Genetics News And Research - April 2012 Archives

Warwick scientists uncover how 'checkpoint' proteins bind chromosomes (4/30/2012)

Research from the University of Warwick pinpoints the precise mechanism by which spindle checkpoint proteins bind chromosomes. ...> Full Article

Not by DNA alone: How the epigenetics revolution is fostering new medicines (4/29/2012)

Scientific insights that expand on the teachings of Mendel, Watson and Crick, and underpinnings of the Human Genome Project are moving drug companies along the path to development of new medicines based on deeper insights into how factors other than the genetic code influence health and disease. That's the topic of the cover story in Chemical & Engineering News, the weekly news magazine of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society. ...> Full Article

Researchers identify genes that influence hippocampal volume (4/28/2012)

An international team of researchers led by Boston University School of Medicine has identified four loci that appear to be associated with decreasing the volume of the hippocampus. ...> Full Article

2 repressor genes identified as essential for placental development (4/27/2012)

Two particular repressor genes in a family of regulatory genes are vital for controlling cell proliferation during development of the placenta. Their absence in stem cells results in a placenta made up of overcrowded and poorly organized cells that cannot properly transport oxygen and nutrients or support normal embryonic development. The study show how these genes control cell proliferation in living animals. ...> Full Article

BGI's International Conference on Genomics coming to the US Sept. 27-28 with high-powered roster of genomics industry luminaries (4/26/2012)

Global thought leaders devoted to the latest developments in human, plant and animal genome sciences will gather at ICG Americas 2012 in Philadelphia Sept. 27-28. ...> Full Article

What did the scientist say to the sommelier? 'Show me the proof!' (4/25/2012)

What does lemon pan sauce chicken have to do with biochemistry and molecular biology? If you ask the students in Joseph Provost's class at Minnesota State University Moorhead, they'll tell you that successful execution of the dish requires the Maillard reaction, a chemical process that's responsible for the flavors and colors in a variety of food. ...> Full Article

Biologists predict extinction for organisms with poor quality genes (4/25/2012)

Evolutionary biologists at the University of Toronto found that individuals with low-quality genes may produce offspring with even more inferior chromosomes, possibly leading to the extinction of certain species over generations. A study predicts that organisms with such genetic deficiencies could experience an increased number of mutations in their DNA, relative to individuals with high-quality genes. ...> Full Article

Can behavior be controlled by genes? The case of honeybee work assignments (4/24/2012)

In an article published in the advance online edition of Genes, Brain and Behavior on April 6, 2012, a biologist at Washington University in St. Louis and his colleagues demonstrate that the division of labor among honeybees is correlated with the presence in their brains of tiny snippets of noncoding RNA, called micro-RNAs, or miRNAs, that suppress the expression of genes. ...> Full Article

First description of a triple DNA helix in a vacuum (4/23/2012)

A team of researchers at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center have managed for the first time to extract trustworthy structural information from a triple helix DNA in gas phase, that is to say in conditions in which DNA is practically in a vacuum. The study appears today in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, one of the journals with greatest impact in chemistry. ...> Full Article

3-D RNA modeling opens scientific doors (4/22/2012)

In a paper published today in the journal Nature Methods, a team from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill demonstrates a simple, cost-effective technique for three-dimensional RNA structure prediction that will help scientists understand the structures, and ultimately the functions, of the RNA molecules that dictate almost every aspect of human cell behavior. ...> Full Article

Direct transfer of plant genes from chloroplasts into the cell nucleus (4/21/2012)

Gene function preserved despite structural differences in the DNA. ...> Full Article

Seed size is controlled by maternally produced small RNAs, scientists find (4/20/2012)

Seed size is controlled by small RNA molecules inherited from a plant's mother, a discovery from scientists at the University of Texas at Austin that has implications for agriculture and understanding plant evolution. ...> Full Article

Genetic regulator of fat metabolism and muscle fitness discovered (4/19/2012)

While exercise is accepted universally as the most beneficial prescription physicians can write for patients, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that generate its widespread health benefits. Researchers from Case Western Reserve School of Medicine have shed light on this mystery by discovering that a genetic factor, Kruppel-like Factor 15, governs the body's ability to burn fat during exercise. ...> Full Article

Researchers find identical DNA codes in different plant species (4/18/2012)

A multi-disciplinary team of University of Missouri researchers solved a major biological question by using a groundbreaking computer algorithm to find identical DNA sequences in different plant and animal species. ...> Full Article

Powerful sequencing technology decodes DNA folding pattern (4/17/2012)

Using a powerful DNA sequencing methodology, researchers at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research have now investigated the three-dimensional structure of DNA folds in the nucleus of a chromosome. The findings published in the April 11 issue of Nature provide scientists with a greater understanding about the basic principles of DNA folding and its role in gene regulation. ...> Full Article

Discovery reveals chromosomes organize into 'yarns' (4/16/2012)

New research published online in Nature by the team of Edith Heard, Ph.D., from the Curie Institute and Job Dekker, Ph.D., from the University of Massachusetts Medical School, reveals a new layer in the complex organization of chromosomes. The scientists have shown that chromosomes fold in a series of contiguous "yarns" that harbor groups of genes and regulatory elements, bringing them in contact with each other and allowing them to work in a coordinated manner during development. ...> Full Article

Sex, tools and chromosomes (4/16/2012)

Researchers at UC Davis have discovered a key tool that helps sperm and eggs develop exactly 23 chromosomes each. The work, which could lead to insights into fertility, spontaneous miscarriages, cancer and developmental disorders. ...> Full Article

Rapid method of assembling new gene-editing tool could revolutionize genetic research (4/15/2012)

Development of a new way to make a powerful tool for altering gene sequences should greatly increase the ability of researchers to knock out or otherwise alter the expression of any gene they are studying. ...> Full Article

Gene switches do more than flip 'on' or 'off' (4/14/2012)

A UNC-led team of scientists finds that transcription factors don't act like an "on-off" switch, but instead can exhibit much more complex binding behavior. ...> Full Article

New 'genetic bar code' technique establishes ability to derive DNA information from RNA (4/13/2012)

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have developed a method to derive enough DNA information from non-DNA sources -- such as RNA -- to clearly identify individuals whose biological data are stored in massive research repositories. The approach may raise questions regarding the ability to protect individual identity when high-dimensional data are collected for research purposes. A paper introducing the technique appears in the April 8 online edition of Nature Genetics. ...> Full Article

Diet may treat some gene mutations (4/12/2012)

Research published in the Genetics Society of America's journal Genetics uses a new technique, surrogate organism genetics that "swapped" yeast genes with human genes sequenced from patients with homocystinuria to determine the gene variants likely to respond to vitamin B6 treatment. ...> Full Article

Light switch added to gene tool opens new view of cell development (4/11/2012)

University of Oregon scientists collaborating with an Oregon company that synthesizes antisense Morpholinos for genetic research have developed a UV light-activated on-off switch for the vital gene-blocking molecule. Based on initial testing in zebrafish embryos, the enhanced molecule promises to deliver new insights for developmental biologists and brain researchers. ...> Full Article

Whole genome sequencing not informative for all, Johns Hopkins study shows (4/10/2012)

With sharp declines in the cost of whole genome sequencing, the day of accurately deciphering disease risk based on an individual's genome may seem at hand. But a study involving data of thousands of identical twins by Johns Hopkins investigators finds that genomic fortune-telling fails to provide informative guidance to most people about their risk for most common diseases, and warns against complacency born of negative genome test results. ...> Full Article

Enzyme in saliva helps regulate blood glucose (4/9/2012)

Scientists from the Monell Center report that blood glucose levels following starch ingestion are influenced by genetically-determined differences in salivary amylase, an oral enzyme that breaks down dietary starches. Specifically, higher salivary amylase activity is related to lower blood glucose. The findings suggest that salivary amylase may contribute significantly to overall metabolic status. ...> Full Article

Study finds protective gene in fat cells (4/8/2012)

In a finding that may challenge popular notions of body fat and health, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have shown how fat cells can protect the body against diabetes. ...> Full Article

Plant research reveals new role for gene silencing protein (4/7/2012)

A DICER protein, known to produce tiny RNAs in cells, also helps complete an important step in gene expression, according to research on Arabidopsis thaliana. The expression of a gene requires activation via a promoter or an external trigger. Plant research to be published in Science helps to show that later stages of transcription are just as important. This is likely to apply to other organisms, including humans. ...> Full Article

New layer of genetic information discovered (4/6/2012)

A hidden and never before recognized layer of information in the genetic code has been uncovered by a team of scientists at UCSF, thanks to a technique developed at UCSF called ribosome profiling, which enables the measurement of gene activity inside living cells. ...> Full Article

The long, err, short of it (4/5/2012)

It is typical for telomeres to shorten as cells divide and chromosomes replicate over time. Now a new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) suggest a strong link between telomere shortening and poor cardiovascular outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome. ...> Full Article

Researchers create molecular Braille to identify DNA molecules (4/4/2012)

Researchers at UCLA and New York University have developed a method to detect sequence differences in individual DNA molecules by taking nanoscopic pictures of the molecules themselves. ...> Full Article

Scientists reveal genetic mutation depicted in van Gogh's sunflower paintings (4/4/2012)

In a study published today in the journal PLoS Genetics, a team of University of Georgia scientists reveal the mutation behind the distinctive, thick bands of yellow "double flowers" that Vincent van Gogh painted more than 100 years ago. ...> Full Article

Genetic regulators hijacked by avian and swine flu viruses identified: UBC study (4/3/2012)

Researchers at the University of British Columbia have identified a number of tiny but powerful "genetic regulators" that are hijacked by avian and swine flu viruses during human infection. ...> Full Article

A double ring ceremony prepares telomerase RNA to wed its protein partner (4/3/2012)

Few molecules are more interesting than DNA -- except of course RNA. After two decades of research, that "other macromolecule" is no longer considered a mere messenger between glamorous DNA and protein-synthesizing machines. We now know that RNA has been leading a secret life, regulating gene expression and partnering with proteins to form catalytic ribonucleoprotein complexes. ...> Full Article

A hidden architecture: Researchers use novel methods to uncover gene mutations for common diseases (4/2/2012)

Human geneticists have debated whether the genetic risk of the most common medical conditions derive from many rare mutations or common differences throughout the genome that modestly influence risk. A new study by Brigham and Women's Hospital researchers address this. ...> Full Article

'Big data' expertise aiding genomics research (4/1/2012)

The San Diego Supercomputer Center at the University of California, San Diego, has in the last three years undergone a major reboot, remaking itself into a center of expertise on all aspects of "big data" research including genomics, one of the fastest growing areas of scientific study. ...> Full Article