Genetics News And Research - April 2011 Archives

Discovery of 2 new genes provides hope for stemming Staph infections (4/30/2011)

The discovery of two genes that encode copper- and sulfur-binding repressors in the hospital terror Staphylococcus aureus means two new potential avenues for controlling the increasingly drug-resistant bacterium, scientists say in the April 15, 2011, issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. ...> Full Article

As the worm turns, its secrets are revealed (4/30/2011)

An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, have developed a new method for discerning the functions of previously uncharacterized genes and placing them in interactive, functional networks that reveal how gene products interact to bring about cellular events. ...> Full Article

Scientists observe single gene activity in living cells (4/29/2011)

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have for the first time observed the activity of a single gene in living cells. In an unprecedented study, published in the April 22 online edition of Science, Einstein scientists were able to follow, in real time, the process of gene transcription, which occurs when a gene converts its DNA information into molecules of messenger RNA that go on to make the protein coded by the gene. ...> Full Article

Research scientists uncover new DNA role in modifying gene function (4/29/2011)

For years, scientists have thought of DNA as a passive blueprint capable only of producing specific proteins through RNA transcription. Now, research led by scientists from the Florida campus of the Scripps Research Institute has shown DNA can also act to fine-tune the activity of certain proteins known as nuclear receptors. ...> Full Article

Big picture of how interferon-induced genes launch antiviral defenses revealed (4/28/2011)

For the first time, scientists have carried out a comprehensive, systematic evaluation of the antiviral activity of interferon-induced factors. The findings, published online today in the journal Nature, are a first step toward unraveling how these naturally occurring molecules work to inhibit viruses. ...> Full Article

Research results and incidental findings from genomic biobanks and archives focus of conference (4/28/2011)

The University of Minnesota's Consortium on Law and Values in Health, Environment & the Life Sciences will host a major conference on "Should We Return Research Results and Incidental Findings from Genomic Biobanks & Archives," from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, May 19, Bethesda, Md. ...> Full Article

UC Berkeley launches Synthetic Biology Institute to advance research in biological engineering (4/27/2011)

Aiming to create "an industrial revolution in biological engineering," the Synthetic Biology Institute is launching a collaborative effort with its first Industry Member, Agilent Technologies Inc., a leader in measurement technologies and products to advance science and engineering research. Agilent is helping to initiate SBI research with a multi-year, multi-million dollar commitment, including early access to Agilent technologies through the active participation of the company's research scientists and engineers. ...> Full Article

A world first: The discovery of a common genetic cause of autism and epilepsy (4/27/2011)

Researchers from the CHUM Research Centre have identified a new gene that predisposes people to both autism and epilepsy. The results show for the first time the role of the SYN1 gene in autism, in addition to epilepsy, and strengthen the hypothesis that a deregulation of the function of synapse because of this mutation is the cause of both diseases. ...> Full Article

Editing-molecule mutation causes fatal primordial dwarfism (4/26/2011)

Fetuses with defects in a molecular machine that edits information cells use to make proteins can develop a rare form of dwarfism called microcephalic osteodysplastic primoridal dwarfism type 1. The findings could lead to a test for people who carry a copy of the mutation, to a better understanding of RNA splicing and to whether mutations of this type that arise during an individual's lifetime contribute to cancer or other diseases. ...> Full Article

Bacteria interrupted: Disabling coordinated behavior and virulence gene expression (4/25/2011)

New research reveals a strategy for disrupting the ability of bacteria to communicate and coordinate the expression of virulence factors. The study, published by Cell Press in the April 22 issue of the journal Molecular Cell, may lead to the development of new antibacterial therapeutics. ...> Full Article

Plant hormone auxin triggers a genetic switch (4/25/2011)

Researchers have found a mechanism for stabilizing the development of plant organisms. ...> Full Article

Sniffing out lymphoma by turning dogs into humans (4/25/2011)

Researchers at North Carolina State University are narrowing the search for genes involved in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma -- by turning dogs into humans. ...> Full Article

Improvements in embryonic preimplantation genetic screening techniques (4/24/2011)

A short comparative genomic hybridization method has been developed to carry out preimplantation genetic screening by analyzing all chromosomes and transferring selected embryos to the recipient uterus in the same in vitro fertilization cycle. The technique developed is the result of a doctoral thesis by Mariona Rius, member of the research team belonging to the Cell Biology and Medical Genetics Unit of the Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology at UAB. ...> Full Article

New genetic tool helps researchers to analyze cells' most important functions (4/23/2011)

Although it has been many years since the human genome was first mapped, there are still many genes whose function we do not understand. Researchers from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and the University of Toronto, Canada, have teamed up to produce and characterize a collection of nearly 800 strains of yeast cells that make it possible to study even the most complicated of genes. ...> Full Article

Study shows patient's own cells may hold therapeutic promise after reprogramming, gene correction (4/22/2011)

Scientists from the Morgridge Institute for Research, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of California and the WiCell Research Institute moved gene therapy one step closer to clinical reality by determining that the process of correcting a genetic defect does not substantially increase the number of potentially cancer-causing mutations in induced pluripotent stem cells. ...> Full Article

Safeguarding genome integrity through extraordinary DNA repair (4/22/2011)

Once called "junk DNA" because it contains numerous repeated short sequences that don't code for proteins, heterochromatin is in fact vital for normal growth and function. Yet it poses special challenges to accurate DNA repair. Life scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have discovered an unsuspected and dramatic process by which double-strand breaks in heterochromatin are repaired in dynamic stages. ...> Full Article

Simpler woodland strawberry genome aids research on more complex fruits (4/21/2011)

The complete genome sequence of the woodland strawberry will allow researchers to conduct comparative genomics to investigate similarities and/or differences between strawberry and apple or strawberry and peach and other more complex fruits in the same family. ...> Full Article

Genetic changes behind sweet tooth (4/20/2011)

The substance ghrelin plays an important role in various addictions, such as alcoholism and binge-eating. It also impacts on sugar consumption, which is due, in part, to genetic factors, reveals new research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. ...> Full Article

Low doses of penta-brominated diphenyl ether flame retardants alter gene expression (4/20/2011)

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are chemicals that have been widely used as flame retardants and are persistent organic pollutants. Human health concerns have arisen based on studies with laboratory animals exposed to high levels of PBDEs, not typical of human exposures. In this study, oral ingestion of a relatively low dose of PBDE mixture DE-71 by pregnant and lactating rats was found to increase thyroid hormones in female offspring and increase gonadal osteopontin gene expression. ...> Full Article

Researchers present new findings on cancer and gene therapy (4/19/2011)

A thematic program at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology's annual meeting at the Experimental Biology 2011 conference in Washington, D.C., will bring together researchers from across the country to discuss recent developments in DNA replication, recombination, and repair, and the importance of these activities in cancer and gene therapy. ...> Full Article

Study maps hotspots of genetic rearrangement (4/19/2011)

Researchers have zoomed in on mouse chromosomes to map hotspots of genetic recombination -- sites where DNA breaks and reforms to shuffle genes. The findings of the scientists at the National Institutes of Health and Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences have the potential to improve the detection of genes linked to disease and to help understand the root causes of genetic abnormalities. ...> Full Article

New clue found for Fragile X syndrome-epilepsy link (4/18/2011)

Individuals with fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited form of intellectual disability, often develop epilepsy, but so far the underlying causes are unknown. Researchers have now discovered a potential mechanism that may contribute to the link between epilepsy and fragile X syndrome. ...> Full Article

Genetic variants associated with caffeine intake identified (4/18/2011)

Two genes in which variation affects intake of caffeine, the most widely consumed stimulant in the world, have been discovered. A team of investigators from the National Cancer Institute, Harvard School of Public Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill examined genetic variation across the entire genome of more than 47,000 individuals from the US, as described in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics. ...> Full Article

Potassium channel gene modifies risk for epilepsy (4/18/2011)

Vanderbilt University researchers have identified a new gene that can influence a person's risk for developing epilepsy. The findings, reported in the March 29 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could improve molecular diagnostic tools and point to novel therapeutic targets for epilepsy. ...> Full Article

Biologists pinpoint a genetic change that helps tumors move to other parts of the body (4/17/2011)

MIT cancer biologists have identified a genetic change that makes lung tumors more likely to spread to other parts of the body. The findings, to be published in the April 6 online issue of Nature, offers new insight into how lung cancers metastasize and could help identify drug targets to combat metastatic tumors, which account for 90 percent of cancer deaths. ...> Full Article

Researchers develop new technology to screen and analyze genetic mutations (4/16/2011)

A new study by scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School describes a novel technique to produce all potential individual mutations and using deep sequencing technology simultaneously analyze each change's impact on the cell. ...> Full Article

Antioxidant formula prior to radiation exposure may prevent DNA injury (4/16/2011)

A unique formulation of antioxidants taken orally before imaging with ionizing radiation minimizes cell damage, noted researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 36th Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago, Ill. In what the researchers say is the first clinical trial of its kind, as much as a 50 percent reduction in DNA injury was observed after administering the formula prior to CT scans. ...> Full Article

Chronic stress of cancer causes accelerated telomere shortening (4/15/2011)

Results of a study presented at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011, held here April 2-6, lend credence to the idea that improving quality of life affects stress-related biological markers and possibly the health of people with cancer. ...> Full Article

4 new genes identified for Alzheimer's disease risk (4/14/2011)

Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers are part of a consortium that has identified four new genes that when present increase the risk of a person developing Alzheimer's disease later in life. The findings appear in the current issue of Nature Genetics. The consortium also contributed to the identification of a fifth gene reported by other groups of investigators from the United States and Europe. ...> Full Article

Biological molecules select their spin (4/13/2011)

Molecules with a twist -- double stranded DNA -- can discern between two quantum states. ...> Full Article

Study suggests rare genetic variants most likely to influence disease (4/12/2011)

New genomic analyses suggest that the most common genetic variants in the human genome aren't the ones most likely causing disease. Rare genetic variants, the type found most often in functional areas of human DNA, are more often linked to disease, genetic experts at Duke University Medical Center report. ...> Full Article

New technology capable of detection of 150 genetic syndromes from an amniocentesis (4/12/2011)

Genetadi Biotech has presented to the scientific community -- meeting at the XXVI National Congress on Human Genetics held in Murcia -- a prenatal diagnostic device based on amniocentesis. More concretely, it is based on microarray technology (genomic hybridization genetic chips) and with a diagnostic resolution 100 times greater than the common cytogenetic techniques. The new device, known as Amniochip, is able to detect 150 genetic genetic syndromes. ...> Full Article

Investigators find link between DNA damage and immune response (4/11/2011)

Researchers offer the first evidence that DNA damage can lead to the regulation of inflammatory responses, the body's reaction to injury. The proteins involved in the regulation help protect the body from infection. ...> Full Article

Teaching old genomes new tricks (4/10/2011)

What are transposable elements, what role do they play, and what percentage of the genome of organisms do they comprise? World-class geneticist Susan Wessler will give a free public lecture at 6 p.m., Thursday, April 14, at the University of California, Riverside that will answer the above questions and, in the process, also discuss the work of Nobel laureate Barbara McClintock and how a seemingly trivial discovery by her started a revolution in biology. ...> Full Article

MicroRNAs: A potential new frontier for medicine (4/9/2011)

Since their discovery in the 1990s, microRNAs have proven to play a complex role in normal and abnormal functioning of many organ systems. In the April issue of Translational Research, entitled "MicroRNAs: A Potential New Frontier for Medicine," an international group of medical experts explores several themes related to our current understanding of microRNAs and the role they may play in the future of medicine. ...> Full Article

The gene processes that drive acute myeloid leukaemia (4/8/2011)

Researchers have described how the most common gene mutation found in acute myeloid leukemia starts the process of cancer development and how it can cooperate with other mutations to cause full-blown leukemia. The researchers suggest that three critical steps can transform normal blood cells into leukemic ones. By charting the route towards cancer, the study identifies processes that might could be targets for new treatments for patients with acute myeloid leukemia. ...> Full Article

Structure of DNA repair complex reveals workings of powerful cell motor (4/7/2011)

Over the last years, two teams of researchers at the Scripps Research Institute have steadily built a model of how a powerful DNA repair complex works. Now, their latest discovery provides revolutionary insights into the way the molecular motor inside the complex functions -- findings they say may have implications for treatment of disorders ranging from cancer to cystic fibrosis. ...> Full Article

DNA stretching -- A new technique being carried out at CIC microGUNE to detect illnesses (4/6/2011)

Making DNA sequences being passed through nanochannels a thousand times thinner than a human hair to the point that they take on the form of diminutive spaghetti. This is an innovative technique, known as DNA stretching, and is one of the lines of research in which CIC microGUNE is working, and about which they have already published two scientific articles and are shortly to apply for a patent. ...> Full Article

Promising clue to mechanism behind gene mutation that causes Parkinson's disease (4/6/2011)

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered a way that mutations in a gene called LRRK2 may cause the most common inherited form of Parkinson's disease. The study, published online this month in the journal Public Library of Science, shows that upon specific modification called phosphorylation, LRRK2 protein binds to a family of proteins called 14-3-3, which has a regulatory function inside cells. ...> Full Article

Scientists link DNA 'end-caps' length to diabetes risk (4/5/2011)

New evidence has emerged from studies in mice that short telomeres or "caps" at the ends of chromosomes may predispose people to age-related diabetes, according to Johns Hopkins scientists. ...> Full Article

Small code change, big effect (4/4/2011)

Scientists at EMBL Heidelberg have developed a new method which enables researchers to label any protein of their choice with any of a wide variety of previously available compounds, in living cells, by introducing a single artificial amino acid. ...> Full Article

New data demonstrate that tiny LNA-based compounds inhibit entire disease-associated microRNA families (4/3/2011)

New data published in Nature Genetics demonstrates that tiny LNA-based compounds developed by Santaris Pharma A/S can inhibit entire disease-associated microRNA families. Tiny LNA-based compounds are well tolerated in preclinical studies and can be delivered without the use of complex delivery vehicles. This provides a potential new approach for treating a variety of diseases including cancer, viral infections, cardiovascular and muscle diseases. ...> Full Article

Surprising results in the first genome sequencing of a crustacean (4/2/2011)

There are many different kinds of crustaceans, ranging from the shellfish Swedish people eat at traditional crayfish parties every August to tiny relatives found in their millions in both freshwater and saltwater. One of the latter, Daphnia pulex, is the first crustacean to have its genome sequenced. A researcher from the University of Gothenburg has made a surprising discovery. ...> Full Article

The informant: a jumping gene (4/1/2011)

Scientists at EMBL Heidelberg have developed a new method for studying gene regulation, by employing a jumping gene as an informant. Called GROMIT, it allows scientists to also create mouse models for human diseases caused by chromosomal rearrangements, such as Down syndrome. ...> Full Article

Mouse cancer genome unveils genetic errors in human cancers (4/1/2011)

By sequencing the genome of a mouse with cancer, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have uncovered mutations that also drive cancer in humans. The investigators are the first to sequence a mouse cancer genome, and their research is reported online March 23 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. ...> Full Article

HIV integration requires use of a host DNA-repair pathway (4/1/2011)

The human immunodeficiency virus, the cause of AIDS, makes use of the base excision repair pathway when inserting its DNA into the host-cell genome, according to a new study. The research shows that crippling the repair pathway prevents the virus from completing this critical step in its life cycle. The findings offer potential new targets for novel anti-HIV drugs that may not lead as quickly to viral resistance as current drugs, the researchers say. ...> Full Article