysis. A new study published
in the open access journal BMC Medicine details the first
research focused on human muscle tissue atrophied due to a
genetic condition, and sheds light on two distinct mechanisms at
work in different forms of SMA...
Gene helps protect tumour suppressor in breast
cancer
Science Centric (7 Apr 2009 13:40 GMT) - Scientists at
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Centre have
discovered a gene that protects PTEN, a major tumour-suppressor
that is reduced but rarely mutated in about half of all breast
cancers...
Cracking
the
species code for plants
Science Centric (17 Feb 2009 10:50 GMT) - Plants are
essential to our survival and that of most other animals on
earth. It is easy to overlook this fact because they have become
discretely embedded into our everyday lives. Plants provide us
with food, medicines, and raw materials used by our industries.
In spite of their importance, very few of us could name more
than a tiny fraction of the plants that surround us...
Does gene show link between
migraine and stroke or heart attacks?
Science Centric (17 Feb 2009 10:50 GMT) - New research
looks at whether a gene variant may affect the link between
migraine and stroke or heart attacks. The study is published in
the 17 February 2009, print issue of Neurology(R), the medical
journal of the American Academy of Neurology...
Genetic 'hotspot' for breast cancer risk
Science Centric (16 Feb 2009 12:56 GMT) -
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Centre investigators have identified a
new genetic hotspot for breast cancer. Reporting this week in
Nature Genetics, Wei Zheng, M.D., Ph.D, and colleagues have
identified a region on chromosome 6 that is strongly associated
with breast cancer susceptibility in Asian women. This genetic
'locus' may help guide efforts to find the specific genes linked
with sporadic - or non-inherited - forms of the disease, the
authors suggest...
Common gene variants
increase risk of hypertension, may lead to new therapies
Science Centric (15 Feb 2009 18:00 GMT) - A new study has
identified the first common gene variants associated with an
increased incidence of hypertension - a significant risk factor
for heart attack, stroke and kidney failure. The report
receiving early online release in the journal Nature Genetics
identifies variants in genes for proteins involved with
cardiovascular response to stress that also appear to influence
blood pressure levels, an association previously seen in animals
but not demonstrated in humans...
How
cells
handle broken chromosomes
Science Centric (13 Feb 2009 09:20 GMT) - Scientists from
the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry discovered a novel
cellular response towards persistent DNA damage: After being
recognised and initially processed by the cellular machinery,
the broken chromosome is extensively scanned for homology and
the break itself is later tethered to the nuclear envelope. Thus
the researchers uncovered a surprising feature of how DNA strand
breaks can be handled. Their unexpected findings have important
implications for the understanding of DNA repair mechanisms
(Molecular Cell 33, 13 February 2009)...
Sequences capture the code of the common cold
Science Centric (12 Feb 2009 19:00 GMT) - In an effort to
confront our most familiar malady, scientists have deciphered
the instruction manual for the common cold. Writing this week
(12 February) in the journal Science, a multi-institutional team
of researchers reports the sequences for all of the 99 known
strains of cold virus, nature's most ubiquitous human pathogen.
The feat exposes, in precise detail, all of the molecular
features of the many variations of the virus responsible for the
common cold, the inescapable ailment that makes us all sneeze,
cough and sniffle with regularity...
Studies examine genetic determinants of ADHD
Science Centric (8 Jan 2009 14:02 GMT) - A special issue
of American Journal of Medical Genetics (AJMG): Part B:
Neuropsychiatric Genetics presents a comprehensive overview of
the latest progress in genetic research of Attention
Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The issue covers major
trends in the field of complex psychiatric genetics,
underscoring how genetic studies of ADHD have evolved, and what
approaches are needed to uncover its genetic origins...
Lost in
translation
Science Centric (8 Jan 2009 14:02 GMT) - The enzyme
machine that translates a cell's DNA code into the proteins of
life is nothing if not an editorial perfectionist. Johns Hopkins
researchers, reporting this week in Nature, have discovered a
new 'proofreading step' during which the suite of translational
tools called the ribosome recognises errors, just after making
them, and definitively responds by hitting its version of a
'delete' button...
Converting adult
somatic cells to pluripotent stem cells using a single virus
Science Centric (8 Jan 2009 14:02 GMT) - A Boston
University School of Medicine-led research team has discovered a
more efficient way to create induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS)
cells, derived from mouse fibroblasts, by using a single virus
vector instead of multiple viruses in the reprogramming process.
The result is a powerful laboratory tool and a significant step
toward the application of embryonic stem cell-like cells for
clinical purposes such as the regeneration of organs damaged by
inherited or degenerative diseases, including emphysema,
diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and Alzheimer's Disease...
Genetic
mutation causes familial susceptibility for degenerative brain
disease
Science Centric (7 Jan 2009 15:08 GMT) - Mutation of a
gene that helps proteins migrate in and out of the cell's
genetic command centre - the nucleus - puts some families at
higher risk for the degenerative brain disease acute necrotising
encephalopathy (ANE)...
New genetic markers for ulcerative colitis
identified
Science Centric (4 Jan 2009 20:36 GMT) - An international
team led by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
researchers has identified genetic markers associated with risk
for ulcerative colitis. The findings, which appear today as an
advance online publication of the journal Nature Genetics, bring
researchers closer to understanding the biological pathways
involved in the disease and may lead to the development of new
treatments that specifically target them...
Genetic variation may lead to early
cardiovascular disease
Science Centric (3 Jan 2009 16:38 GMT) - Researchers from
Duke University Medical Centre have identified a variation in a
particular gene that increases susceptibility to early coronary
artery disease. For years, scientists have known that the
devastating, early-onset form of the disease was inherited, but
they knew little about the gene(s) responsible until now. The
results are published 2 January in the open-access journal PLoS
Genetics...
Bidirectional
Transcription & Other Complications
RNA polymerase II -- the enzyme that transcribes DNA to
generate protein-coding messenger RNAs -- is generally thought
to operate in one direction along a strand of DNA. In the 19 Dec
2008 Science, four studies first reported online on 4
Dec painted a more complex picture of mammalian
transcriptional activity that includes RNAs being transcribed
in both the forward, protein-coding "sense" direction and the
backward "antisense" direction at a variety of places within
the genome. Seila et al.
identified short, bidirectionally transcribed RNAs that flank
active promoters with sense and antisense RNAs peaking at 50
nucleotides downstream and 250 nucleotides upstream of
transcription start sites, respectively. Core et al. mapped the
position, abundance, and orientation of transcriptionally
engaged RNA polymerases in human fibroblasts, genome-wide.
They found that antisense transcription is prevalent and that
most promoters have an engaged polymerase upstream and in an
orientation opposite to the annotated gene. Preker et al. identified what
may represent yet another class of short RNAs, which are
highly unstable, bidirectional, and are produced 0.5 to 2.5
kilobases upstream of active transcription start sites.
Finally, He et al.
developed a technique that can be used to quantify the number
of sense and antisense transcripts from expressed genes at a
global level. Their analysis of five human cell lines revealed
that antisense transcripts are abundant, nonrandomly
distributed across the genome, and differ among cell types.
Genetic
Link to Heart Health
High blood levels of triglycerides, a common form of dietary
fat, have been linked to human heart disease. In a Report in
the 12 Dec 2008 Science, Pollin et al. described a genome-wide association
study aimed at identifying genes that contribute to
interindividual differences in how the body handles these
dietary fats. The team studied about 800 volunteers from the
genetically homogeneous Lancaster Amish population, whose
blood triglyceride levels had been measured before and after
consumption of a high-fat, 782-calorie milkshake. Those
individuals with the lowest starting triglyceride levels and
whose blood levels changed relatively little after drinking
the milkshake were found to carry a mutation in the APOC3
gene. This gene encodes a protein called apolipoprotein C-III
(apoC-III) that decreases the uptake of fatty particles by the
liver and impairs the breakdown of triglycerides. Individuals
with the mutation produced half the normal amount of normal
apoC-III. They also had a favorable cholesterol profile and
had little calcification of their coronary arteries, a measure
of early atherosclerosis, as compared with noncarriers,
suggesting that they are less likely to develop heart disease.
A ScienceNOW
story by J. Couzin highlighted the findings.
Scientists
make
strides
toward
defining
genetic
signature of Alzheimer's disease
Science Centric (1 Jan 2009 18:28 GMT) - Scientists
have new information about the complex genetic signature
associated with Alzheimer's disease, the leading cause of
cognitive decline and dementia in the elderly. The research,
published by Cell Press in the January issue of the American
Journal of Human Genetics, uses a powerful, high-resolution
analysis to look for genes associated with this devastating
neurodegenerative disorder...
Johns Hopkins scientists
pull protein's tail to curtail cancer
Science Centric (1 Jan 2009 00:02 GMT) - When
researchers look inside human cancer cells for the whereabouts
of an important tumour-suppressor, they often catch the
protein playing hooky, lolling around in cellular broth
instead of muscling its way out to the cells' membranes and
foiling cancer growth...
Few DNA repair
genes maintain association with cancer in field synopsis
Science Centric (1 Jan 2009 00:02 GMT) - Variants of
numerous DNA repair genes initially appeared to be
statistically significantly associated with cancer risk in
epidemiological studies. When the data from individual studies
are pooled, however, few DNA repair gene variants appear truly
associated with increased cancer risk, according to a field
synopsis published in the 30 December online issue of the
Journal of the National Cancer Institute...
Researchers identify
common gene variant linked to high blood pressure
Science Centric (30 Dec 2008 14:18 GMT) - Researchers
at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have
identified a common gene variant that appears to influence
people's risk of developing high blood pressure, according to
the results of a study being published online 29 December in
the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)...
Scientists isolate genes that made 1918 flu
lethal
Science Centric (30 Dec 2008 14:18 GMT) - By mixing and
matching a contemporary flu virus with the 'Spanish flu' - a
virus that killed between 20 and 50 million people 90 years
ago in history's most devastating outbreak of infectious
disease - researchers have identified a set of three genes
that helped underpin the extraordinary virulence of the 1918
virus...
How
chromosomes meet in the dark
Science Centric (27 Dec 2008 14:38 GMT) - A research
group lead by scientists at the University of Warwick has
discovered the trigger that pulls together X chromosomes in
female cells at a crucial stage of embryo development. Their
discovery could also provide new insights into how other
similar chromosomes spontaneously recognise each other and are
bound together at key parts of analogous cell processes. This
is an important mechanism as the binding together of too many
of too few of a particular chromosome can cause a number of
medical conditions such as Down's Syndrome or Turner's
Syndrome...
Researcher finds mechanism underlying
alternative splicing
Science Centric (25 Dec 2008 13:48 GMT) - An
international research team led by Tim Nilsen, Ph.D., a
professor of medicine and biochemistry and the director of the
School of Medicine's Centre for RNA Molecular Biology, has
discovered an unexpected mechanism governing alternative
splicing, the process by which single genes produce different
proteins in different situations...
Reduction
in
antibody
gene
rearrangement
in
B cells related to type 1 diabetes, lupus
Science Centric (24 Dec 2008 14:00 GMT) - More drafts
usually mean a better product and so it also seems to go with
the human immune system. As B cells develop, genes rearrange
to allow antibodies to recognise different foreign invaders or
pathogens. But sometimes antibodies are created that recognise
and attack the body's own cells. These self-reactive
antibodies, like early drafts of a manuscript, must be edited
into versions that won't attack self...
Krumlauf Lab
demonstrates modulation of gene expression by protein coding
regions
Science Centric (24 Dec 2008 14:00 GMT) - A research
team at the Stowers Institute has discovered how the
expression of one of the Hox master control genes is regulated
in a specific segment of the developing brain. The findings
provide important insight into how and where the brain
develops some of its unique and important structures...
Gene expression and
splicing vary widely from one tissue to the next
Science Centric (23 Dec 2008 14:20 GMT) - Genes talk to
themselves and to each other to control how a given cell
manufactures proteins. But variation in the control of the
same gene in two different tissues may contribute to certain
human traits, including the likelihood of getting a disease,
said a team of geneticists and neuroscientists at Duke
University Medical Centre...
Snails and humans use same genes to
tell right from left
Science Centric (22 Dec 2008 12:08 GMT) - Biologists
have tracked down genes that control the handedness of snail
shells, and they turn out to be similar to the genes used by
humans to set up the left and right sides of the body. The
finding, reported online in advance of publication in Nature
by University of California, Berkeley, researchers, indicates
that the same genes have been responsible for establishing the
left-right asymmetry of animals for 500-650 million years,
originating in the last common ancestor of all animals with
bilateral body organisation, creatures that include everything
from worms to humans...
SNPs of ABC transporter genes linked to
lung cancer risk
Science Centric (22 Dec 2008 12:08 GMT) - Individuals
with particular variants of certain genes involved in
metabolising the most potent carcinogen found in cigarette
smoke have an increased risk of developing lung cancer. That
is the conclusion of a new study published in the 1 February
2009 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American
Cancer Society. The study's results may help shed light on how
lung cancer develops and could have important implications for
preventing smoking-related cancers...
Genes
may influence popularity
Science Centric (22 Dec 2008 12:08 GMT) - A
groundbreaking study of popularity by a Michigan State
University scientist has found that genes elicit not only
specific behaviours but also the social consequences of those
behaviours...
Newly identified gene
powerful predictor of colon cancer metastasis
Science Centric (22 Dec 2008 12:08 GMT) - Cancer
Researchers in Berlin (Germany) have identified a gene which
enables them to predict for the first time with high
probability if colon cancer is going to metastasise. Assistant
Professor Dr Ulrike Stein, Professor Peter M. Schlag, and
Professor Walter Birchmeier were able to demonstrate that the
gene MACC1 (Metastasis-Associated in Colon Cancer 1) not only
promotes tumour growth but also the development of
metastasis....
Various immune-related diseases
have a strong genetic overlap
Science Centric (20 Dec 2008 12:52 GMT) - A limited
number of genes appear to be involved in the development of
eleven immune-related diseases such as type 1 diabetes,
coeliac disease, Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
This has emerged from an analysis by geneticists at the
University Medical Centre Groningen of all globally conducted
association studies of these diseases...
Weakened RNA interference
reduces survival in ovarian cancer
Science Centric (18 Dec 2008 11:12 GMT) - Levels of two
proteins in a woman's ovarian cancer are strongly associated
with her likelihood of survival, a research team led by
scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer
Centre reports in the 18 December issue of the New England
Journal of Medicine...
Just a little squeeze lets proteins assess DNA
Science Centric (17 Dec 2008 11:34 GMT) - To find its
target, all a protein needs to do is give quick squeezes as it
moves along the DNA strand, suggests new research from The
University of Arizona in Tucson. Scientists had thought
DNA-binding proteins primarily used full-body hugs for
accurate readings of the information coded in the DNA's
sequence...
Genes involved in
antibiotic resistance vary within a species
Science Centric (17 Dec 2008 11:34 GMT) - The recent
emergence of multidrug resistance (MDR) in Acinetobacter
baumannii, a bacteria that causes infections primarily among
seriously ill patients in the intensive care unit who may have
reduced immune systems, has raised concern in health care
settings worldwide...
Researchers find gene that
regulates mold's resistance to drugs
Science Centric (8 Nov 2008 18:14 GMT) - Montana State
University scientists concerned about lethal mould infections
have found a gene that regulates the mold's resistance to
drugs...
Interaction between
gene variants may alter brain function in schizophrenia
Science Centric (8 Nov 2008 17:48 GMT) - A
collaborative study led by investigators from Massachusetts
General Hospital (MGH) is giving what may be the first look at
how interactions between genes underlie a key symptom of
schizophrenia, impaired working memory...
Dalmatian bladder
stones caused by gene that regulates uric acid in humans
Science Centric (7 Nov 2008 17:26 GMT) - A gene
mutation in Dalmatian dogs causing high levels of uric acid
that can lead to bladder stones has been identified by a team
of researchers in the School of Veterinary Medicine at the
University of California, Davis...
How 'molecular machines' kick
start gene activation revealed
Science Centric (7 Nov 2008 17:26 GMT) - How 'molecular
machines' inside cells swing into action to activate genes at
different times in a cell's life is revealed 6 November in new
research published in Molecular Cell...
New research on gene sheds light on
T-cell production
Science Centric (7 Nov 2008 17:26 GMT) - New research,
just published by researchers from the University of Georgia,
provides the first evidence that a key gene may be crucial to
maintaining the production of the thymus and its
disease-fighting T-cells after an animal's birth...
Unravelling
the
natural
history
of
the
lion using host and virus population genomics
Science Centric (7 Nov 2008 14:24 GMT) - The lion
(Panthera leo) is one of the world's most charismatic
carnivores. In an article published 7 November in the
open-access journal PLoS Genetics, an international team of
researchers provides insights into the genetic structure and
history of lion populations...
Untangling
DNA regulation
Science Centric (7 Nov 2008 14:24 GMT) - MIT biologists
have discovered that the organisation of DNA's packing
material plays a critical role in directing stem cells to
become different types of adult cells...
Researchers
find
key
pathways
for
two
deadly cancers
CNN (4 Sep 2008) - U.S. scientists have mapped the
cascade of genetic changes that turn normal cells in the brain
and pancreas into two of the most lethal cancers. The result
points to a new approach for fighting tumors and maybe even
catching them sooner.
Geneticists uncover new gene involved in
determining hair texture and density in humans
Science Centric (27 Feb 2008 15:53 GMT) - A Columbia
University Medical Centre research team has discovered a new
gene involved in determining hair texture in humans. The
team's genetic analysis demonstrated that mutations in a gene,
known as P2RY5, cause hereditary 'woolly hair' - hair that is
coarse, dry, tightly curled and sparse...
Washington University unveils draft sequence
of corn genome
Science Centric (26 Feb 2008 20:41 GMT) - A team of
scientists led by Washington University in St. Louis has begun
to unlock the genetic secrets of corn, a crop vital to U.S.
agriculture. The researchers have completed a working draft of
the corn genome, an accomplishment that should accelerate
efforts to develop better crop varieties to meet society's
growing demands for food, livestock feed and fuel...
Researchers piece
together gene 'network' linked to schizophrenia
Science Centric (6 Sep 2008 21:39 GMT) - Reporting this
week in the Archives of General Psychiatry, researchers at the
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have uncovered for
the first time molecular circuitry associated with
schizophrenia that links three previously known, yet unrelated
proteins...
Location, location, location
important for genes, too
Science Centric (6 Sep 2008 21:39 GMT) - Cells become
cancerous mainly because they lose control of their growth. To
better understand how this happens, a new study at Ohio State
University's Comprehensive Cancer Centre looks at four genes
that help regulate cell growth in embryos and that contribute
to cancer in adults...
Our
genome changes over lifetime
Science Centric (27 Jun 2008 22:24 GMT) -
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that epigenetic
marks on DNA-chemical marks other than the DNA sequence-do
indeed change over a person's lifetime, and that the degree
of change is similar among family members...
Coffee's aroma kick-starts genes in the brain
Science Centric (16 Jun 2008 15:44 GMT) -
Drink coffee to send a wake-up call to the brain? Or just
smell its rich, warm aroma? An international group of
scientists is reporting some of the first evidence that
simply inhaling coffee aroma alters the activity of genes in
the brain. In experiments with laboratory rats, they found
that coffee aroma orchestrates the expression of more than a
dozen genes and some changes in protein expressions, in ways
that help reduce the stress of sleep deprivation...
EuroDYNA
takes
lid off the genome
Science Centric (13 Jun 2008 13:16 GMT) -
European researchers have made significant progress
unravelling how genes are governed and why this sometimes
goes wrong in disease. The key lies in the dynamic
ever-changing structure of the chromatin, which is the
underlying complex of protein and DNA making up the
chromosomes in which almost all genes are housed within the
genome...