Genetics News And Research - March 2011 Archives

Open-source software designed to minimize synthetic biology risks (3/31/2011)

A software package designed to minimize the potential risks of synthetic biology for the nation's defense and security is now available to the gene synthesis industry and synthetic biology community in an open-source format. ...> Full Article

First look at the full multiple myeloma genome reveals new insights, discoveries (3/31/2011)

Scientists have unveiled the most comprehensive picture to date of the full genetic blueprint of multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. This work, led by scientists at the Broad Institute and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, appears in the March 24 issue of Nature. ...> Full Article

Traumatizing your DNA (3/31/2011)

After an exhaustive survey of contemporary epigenetics studies, Professor Eva Jablonka of Tel Aviv University has concluded that some of the effects of stress, cancer and other chronic diseases may be passed on to our offspring -- and theirs -- through deep and complicated underlying cellular mechanisms that scientists are just beginning to understand. ...> Full Article

Scientists identify gene responsible for severe skin condition (3/30/2011)

Scientists at the University of Liverpool and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland have identified a gene that could indicate if epilepsy patients starting drug treatment are likely to experience side-effects resulting in blistering of the skin. ...> Full Article

Dine or dash? Genes help decide when to look for new food (3/30/2011)

HHMI researchers identify a genetic circuit that helps worms decide whether to dine or dash. ...> Full Article

New research tool targets microRNA expression in zebrafish (3/29/2011)

A new research tool for studying microRNA expression in zebrafish will help researchers study the effects of miRNA on the early development of this model organism and better understand developmental and disease mechanisms in humans, as described in Zebrafish, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. ...> Full Article

Epigenomic findings illuminate veiled variants (3/29/2011)

Using a new mapping strategy, a collaborative team led by researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and MIT has begun to assign meaning to the regions beyond our genes and has revealed how minute changes in these regions might be connected to common diseases. The researchers' findings appear in the March 23 advance online issue of Nature. ...> Full Article

First partial sequencing of an Iberian pig (3/28/2011)

Researchers of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona and of the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics, the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona, the National Institute for Agrarian Technology and Research in Madrid and Wageningen Research Center have published the first partial genome sequencing of an Iberian pig. Using next-generation sequencing techniques, researchers have been able to sequence and analyze 1 percent of the genome. ...> Full Article

First successful double-blind trial of gene therapy for advanced Parkinson's (3/28/2011)

A multi-center gene therapy trial for patients with advanced Parkinson's disease demonstrated reduced symptoms of the progressive movement disorder, according to a new study published in Lancet Neurology. ...> Full Article

Scientists find a key to maintaining our DNA (3/27/2011)

Maintaining the integrity of our DNA is a critical, yet complex part of the aging process. Scientists have discovered how DNA maintenance is regulated, opening the door to interventions that may enhance the body's natural preservation of genetic information. The findings may help researchers delay the onset of aging and disease by curbing the loss or damage of our genetic makeup, which makes us more susceptible to cancers and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's. ...> Full Article

New study pinpoints why some microbial genes are more promiscuous than others (3/26/2011)

While most organisms get their genes from their parents, bacteria also regularly pick up genes from more distant relatives. This ability to "steal" snippets of DNA from other species is responsible for the rapid spread of drug resistance among disease-causing bacteria. A new study of more than three dozen species - including the microbes responsible for pneumonia, ulcers and plague -- settles a longstanding debate about why bacteria are more likely to steal some genes than others. ...> Full Article

mygenomatix: A secure cloud-like model for next-gen sequencing data analysis (3/25/2011)

With mygenomatix, Genomatix launches a service model that incorporates all the power of its in-house platform and combines it with the affordability of cloud computing and the security of an in-house solution all at a very affordable price. ...> Full Article

Science paper reveals real-time working of the spliceosome (3/24/2011)

Making a movie at the molecular level? A new method of imaging molecule-sized machines as they do the complex work of cutting and pasting genetic information inside the nucleus is the subject of a just-published paper in the journal Science, and the movies have revealed a surprise about how the process works. ...> Full Article

Researchers create isobutanol directly from cellulose (3/23/2011)

In the quest for inexpensive biofuels, cellulose proved no match for a bioprocessing strategy and genetically engineered microbe developed by researchers at the Department of Energy's BioEnergy Science Center. ...> Full Article

Synthetic biology: Researchers develop novel kind of fluorescent protein (3/22/2011)

Since the 1990s a green fluorescent protein known as GFP has been used in research labs worldwide. Protein designers at Technische Universitaet Muenchen have now taken it a step further: They have managed to incorporate a synthetic amino acid into the natural GFP and thus to create a new kind of chimeric fluorescent bio-molecule by means of synthetic biology. By exploiting a special physical effect, the fluorescent protein glows in turquoise and displays unmatched properties. ...> Full Article

Genome sequencing used to assess a novel form of Clostridium botulinum (3/21/2011)

Scientists on the Norwich Research Park have sequenced the genome of a novel strain of Clostridium botulinum, one of the most dangerous pathogens known to man. The strain produces an unusual botulinum neurotoxin, known as type A5 neurotoxin, which was isolated by the Health Protection Agency, following a case of wound botulism. ...> Full Article

Research study explores gene therapy treatment to reduce symptoms of Parkinson's disease (3/20/2011)

Physicians at Rush University Medical Center are testing a unique gene therapy product called CERE-120 to evaluate if its use can improve the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Rush is one of 11 sites in the US and the only site in Illinois enrolling patients into the new, double-blinded trial. ...> Full Article

Combined molecular study techniques reveal more about DNA proteins (3/19/2011)

Illinois researchers have combined two molecular imaging technologies to create an instrument with incredible sensitivity that provides new, detailed insight into dynamic molecular processes. Two physics professors combined their expertise in single-molecule biophysics -- fluorescence microscopy and optical traps -- to create a unique instrument that measures both a DNA-regulating protein's motion and conformational changes as it acts. ...> Full Article

Oxford Nanopore announces licence agreement with Harvard University for graphene DNA sequencing (3/19/2011)

Oxford Nanopore will collaborate with Harvard University for the development of graphene for DNA sequencing. Graphene has remarkable electrical and physical properties; it is a single atom thick sheet of carbon with very high conductivity. By piercing a nanopore in graphene it may be possible to use this material to analyze DNA at a very high speed and low cost. ...> Full Article

Novel mechanism for control of gene expression revealed (3/18/2011)

Dr. David Levin, professor of molecular and cell biology at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine and Professor of Microbiology at Boston University School of Medicine discovered recently a novel, evolutionarily conserved mechanism for the regulation of gene expression. ...> Full Article

Study may lead to greater understanding of human genome regulation (3/17/2011)

Victoria Meller, Ph.D., associate professor of biological sciences at Wayne State University, received $301,392 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health to investigate the role of a type of RNA in the X chromosome dosage compensation of Drosophila, or fruit flies. The findings are likely to improve the understanding of gene regulation in humans, which employ similar cellular tools to regulate their complex genome. ...> Full Article

Scientists discover genetic switch that increases muscle blood supply (3/16/2011)

Many people suffer from a devastating condition known as critical limb ischemia that can lead to muscle wasting and even amputation. The disease is linked to the blockage of blood flow to the skeletal muscle and current treatment options include rehabilitative exercise and surgical bypass of blood vessels. New preclinical research suggests there may be a way to restore blood supply in skeletal muscle without traditional intervention. ...> Full Article

Researchers discover a substance against the 'dark genome' of cancer (3/15/2011)

A research study coordinated by Manel Esteller, researcher at Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) has identified a substance that inhibits cancer growth by activating the so-called "dark genome" (or non-coding DNA) and micro-RNA molecules. The study appears this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ...> Full Article

New marker found for Sanfilippo disease (3/15/2011)

In a paper published in the March 4 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, led by Jeffrey D. Esko, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, describe the build-up of a novel secondary metabolite in Sanfilippo disease, a discovery that could improve understanding of the pathology of Sanfillippo disease and refine diagnostic techniques. ...> Full Article

Gene fusion mechanisms offer new clues to origin of pediatric brain tumors (3/15/2011)

A detailed analysis of gene fusions present at high frequency in the most common pediatric brain tumors has been performed for the first time in a study published online today in Genome Research, shedding new light on how these genomic rearrangements form in the early stages of cancer. ...> Full Article

Researchers looking at a rare disease make breakthrough that could benefit everyone (3/14/2011)

By working with Canadians of French ancestry who suffer a rare genetic disease, researchers have discovered how three genes contribute to abnormal growth, making a breakthrough that will improve our understanding of many disorders such as fetal and childhood growth retardation, abnormal development of body parts and cancer. ...> Full Article

New method powerfully boosts efficiency of RNA interference (RNAi) in shutting down genes (3/13/2011)

A research team led by scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has developed a powerful method that allows them to sift through thousands of candidate hairpin-shaped RNA molecules at a time and pull out only those RNAs that potently shut down the activity of a target gene. This accomplishment will now allow biologists to fully exploit RNA interference, a natural cellular mechanism that has already been co-opted by scientists for myriad purposes. ...> Full Article

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center launches online genetic research tool (3/13/2011)

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center has launched the nation's first personalized cancer decision support tool, "My Cancer Genome," to help physicians and researchers track the latest developments in personalized cancer medicine and connect with clinical research trials for their patients. ...> Full Article

Research scientists create cell assembly line (3/12/2011)

Borrowing a page from modern manufacturing, scientists from the Florida campus of the Scripps Research Institute have built a microscopic assembly line that mass produces synthetic cell-like compartments. ...> Full Article

Team investigates function of 'junk DNA' in human genes (3/12/2011)

Part of the answer to how and why humans differ from other primates may lie in the repetitive stretches of the genome that were once considered "junk." A new study finds that when a particular type of repetitive DNA segment, known as an Alu element, inserts into existing genes, they can alter the rate of protein production -- a mechanism that could contribute to the evolution of different biological characteristics in different species. ...> Full Article

Just like cars, developmental genes have more than 1 way to stop (3/11/2011)

There's more than one way to silence gene activity, according to a Michigan State University researcher.Downregulating activity is how healthy genes should shift out of their development cycle. The results, published in this week's Current Biology, discuss how specific repressor proteins -- which researchers have named Hairy and Knirps -- slow genes during development and how the process is comparable to slowing down a car, says molecular biologist David Arnosti. ...> Full Article

Researchers use genomics to investigate TB outbreak (3/10/2011)

Scientists have set a new standard for studying outbreaks of infectious disease by combining advanced genomics with a detailed map of the social relationships between cases to investigate a recent outbreak of tuberculosis in a BC community. ...> Full Article

Entire T-cell receptor repertoire sequenced revealing extensive and unshared diversity (3/9/2011)

T-cell receptor diversity in blood samples from healthy individuals has been extensively cataloged for the first time in a study published online today in Genome Research, setting the stage for a better understanding of infectious disease, cancer, and immune system disorders. ...> Full Article

Stop and go (3/8/2011)

Gene transcription, the readout of genetic information, is a fundamental biological process. Researchers at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich have now captured the blockade and reactivation of transcription on film. The findings have implications for understanding gene activation in stem cells and tumor cells. ...> Full Article

Discovery of new gene mutation in schizophrenia offers a new target for drug therapies (3/7/2011)

In a major advance for schizophrenia research, an international team of scientists led by the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and involving Trinity College Dublin researchers has identified a gene mutation strongly linked to schizophrenia that may be an important new target for the development of drug therapies. ...> Full Article

Scientists to sequence DNA of cystic fibrosis superbug (3/6/2011)

Scientists at the University of Liverpool are using the latest DNA sequencing technology to understand the diversity of a bacterium that causes severe lung infection in cystic fibrosis patients. ...> Full Article

Vaccine made with synthetic gene protects against deadly pneumonia (3/5/2011)

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have developed an experimental vaccine that appears to protect against an increasingly common and particularly deadly form of pneumococcal pneumonia. Details of the new vaccine, which was tested in an animal model, are reported in a paper published today in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. ...> Full Article

New technology pinpoints genetic differences between cancer and non-cancer patients (3/4/2011)

A group of researchers led by scientists from the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have developed a new technology that detects distinct genetic changes differentiating cancer patients from healthy individuals and could serve as a future cancer predisposition test. ...> Full Article

Trichinosis parasite gets DNA decoded (3/3/2011)

Scientists have decoded the DNA of the parasitic worm that causes trichinosis, a disease linked to eating raw or undercooked pork or carnivorous wild game animals, such as bear and walrus. ...> Full Article

New genomics research investigates metastatic childhood cancers (3/2/2011)

In a project supported by Genome BC, a Vancouver pediatric pathologist at the BC Cancer Agency/University of British Columbia is leading the team that will explore the genomes of four of the most challenging childhood cancers known. ...> Full Article

Pollution triggers genetic resistance mechanism in a coastal fish (3/2/2011)

For 30 years, two General Electric facilities released about 1.3 million pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls into New York's Hudson River, devastating and contaminating fish populations. Some 50 years later, one type of fish -- the Atlantic tomcod -- has not only survived but appears to be thriving in the hostile Hudson environment. ...> Full Article

'Stupid strategies' could be best for the genes (3/2/2011)

Blindly copying what your parents did -- no matter how stupid it may seem -- could be the best strategy for the long-term success of your genes, according to research by the universities of Exeter and Bristol. ...> Full Article

New finding in ribosome signaling may lead to improved antibiotics (3/1/2011)

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered a signaling mechanism in the bacterial ribosome that detects proteins that activate genes for antibiotic resistance. ...> Full Article

Reverse genetics allow scientists to slow the spread of the Rubella virus (3/1/2011)

Scientists have identified the gene that allows the Rubella virus to block cell death and reverse engineered a mutant gene that slows the virus's spread. Tom Hobman and a team of researchers at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry believed that RNA viruses were able to spread by blocking the pathways in cells that lead to cell suicide, and isolated the responsible gene in Rubella, also known as German measles. ...> Full Article

Promise of genomics research needs a realistic view (3/1/2011)

A new commentary by four internationally prominent genetic medicine and bioethics experts cautions against the dangers of inflated expectations for genomics research and offers ways to avoid it while still realizing "the true -- and considerable -- promise of the genomic revolution." ...> Full Article

Collisions of protein machines cause DNA replication derailment (3/1/2011)

Scientists have published results that will forever change the way researchers view the interplay between gene expression, DNA replication and the prevention of DNA damage. ...> Full Article