Genetics News And Research - January 2011 Archives

Cell death pathway linked to mitochondrial fusion (1/31/2011)

New research led by UC Davis scientists provides insight into why some body organs are more susceptible to cell death than others and could eventually lead to advances in treating or preventing heart attack or stroke. ...> Full Article

Long-term hypoxia in flies shown to result in permanent DNA changes (1/30/2011)

In an important study that may shed light on human ability to adapt to hypoxia, or inadequate levels of oxygen, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have proven that the genome of flies exposed to long-term hypoxia are changed to permanently affect gene expression. Their findings may lead to new targets for development of therapies for hypoxia-induced disease in humans. ...> Full Article

In scientific first, researchers visualize naturally occurring mRNA (1/30/2011)

In a technique that could eventually shed light on how gene expression influences human disease, scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have for the first time ever successfully visualized single molecules of naturally occurring messenger RNA transcribed in living mammalian cells. The scientific achievement is detailed in the Jan. 16 online edition of Nature Methods. ...> Full Article

New technology provides first view of DNA damage within entire human genome (1/29/2011)

New technology providing the first view of DNA damage throughout the entire human genome developed by Cardiff University scientists could offer a valuable new insight into the development and treatment of conditions like cancer. ...> Full Article

Gulf grows between research practice and participant preferences in genetic studies (1/28/2011)

Obtaining consent for genetic studies can be an opportunity for researchers to foster respectful engagement with participants, not merely to mitigate risk. Participants are interested in research and feel themselves to have an investment in the studies. A policy forum in Science recommends ways to build trusting relationships between researchers and study participants. ...> Full Article

Stretching the truth: JILA biophysicists help unravel DNA stretching mystery (1/27/2011)

Using a new experimental test structure, biophysicists at JILA have unraveled part of a 15-year mystery in the mechanics of DNA -- just how the molecule manages to suddenly extend to almost twice its normal length. ...> Full Article

If you knew Susie -- the sequence of the orangutan genome (1/27/2011)

A large international consortium -- involving more than 30 laboratories from eight different countries -- has published the full sequence of the orangutan genome. The work is featured on the title page of the journal Nature and Carolin Kosiol from the Institute of Population Genetics at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, is among the authors. ...> Full Article

Bedbug genetic study finds possible pesticide-resistance genes (1/26/2011)

Entomologists have conducted the first genetic study of bedbugs, paving the road to the identification of potential genes associated with pesticide resistance and possible new control methods for the troublesome insect, whose sudden resurgence in the United States has led to a public health scare. ...> Full Article

Researchers reveal function of novel molecule that underlies human deafness (1/25/2011)

New research from the University of Sheffield has revealed that the molecular mechanism underlying deafness is caused by a mutation of a specific microRNA called miR-96. The discovery could provide the basis for treating progressive hearing loss and deafness. ...> Full Article

Contagious cancer thrives in dogs by adopting host's genes (1/25/2011)

A curious contagious cancer, found in dogs, wolves and coyotes, can repair its own genetic mutations by adopting genes from its host animal, according to a new study in the journal Science. ...> Full Article

How the hat fits: Structural biology study reveals shape of epigenetic enzyme complex (1/21/2011)

Histone acetyltransferases (HAT) are one of the tools eukaryotic cells use to epigenetically modify DNA transcription. Researchers at the Wistar Institute are the first to describe the atomic structure formed by a yeast HAT, known as Rtt109, and one of its associated proteins. Their findings demonstrate how a particular histone acetylation event works, a crucial step to understanding epigenetics and the related process that underlie both health and disease. ...> Full Article

New method will triple amount of genetic information from newborn blood spot screenings (1/20/2011)

Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) researchers have developed a method that can yield more information from archived newborn blood that has implications for a vast array of research, including population health studies and answering questions about diseases in infants and children. ...> Full Article

Nanodisk gene therapy (1/19/2011)

Researchers at Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona have discovered a novel gene therapy method using particles measuring only a few nanometers which encapsulate genetic material and introduce themselves directly into the cell nucleus. The nanodisks, as researchers have named the particles, travel rapidly to the interior of the cell until reaching the nucleus, thus increasing the efficiency of the gene transfer process. ...> Full Article

New user-friendly resource connects human genes to biological functions (1/18/2011)

A new resource that provides easy access to information about genes and their biological functions was just released by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. This resource, "Guide to the Human Genome," is online at www.humangenomeguide.org. The text of the website is also available in a print version. ...> Full Article

Scientists sequence gut microbes of premature infant (1/17/2011)

UC Berkeley scientist Jill Banfield, with colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh and Stanford University, have for the first time sequenced and reconstructed the genomes of most of the microbes in the gut of a premature newborn and documented how the microbe populations changed over time. Banfield and pediatric surgeon Michael Morowitz hope that characterizing gut microbes of normal and sick infants could lead to cause of necrotizing enterocolitis in preemies. ...> Full Article

Overexpression of repetitive DNA sequences discovered in common tumor cells (1/17/2011)

Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center researchers have discovered massive overexpression of satellite repeats -- certain DNA sequences that do not code for proteins -- in some common tumor cells, findings that may improve knowledge of tumor development and lead to a novel cancer biomarker. ...> Full Article

Deep genomics (1/16/2011)

A Washington University in St. Louis team is participating in the modENCODE project, a massive ongoing effort to map all the elements in model organisms that affect whether genes are silenced or expressed. The research is part of the burgeoning new field of epigenetics and the eventual goal in the words of the Washington University team leader is "to put flesh on the bones" of the Human Genome Project. ...> Full Article

Played by humans, scored by nature, online game helps unravel secrets of RNA (1/13/2011)

Many video games boast life-like graphics and realistic game play, but have no connection with reality. However, a new online game developed by Carnegie Mellon University and Stanford University researchers finally shatters the virtual wall. The game, called EteRNA, harnesses game play to uncover principles for designing molecules of RNA. But the game doesn't end with the highest computer score. Rather, players are scored and ranked based on how well their virtual designs can be rendered as real, physical molecules. ...> Full Article

Study shows promise for new drug to treat Fragile X (1/12/2011)

The first drug to treat the underlying disorder instead of the symptoms of Fragile X, the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability, shows some promise according to a new study published in the Jan. 5 issue of Science Translational Medicine. Researchers from Rush University Medical Center helped design the study and are now participating in the larger follow-up clinical trial. ...> Full Article

Punctuated evolution in cancer genomes (1/10/2011)

Cancer is most often considered to be the result of accumulation of mutations over time -- often over years. Researchers have found that in one in 40 cases, chromosomes explode in a single event, creating hundreds of fragments and many mutations. The new process is particularly common in bone cancers. Although the cause of the shattered chromosomes is not known, the team suggest possible mechanisms to be studied. ...> Full Article

Faster, scalable method for producing AAV-based gene transfer vectors (1/7/2011)

A new, simplified method for producing large amounts of viral vector cassettes capable of shuttling genes into host cells will help advance the promising field of gene therapy as applications move into large animal studies and human clinical trials. The novel adeno-associated virus (AAV) production method is described in an article published instant online ahead of publication in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert Inc. ...> Full Article

Jackson Laboratory and Tufts University announce new Ph.D. track in mammalian genetics (1/6/2011)

The Jackson Laboratory, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts and Tufts University School of Medicine announce a new track for Ph.D. students in mammalian genetics. The joint track offers students in-depth research and training at both JAX and Tufts and is expected to help address the growing international need for expertise in mammalian genetics. ...> Full Article

Most common adult brain cancer linked to gene deletion, Stanford doctors say (1/3/2011)

A study fast-tracked for online publication Dec. 22 in the New England Journal of Medicine has identified an important gene deletion in up to one of every four cases of glioblastoma, the most common adult brain cancer. This deletion contributes to tumor development, promotes resistance to therapy and considerably worsens a patient's survival prospects. ...> Full Article

BIOMICs Group analyzes Basque diaspora DNA (1/2/2011)

The BIOMICs Group, based at the Lucio Lascaray building in the Alava/Araba campus of the University of the Basque Country, is specially known for overseeing the SGIker DNA Bank, not only undertaking this task, but also feeding data into the gene research bank and making good use of it for their own lines of research. ...> Full Article

Heat shock protein drives yeast evolution (1/1/2011)

Whitehead Institute researchers have determined that heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) can create diverse heritable traits in brewer's yeast by affecting a large portion of the yeast genome. The finding has led the researchers to conclude that Hsp90 has played a key role in shaping the evolutionary history of the yeast genome, and likely others as well. ...> Full Article