Genetics News And Research - February 2011 Archives

Identification of glaucoma gene brightens view for future therapies (2/28/2011)

Glaucoma -- a leading cause of vision loss and blindness worldwide -- runs in families. A team of investigators from Vanderbilt University and the University of Florida has identified a new candidate gene for the most common form of the eye disorder, primary open angle glaucoma. The findings, reported Feb. 17 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics, offer novel insights into glaucoma pathology and could lead to targeted treatment strategies. ...> Full Article

A new clue to the genetics of bipolar disorder: Piccolo (2/28/2011)

Understanding the genetics of bipolar disorder could lead to new treatments, but identifying specific genetic variations associated with this disorder has been challenging. A new study in Biological Psychiatry implicates a brain protein called Piccolo in the risk for inheriting bipolar disorder. In the orchestra of neuronal proteins, Piccolo is a member of a protein family that includes another protein called Bassoon. Piccolo is located at the endings of nerve cells, where it contributes to the ability of nerve cells to release their chemical messengers. ...> Full Article

Method of DNA repair linked to higher likelihood of genetic mutation (2/27/2011)

Accurate transmission of genetic information requires the precise replication of DNA. Errors in DNA replication are common and nature has developed several cellular mechanisms for repairing these mistakes. Mutations, which can be deleterious (development of cancerous cells), or beneficial (evolutionary adaption), arise from uncorrected errors. Researchers from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and Umea University,Sweden, report that a method by which cells repair breaks in their DNA, known as break-induced replication, is up to 2,800 times more likely to cause genetic mutation than normal DNA synthesis. ...> Full Article

Uncovering the genome secrets of the Blackleg fungus (2/26/2011)

The genome of the Blackleg fungus, which causes the most damaging disease to canola crops worldwide, has been sequenced for the first time by a team of French and Australian scientists. ...> Full Article

Research study sheds light on RNA 'on-off switches' (2/25/2011)

Scientists from the Scripps Research Institute have shed new light on a molecular switch that turns genes on or off in response to a cell's energy needs. ...> Full Article

Scientists to explore new genetic tools in mosquito research: Transposable elements (2/24/2011)

A team of scientists at the University of California, Riverside, has begun working on a mosquito research project that, if successful, will provide valuable genetic resources capable of transforming the way mosquito research is conducted worldwide. The researchers will study mosquito genome sequences to identify "transposable elements" -- DNA pieces that can move from one genomic location to another. The three-year project is funded by a $1 million grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation. ...> Full Article

Microarray analysis can identify unsuspected incest (2/23/2011)

Researchers using DNA microarrays to diagnose developmental disabilities or congenital anomalies in children may unexpectedly identify that some have been conceived through incest. This raises social and legal issues that institutions and the scientific community must address, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in a report that appears in the current issue of the journal Lancet. ...> Full Article

Researcher chart course for the next phase of genomics research (2/22/2011)

A new strategic plan from an arm of the National Institutes of Health envisions scientists being able to identify genetic bases of most single-gene disorders and gaining new insights into multi-gene disorders in the next decade. ...> Full Article

Searching for the soul of the genome (2/21/2011)

The discovery that a "gene desert" on chromosome 9 was a hotspot for coronary artery disease (CAD) risk was among the highlights of findings produced recently by genome-wide association studies, which compare the genomes of many people for genetic variations and have been broadly used in the past few years to study hundreds of diseases and complex traits. Gene deserts are large genomic segments devoid of genes. ...> Full Article

Leafcutter ant genome reveals secrets of fungus farming ways (2/20/2011)

Leafcutter ants, signature denizens of New World tropical forests, are unique in their ability to harvest fresh leaves to cultivate a nutrient-rich fungus as food. ...> Full Article

Researchers turn Salmonella into antiviral gene therapy agent (2/19/2011)

UC Berkeley researchers have converted Salmonella bacteria from a food-borne pathogen into a safe delivery vehicle for antiviral agents. They inserted virus-stopping ribozymes into Salmonella that had its ability to cause disease disabled, and then used the bacteria to effectively treat mice infected with cytomegalovirus. It is the first time bacteria have been successfully engineered to treat a viral infection. ...> Full Article

ACMG 2011 Clinical Genetics Meeting -- press registration is now open (2/18/2011)

"From Genomic Testing to Genomics and Cancer to The Future of Newborn Screening," the focus of the ACMG Meeting is on the practice of genetics and genomics in health care today and in the future. The conference will showcase the latest advances and breakthroughs in genetics research and its applications to medical practice and public health. ...> Full Article

Save messengers -- modified mRNAs open up new therapeutic possibilities (2/18/2011)

Gene therapy holds great promise for the cure of many diseases but synthetic DNA sequences which are introduced directly into the genome bear a significant risk of cancer. Researchers at the Medical Center of the University of Munich have now developed a new method which makes use of modified RNA and avoids both the risk of cancer and immune reactions provoked by conventional RNAs. ...> Full Article

Cross-species strategy might be a powerful tool for studying human disease (2/17/2011)

A new study takes advantage of genetic similarities between mammals and fruit flies by coupling a complex genetic screening technique in humans with functional validation of the results in flies. The new strategy, published by Cell Press on Feb. 3 in the American Journal of Human Genetics, has the potential to be an effective approach for unraveling genetically complex human disorders and providing valuable insights into human disease. ...> Full Article

Researchers capture jumping genes (2/16/2011)

An ambitious hunt by Johns Hopkins scientists for actively "jumping genes" in humans has yielded compelling new evidence that the genome, anything but static, contains numerous pesky mobile elements that may help to explain why people have such a variety of physical traits and disease risks. ...> Full Article

The human genome's breaking points (2/15/2011)

Scientists at EMBL Heidelberg and collaborators have identified the genetic sequence of an unprecedented 28 000 structural variants -- large portions of the human genome which differ from one person to another. The work, published in Nature, could help find the genetic causes of some diseases and also begins to explain why certain parts of the human genome change more than others. ...> Full Article

Analysis of bread mold genomes demos 'reverse-ecology' tool (2/14/2011)

In a demonstration of "reverse-ecology," UC Berkeley biologists have shown that one can determine an organism's adaptive traits by looking first at its genome and checking for variations across a population. The study offers a powerful new tool in evolutionary genetics research, one that could be used to help monitor the effects of climate change and habitat destruction. ...> Full Article

Engineered cells could usher in programmable cell therapies (2/13/2011)

In work that could jumpstart the promising field of cell therapy, in which cells are transplanted into the body to treat a variety of diseases and tissue defects, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital have engineered cells that could solve one of the key challenges associated with the procedure: control of the cells and their microenvironment following transplantation. ...> Full Article

New quartet of ant genomes advanced by international collaborative (2/12/2011)

"Look to the ant thou sluggard and consider her ways and be wise." This proverbial wisdom was taken to heart recently by an international group of ant experts who have published the genome sequences of four ants in a series of coordinated releases in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ...> Full Article

If junk DNA is useful, why is it not shared more equally? (2/11/2011)

Recently, it has become clear that "junk DNA" performs a wide range of tasks. But why do some organisms have so much of it and others so little? A particular puzzle is posed by introns, stretches of DNA that interrupt the sequence of genes. Researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna propose a mechanism to account for the range of intron numbers observed between different species. Their theory is published in Trends in Genetics. ...> Full Article

Animal with the most genes? A tiny crustacean (2/11/2011)

Complexity ever in the eye of its beholders, the animal with the most genes -- about 31,000 -- is the near-microscopic freshwater crustacean Daphnia pulex, or water flea. By comparison, humans have about 23,000 genes. Daphnia is the first crustacean to have its genome sequenced. The findings are part of a comprehensive report in this week's Science by members of the Daphnia Genomics Consortium, an international network of scientists. ...> Full Article

Genetic clues to compulsive, self-injurious behavior in rare childhood disorder (2/10/2011)

Research from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine provides new clues for the compulsive behavior and cognitive defects associated with a rare childhood neurological disease called Lesch-Nyhan Disease (LND). Two pathways found to be defective in LND are known to be associated with other neurodegenerative disease, such as Alzheimer's and Parknson's diseases, suggesting common causes of cognitive and behavioral defects in these neurological disorders. ...> Full Article

DNA caught rock 'n rollin' (2/9/2011)

DNA, that marvelous, twisty molecule of life, has an alter ego, research at the University of Michigan and the University of California, Irvine reveals. ...> Full Article

Cold cases gone hot: Researchers solve decades-old medical mysteries using genetics (2/8/2011)

The mystery began in 1976. Adolfo Pampena was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer associated with the occurrence of multiple tumours in his stomach and colon. His medical team was stumped and was unable to answer the most important questions for him and his family: the cause of his disease and the risk for future generations. Now, 35 years later, the answers are at hand thanks to a genetic study led by McGill investigators. ...> Full Article

Caffeine energizes cells, boosting virus production for gene therapy applications (2/7/2011)

Give caffeine to cells engineered to produce viruses used for gene therapy and the cells can generate three- to eight-times more virus, according to a paper published in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert Inc. ...> Full Article

Cell reprogramming leaves a 'footprint' behind (2/7/2011)

Reprogramming adult cells to recapture their youthful "can-do-it-all" attitude appears to leave an indelible mark, found researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. When the team, led by Joseph Ecker, Ph.D., a professor in the Genomic Analysis Laboratory, scoured the epigenomes of so-called induced pluripotent stem cells base by base, they found a consistent pattern of reprogramming errors. ...> Full Article

Researchers register new species using DNA-based description (2/6/2011)

The previously unknown species of ribbon worm discovered in Kosterhavet National Park in 2007 has now been scientifically named using a new method. Pseudomicrura afzelii, a form of nemertean or ribbon worm, has been described and registered by researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, using DNA technology. ...> Full Article

New method for rapidly producing protein-polymers (2/5/2011)

Duke University bioengineers have developed a new method for rapidly producing an almost unlimited variety of man-made DNA sequences. ...> Full Article

New anti-HIV gene therapy makes T-cells resistant to HIV infection (2/4/2011)

An innovative genetic strategy for rendering T-cells resistant to HIV infection without affecting their normal growth and activity is described in a paper published in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert Inc. ...> Full Article

New findings show how bacteria undergo genome evolution (2/3/2011)

Scientists at the Institut Pasteur and the University of Maryland have revealed how bacterial and archaea microbes successfully evolve their gene repertoires to face new challenges, predominantly by acquiring genes from other individuals. The study, published in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics on Jan. 27, was instigated to clarify the role of gene duplication, an important source of novelty in multicellular organisms, in bacteria. ...> Full Article

Genetic sequencing alone doesn't offer a true picture of human disease (2/2/2011)

Despite what you might have heard, genetic sequencing alone is not enough to understand human disease. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have shown that functional tests are absolutely necessary to understand the biological relevance of the results of sequencing studies as they relate to disease, using a suite of diseases known as the ciliopathies which can cause patients to have many different traits. ...> Full Article

Researchers call for moderate approach to teaching personalized genomic testing (2/1/2011)

Genetics in Medicine, the official journal of the American College of Medical Genetics, published this month a paper by Tufts University faculty calling for a moderate, strategic approach to teaching personalized genomic testing in medical school curricula. ...> Full Article