Genetics News And Research - December 2010 Archives

You are what your father ate (12/31/2010)

Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the University of Texas at Austin have uncovered evidence that environmental influences experienced by a father can be passed down to the next generation, "reprogramming" how genes function in offspring. A new study published this week in Cell shows that environmental cues -- in this case, diet -- influence genes in mammals from one generation to the next, evidence that until now has been sparse. ...> Full Article

Gene alteration in mice mimics heart-building effect of exercise (12/30/2010)

By tweaking a single gene, scientists have mimicked in sedentary mice the heart-strengthening effects of two weeks of endurance training, according to a report from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The specific gene manipulation can't be done in humans, they say, but the findings may suggest a future strategy for repairing injured hearts through muscle regeneration. ...> Full Article

Scientists reveal how biological activity is regulated in fruit fly and roundworm genomes (12/29/2010)

Scientists today published catalogs of the fruit fly and roundworm's functional genomic elements: DNA sequences in the genome that carry the instructions and determine which genes are turned on and off at various times in different cells. ...> Full Article

Full woodland strawberry genome sequenced (12/28/2010)

Weizmann Institute's contribution to the woodland strawberry genome includes the genes for aroma and flavor. ...> Full Article

Researchers identify site in brain where leptin may trigger puberty (12/28/2010)

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have pinpointed a tiny site in the brain where the hormone leptin may help trigger the onset of puberty. ...> Full Article

Learning to read the genome (12/27/2010)

As part of the National Institutes of Health's "model organism Encyclopedia of DNA Elements" (modENCODE) project, teams led by researchers at the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have made major advances in understanding the complex relationships between the Drosophila genome, as recorded by DNA and RNA base pairs, and the patterns and physical organization of its chromosomes. These insights into reading the genome will apply to many organisms, including human beings. ...> Full Article

Scientist uncovers switch controlling protein production (12/27/2010)

A scientist from the Florida campus of the Scripps Research Institute has discovered a molecular switch that controls the synthesis of ribosomes. Ribosomes are the large machineries inside all living cells that produce proteins, the basic working units of any cell. These new findings offer a novel target for potential treatments for a range of diseases, including cancer. ...> Full Article

Brain gene makes a female develop as a male (12/26/2010)

Australian scientists have discovered that changes to a gene involved in brain development can lead to testis formation and male genitalia in an otherwise female embryo. ...> Full Article

Scientists and physicians use genetic sequencing to identify and treat unknown disease (12/25/2010)

For the one of the first times in medical history, researchers and physicians at The Medical College of Wisconsin and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin sequenced all the genes in a boy's DNA to identify a previously-unknown mutation. The team was able not only to identify the mutation, but to develop a treatment plan using a cord blood transplant, and stop the course of the disease. ...> Full Article

Your genome in minutes: New technology could slash sequencing time (12/25/2010)

Scientists from Imperial College London are developing technology that could ultimately sequence a person's genome in mere minutes, at a fraction of the cost of current commercial techniques. ...> Full Article

New annotated database sifts through mountains of sequencing data to find gene promoters (12/24/2010)

Researchers at The Wistar Institute announce the release of an online tool that will help scientists find "gene promoters" -- regions along a DNA strand that tell a cell's transcription machinery where to start reading in order to create a particular protein. The Mammalian Promoter Database (MPromDb) integrates sequencing data generated at Wistar with publicly available data on human and mouse genomics. MPromDb pinpoints known promoters and predicts where new ones are likely to be found. ...> Full Article

Study finds that 2 non-coding RNAs trigger formation of a nuclear subcompartment (12/24/2010)

The nucleus of a cell, which houses the cell's DNA, is also home to many structures that are not bound by a membrane but nevertheless exist as distinct compartments. A team of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) scientists has discovered that the formation of one of these nuclear subcompartments, called paraspeckles, is triggered by a pair of RNA molecules, which also maintain its structural integrity. ...> Full Article

Why humans are more sensitive to certain viruses: Primate immune system differences identified (12/23/2010)

The greater susceptibility of humans to certain infectious diseases when compared to other primates could be explained by species-specific changes in immune signaling pathways, a University of Chicago study finds. The first genome-wide, functional comparison of genes regulated by the innate immune system in three primate species discovers potential mediators of differences in disease susceptibility among primates. These findings are published on Dec. 16 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics. ...> Full Article

Bioethics Commission calls for enhanced federal oversight in new field of synthetic biology (12/22/2010)

The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues today released its first report -- a wide-ranging review of the emerging field of synthetic biology -- issuing 18 recommendations including a call for coordinated federal oversight of scientists working in both large institutions and smaller settings. ...> Full Article

Tools used to decipher 'histone code' may be faulty (12/21/2010)

Recent research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has found a number of issues with histone antibodies, the main tools used to decipher this code, suggesting they may need more rigorous testing. ...> Full Article

Feast, famine and the genetics of obesity: You can't have it both ways (12/20/2010)

In addition to fast food, desk jobs, and inertia, there is one more thing to blame for unwanted pounds-our genome, which has apparently not caught up with the fact that we no longer live in the Stone Age. ...> Full Article

Key information about breast cancer risk and development is found in 'junk' DNA (12/20/2010)

A new genetic biomarker that indicates an increased risk for developing breast cancer can be found in an individual's "junk" (non-coding) DNA, according to a new study featuring work from researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech and their colleagues. ...> Full Article

Nanoscale gene 'ignition switch' may help spot and treat cancer (12/19/2010)

In a proof of principal study in mice, scientists at Johns Hopkins and the Virginia Commonwealth University have shown that a set of genetic instructions encased in a nanoparticle can be used as an "ignition switch" to rev up gene activity that aids cancer detection and treatment. ...> Full Article

'Green genes' in yeast may boost biofuel production by increasing stress tolerance (12/18/2010)

An effort to increase biofuel production has led scientists to discover genes in yeast that improve their tolerance to ethanol, allowing the production of more ethanol from the same amount of nutrients. This study, published in the December 2010 issue of Genetics, shows how genetically altered yeast cells survive higher ethanol concentrations, addressing a bottleneck in the production of ethanol from cellulosic material (nonfood plant sources) in quantities that could compete economically with fossil fuels. ...> Full Article

Researchers open the door to biological computers (12/17/2010)

Genetically modified cells can be made to communicate with each other as if they were electronic circuits. Using yeast cells, a group of researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, has taken a groundbreaking step towards being able to build complex systems in the future where the body's own cells help to keep us healthy. The study was presented recently in an article in the scientific journal Nature. ...> Full Article

Transcription factor clears protein clumps in Huntington's mice models (12/16/2010)

Over expressing a transcription factor that promotes increase in number of mitochondria greatly improves neurological function of transgenic mice models for Huntington's disease. ...> Full Article

New labeling method expands ability to read DNA modification (12/16/2010)

Researchers have developed a method for labeling and mapping a "sixth nucleotide," whose biological role scientists are only beginning to explore. The method allowed the researchers to see for the first time how 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) is distributed throughout the genome. ...> Full Article

Researchers develop faster method of engineering zinc-finger nucleases (12/15/2010)

A team led by Massachusetts General Hospital researchers has developed a faster way to engineer synthetic enzymes that target specific DNA sequences for inactivation, repair or alteration. The report from the MGH Molecular Pathology Unit describes a highly effective but less labor-intensive way to generate powerful tools called zinc-finger nucleases. ...> Full Article

Scientists decode genome of Haitian cholera pathogen (12/14/2010)

Scientists from Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. and Harvard Medical School have successfully employed single molecule, real-time (SMRT) DNA sequencing technology to rapidly characterize the pathogen responsible for the recent deadly cholera epidemic in Haiti. Published online Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, the results provide the first whole genome sequence analysis and most detailed genetic profile to date of the Haitian Vibrio cholerae outbreak strain. ...> Full Article

New research reveals details of microbe's extraordinary maintenance and repair system (12/14/2010)

Scientists have discovered how a network of repair proteins enables bacteria to prioritize the repair of the most heavily used regions of the DNA molecules that carry the instructions necessary for living cells to function. ...> Full Article

Massive gene loss linked to pathogen's stealthy plant-dependent lifestyle (12/13/2010)

An international team of scientists, which includes researchers from Virginia Tech, has cracked the genetic code of a plant pathogen that causes downy mildew disease. Downy mildews are a widespread class of destructive diseases that cause major losses to crops as diverse as maize, grapes and lettuce. ...> Full Article

New discovery about how flowering time of plants can be controlled (12/12/2010)

Researchers at Umeå Plant Science Center in Sweden discovered, in collaboration with the Syngenta company, a previously unknown gene in sugar beets that blocks flowering. Only with the cold of winter is the gene shut off, allowing the sugar beet to blossom in its second year. The discovery of this new gene function makes it possible to control when sugar beets bloom. ...> Full Article

New study raises questions about genetic testing of newborns (12/11/2010)

Mandatory genetic screening of newborns for rare diseases is creating unexpected upheaval for families whose infants test positive for risk factors but show no immediate signs of the diseases, a new UCLA study warns. ...> Full Article

Team develops 'logic gates' to program bacteria as computers (12/10/2010)

A team of UCSF researchers has engineered E. coli with the key molecular circuitry that will enable genetic engineers to program cells to communicate and perform computations. ...> Full Article

Study of how genes activate yields surprising discovery (12/10/2010)

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have made an unexpected finding about the method by which certain genes are activated. Contrary to what researchers have traditionally assumed, genes that work with other genes to build protein structures do not act in a coordinated way but instead are turned on randomly. The surprising discovery, described in the Dec. 5 online edition of Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, may fundamentally change the way scientists think about the way cellular processes are synchronized. ...> Full Article

Gene duplication detected in depression (12/9/2010)

A large genetic study of people with major depression has found that a duplicated region of DNA on chromosome 5 predisposes people to the disorder. The gene involved plays an important role in the development of nerve cells, adding to evidence that disruptions in neurotransmission networks form a biological basis for depression. ...> Full Article

Yo-yo dieting alters genes linked with stress (12/8/2010)

Stressed-out mice with a history of dieting ate more high-fat foods than similarly stressed mice not previously on diets, according to a new study in the Dec. 1 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. The findings suggest that moderate diets change how the brain responds to stress and may make crash dieters more susceptible to weight gain. ...> Full Article

Scientists map changes in genetic networks caused by DNA damage (12/7/2010)

Using a new technology called "differential epistasis maps," an international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has documented for the first time how a cellular genetic network completely rewires itself in response to stress by DNA-damaging agents. ...> Full Article

New genomic technique reveals obesity gene variants (12/7/2010)

Obesity is highly heritable, but so far genetic association studies have only explained a small fraction of this heritability. Now, in a study published in BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Biology, researchers have identified DNA variants in two nervous system genes that are associated with an excessively high BMI. ...> Full Article

Tiny RNA shown to cause multiple types of leukemia (12/6/2010)

Whitehead Institute researchers have shown in mouse models that overexpression of the microRNA 125b (miR-125b) can independently cause leukemia and accelerate the disease's progression in mice. According to estimates from the National Cancer Institute, more than 43,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with some form of leukemia this year and approximately 22,000 will die from the disease. ...> Full Article

Faulty gene linked to disorders of sexual development (12/6/2010)

Scientists have discovered that the alteration of a single gene could cause some male embryos to develop as females. ...> Full Article

Team identifies a genetic switch for determining gender (12/6/2010)

An international has identified a gene that appears to be an important switch in determining whether the biological program for the development of gender will go according to plan, or if, when mutated, will cause a glitch in the program. ...> Full Article

Paper demonstrates continuous and controlled translocation of DNA polymer through a nanopore (12/6/2010)

Research published in JACS shows a significant step towards sequencing of DNA strands using a nanopore -- a key scientific goal for a new generation of DNA sequencing machines. Paper shows continuous and controlled movement of a single stranded DNA polymer through a protein nanopore by a DNA polymerase enzyme, providing foundation for a molecular motor, an essential component of Strand Sequencing using nanopores. The authors from UCSC are collaborating with UK-based Oxford Nanopore Technologies. ...> Full Article

Plant genome research receives $3 million boost from National Science Foundation (12/5/2010)

The University of Missouri recently received a boost to its plant genetics research with the receipt of three new Plant Genome Research Program awards from the National Science Foundation. ...> Full Article

Genomic fault zones come and go (12/3/2010)

The fragile regions in mammalian genomes that are thought to play a key role in evolution go through a "birth and death" process, according to new bioinformatics research performed at the University of California, San Diego. The new work, published in the journal Genome Biology on November 30, could help researchers identify the current fragile regions in the human genome -- information that may reveal how the human genome will evolve in the future. ...> Full Article

Genome 10K Project announces first 101 species for genome sequencing (12/3/2010)

The Genome 10K Community of Scientists and BGI (formerly the Beijing Genomics Institute) of Shenzhen, China, have announced a plan to sequence the genomes of 101 vertebrate species within the next two years, the first of an eventual 10,000 species to be sequenced by the Genome 10K Project. ...> Full Article

Plant clock gene also works in human cells (12/3/2010)

A gene that controls part of the "tick tock" in a plant's circadian clock has been identified by UC Davis researchers. And not only is the plant gene very similar to one in humans, but the human gene can work in plant cells -- and vice versa. ...> Full Article

Children with autism more likely to have mitochondrial defects impacting cellular energy production (12/2/2010)

Autism Speaks funded UC Davis research published Dec. 1 in the Journal of the American Medical Association which found that children with autism have more trouble fueling the energy demands of their cells due to dysfunctional mitochondria. These findings revealed several different types of mitochondrial dysfunction and suggested novel screening using blood samples. ...> Full Article

Fitting a biological nanopore into a man-made one, new ways to analyze DNA (12/2/2010)

Researchers at Delft University of Technology and Oxford University announce a new type of nanopore device that could help in developing fast and cheap genetic analysis. In the journal Nature Nanotechnology (Nov. 28), they report on a novel method that combines man-made and biological materials to result in a tiny hole on a chip, which is able to measure and analyze single DNA molecules. ...> Full Article

Gene transfer from transgenic crops: A more realistic picture (12/1/2010)

A comprehensive, data-driven statistical model including the surrounding landscape, pollinating insects and human seed dispersal allowed University of Arizona researchers to assess the movement of an inserted gene between crop varieties more realistically than was possible with previously available methods. ...> Full Article

Scientists identify gene linked to common birth defect in male genitalia (12/1/2010)

King's College London, in collaboration with Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in The Netherlands, has discovered a new gene associated with Hypospadias, the congenital malformation of the male genitalia. The research was published today in Nature Genetics. ...> Full Article