Genetics News And Research - June 2011 Archives

Cause of hereditary blindness discovered (6/30/2011)

Medics at the RUB have found the cause of hereditary, progressive blindness: they have identified the previously unknown protein CCDC66, the loss of which initially leads to night blindness and in due course usually results in complete blindness. The researchers from the Department of Human Genetics led by Professor Dr. Jörg T. Epplen have demonstrated this using a mouse model. ...> Full Article

Non-coding RNA has role in inherited neurological disorder -- and maybe other brain diseases too (6/29/2011)

A team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, have uncovered a novel mechanism regulating gene expression and transcription linked to Spinocerebellar ataxia 7, an inherited neurological disorder. The discovery promises to have broad ramifications, suggesting that abundant non-coding transcripts of ribonucleic acid (RNA) may be key players in neurological development and function, and could be powerful targets for future clinical therapies. ...> Full Article

New curation tool a boon for genetic biologists (6/28/2011)

With the BeeSpace Navigator, University of Illinois researchers have created both a curation tool for genetic biologists and a new approach to searching for information. The user-friendly interface allows biologists to build a unique "space," or special collection of literature to search, in a few simple steps. Not only does the program summarize a gene, as a curator would, but it also can perform analysis to extrapolate functions from literature. ...> Full Article

Scientists rise to the challenge of identifying and comparing yeast genomes (6/27/2011)

A team of US researchers has identified and compared the genetic codes for all known species of yeasts closely related to bakers' and brewers' yeast (the former used in pizza dough, the latter in beer), which lays the foundation for future understanding of mutation and disease, as studies of yeasts often identify key genes and mechanisms of disease. ...> Full Article

Discoveries in mitochondria open new field of cancer research (6/26/2011)

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center have revealed novel mechanisms in mitochondria that have implications for cancer as well as many other age-related diseases such as Parkinson's disease, heart disease and hypertension. This discovery has pioneered the formation of a whole new field within epigenetics research ripe with possibilities of developing future gene therapies to treat cancer and age-associated diseases. ...> Full Article

Genetic finding offers hope for orphan disease (6/25/2011)

New research conducted at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, offers hope for people with a rare disorder called Chuvash polycythemia. ...> Full Article

Entomologists launch the 5,000 Insect Genome Project (i5k) (6/24/2011)

The i5k Initiative aims to sequence the genomes of 5,000 insects and other arthropods over the next five years in order to "improve our lives by contributing to a better understanding of insect biology and transforming our ability to manage arthropods that threaten our health, food supply, and economic security." ...> Full Article

A mother's determination, next-generation sequencing provide solutions for twins (6/23/2011)

Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine, experts in San Diego and at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor describe how the sequencing of the children's whole genome along with that of their older brother and their parents zeroed in on the gene that caused the children's genetic disorder, which enabled physicians to fine-tune their treatment. ...> Full Article

23andMe database surpasses 100,000 users (6/22/2011)

Leading personal genetics company 23andMe has built one of the world's largest databases of individual genetic information including the DNA data of more than 100,000 people. In addition to gaining insights into their health and ancestry, more than three-fourths of 23andMe customers' participate in IRB-approved studies. 23andMe's novel, web-based research approach allows for the rapid recruitment of participants to many genome-wide association studies at once, reducing the time and money needed to make new discoveries. ...> Full Article

Single GFP-expressing cell is basis of living laser device (6/21/2011)

Two investigators at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital have developed a device in which a single cell genetically engineered to express green fluorescent protein is used to amplify the light particles called photons into nanosecond-long pulses of laser light. ...> Full Article

Researchers improve method for finding genetic mistakes that fuel cancer (6/20/2011)

A dramatically better computer tool for finding the genetic missteps that fuel cancer has been developed by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital -- Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project investigators. Researchers are using the new algorithm to help identify the chromosomal rearrangements and DNA insertions or deletions unique to cancer. ...> Full Article

Chasing EHEC with the computer (6/19/2011)

Scientists in Saarbruecken provide free access to the enteric pathogen's genetic regulation data. ...> Full Article

Fragile X protein acts as toggle switch in brain cells (6/18/2011)

New research shows how the protein missing in fragile X syndrome -- the most common inherited form of intellectual disability -- acts as a molecular toggle switch in brain cells. ...> Full Article

Genome offers clue to functions of destructive wheat fungus (6/17/2011)

One of the world's most destructive wheat pathogens is genetically built to evade detection before infecting its host, according to a study that mapped the genome of the fungus. ...> Full Article

Genes provide landmarks on the roadmap of autism (6/16/2011)

The interactome or protein interaction network for autism spectrum disorders developed by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in collaboration with scientists at the Center for Cancer Systems Biology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute demonstrates how protein pathways converge, diverge and interact to arrive at the same devastating condition. ...> Full Article

Easy-to-use genome analyzer to scientific community (6/15/2011)

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have developed a desktop genome analyzer and browser that allows biologists to rapidly and easily analyze and process their high-throughput data. The open-source software, called GenPlay, is described in the May 19 online edition of Bioinformatics. ...> Full Article

New research describes key function of enzyme involved in RNA processing (6/14/2011)

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researchers have identified a cellular mechanism that is critical in maintaining normal cell function. In their work, the researchers examined the function of TRAMP, a protein complex involved in the processing of RNA or ribonucleic acid within the cell. They identified a key function for the protein Mtr4p in a process that initiates the degradation of select RNAs, a necessary step in preserving normal cell function. ...> Full Article

Researchers build largest biochemical circuit out of small synthetic DNA molecules (6/14/2011)

In many ways, life is like a computer. An organism's genome is the software that tells the cellular and molecular machinery -- the hardware -- what to do. But instead of electronic circuitry, life relies on biochemical circuitry -- complex networks of reactions and pathways that enable organisms to function. Now, researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have built the most complex biochemical circuit ever created from scratch. ...> Full Article

Biologists uncover regulatory mechanism for gene expression in the visual system (6/13/2011)

Biologists have uncovered a key regulatory mechanism used for gene expression in the visual system. Their findings offer new insights into the complexity behind the genetic make-up of biological systems. ...> Full Article

Role of gene regulator in skeletal muscles demonstrated (6/13/2011)

Fast muscles, such as the thigh muscle in a sprinter, deliver energy quickly but fatigue quickly. Slow muscles, such as the soleus muscle in the lower calf, are less forceful but important for posture and endurance. Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Virginia Tech have discovered one gene regulator that maintains the fast muscle type and inhibits the development of a slow muscle type. ...> Full Article

Researchers characterize epigenetic fingerprint of 1,628 people (6/12/2011)

The researcher Manel Esteller, director of the Epigenetics and Cancer Biology Program of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), professor at the University of Barcelona and ICREA researcher, has coordinated a work that identifies the "epigenetic fingerprints" of 1,628 people, healthy volunteers and patients suffering from common diseases, such as cancer, and cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. The findings are published this week in the scientific journal Genome Research. ...> Full Article

Researchers show host Mta1 gene is required for optimal survival of schistosome parasites, a leading global cause of cancer (6/11/2011)

By using mice lacking a crucial gene that controls the process of chromatin remodeling of cytokines including those responsible for inflammation and comparing them to normal wild type mice with the gene, researchers at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences have shown that the gene, Mta1, is essential for the parasite Schistosoma haematobium to establish a productive infection and survival in the host. ...> Full Article

Of mice and men: Team solves mouse genome dilemma (6/10/2011)

Now, thanks to an in-depth analysis by a team led by Fernando Pardo-Manuel de Villena, Ph.D., in the UNC Department of Genetics and Gary Churchill, Ph.D., at the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, researchers will be able to use an online resource dubbed the Mouse Phylogeny Viewer to select from among 162 strains of laboratory mice for which the entire genome has been characterized. ...> Full Article

Mutated muscle protein causes deafness (6/9/2011)

Gene mutations on the X chromosome lead to progressive hearing impairment. ...> Full Article

Parental conflict in plants: Maternal factors silence paternal genes (6/8/2011)

In flowering plants, the beginning of embryogenesis is almost exclusively governed by maternal gene activity. Maternal factors regulate the development of the embryo and silence paternal genes during early stages of development. This finding -- obtained using next generation sequencing technology -- was reported by an international team of researchers including plant geneticists from the University of Zurich. This newly uncovered mechanism may be involved in the maintenance of species boundaries and could play an important role in the development of novel crop varieties. ...> Full Article

Noncoding RNA may promote Alzheimer's disease (6/7/2011)

Researchers pinpoint a small RNA that spurs cells to manufacture a particular splice variant of a key neuronal protein, potentially promoting Alzheimer's disease or other types of neurodegeneration. The study appears in the May 30 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology. ...> Full Article

Extensive protein interaction network controls gene regulation (6/6/2011)

More than half of your DNA is devoted to regulating how the genes that make proteins -- the workhorses of the cells -- carry out their tasks. A team of scientists at Baylor College of Medicine identified and classified virtually all the transcriptional coregulators in a human cells. These coregulators control how and to what degree genes are turned on or off as well as when they are active and for how long. ...> Full Article

Scientists identify mutations that cause congenital cataracts (6/6/2011)

New research identifies genetic mutations that cause an inherited form of cataracts in humans. The study, published online June 2 by Cell Press in the American Journal of Genetics, provides new insight into the understanding of lens transparency and the development of cataracts in humans. ...> Full Article

Biological circuits for synthetic biology (6/5/2011)

Using the tools of synthetic biology, Berkeley Lab researchers have engineered the first RNA-based regulatory system that can independently control the transcription activities of multiple targets in a single cell. This is a significant advance for the design and construction of programmable genetic networks. ...> Full Article

Researchers discover genetic mutation causing excessive hair growth (6/4/2011)

Researchers in the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, together with scientists in Beijing, China, have discovered a chromosomal mutation responsible for a very rare condition in which people grow excess hair all over their bodies. Investigators hope the finding ultimately will lead to new treatments for this and less severe forms of excessive hair growth as well as baldness. ...> Full Article

Improving DNA sequencing: Sponge-like biosensor crams enormous power into tiny space (6/4/2011)

Vanderbilt University engineers have created a "spongy" silicon biosensor that shows promise not only for medical diagnostics, but also for the detection of dangerous toxins and other tiny molecules in the environment. This innovation was originally designed to detect the presence of particular DNA sequences, which can be extremely helpful in identifying a person's predisposition to heart disease or cancer. The new sensor is described in the Optical Society's open access journal, Optics Express. ...> Full Article

Researchers model genome copying-collating steps during cell division (6/3/2011)

Researchers from Virginia Tech and Oxford University have proposed a novel molecular mechanism for the living cell's remarkable ability to detect the alignment of replicated chromosomes on the mitotic spindle in the final phase of the cell division cycle. This checkpoint mechanism prevents mistakes in the cell division process that could damage dividing cells and the organism they inhabit. ...> Full Article

Packaging process for genes discovered in new research (6/1/2011)

A major milestone has been achieved in the attempt to assemble, in a test tube, entire chromosomes from their component parts. The research achievement reveals the process a cell uses to package the basic building blocks of an organism's entire genetic code. ...> Full Article