Genetics News And Research - May 2011 Archives

Gene-modified stem cells help protect bone marrow from toxic side effects of chemotherapy (5/31/2011)

Although chemotherapy is used to kill cancer cells, it can also have a strong toxic effect on normal cells such as bone marrow and blood cells. Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center report that one possible approach to reduce this toxic effect on bone marrow cells is to modify the cells with a gene that makes them resistant to chemotherapy. ...> Full Article

Gene therapy success depends on ability to advance viral delivery vectors to commercialization (5/30/2011)

Many gene therapy strategies designed to deliver a normal copy of a gene to cells carrying a disease-causing genetic mutation rely on a modified virus to transfer the gene product into affected tissues. One technology platform that is well suited for in vivo delivery of genes is based on adeno-associated viruses (AAV). As these novel therapies move closer to commercialization, so do the methods for large-scale production and efficient delivery of AAV vectors. ...> Full Article

A new gene expression analysis technique on a single molecule sequencer (5/29/2011)

A new gene expression technique adapted for single molecule sequencing has enabled researchers at the RIKEN Omics Science Center to accurately and quantitatively measure gene expression levels using only 100 nanograms of total RNA. The technique, which pairs RIKEN's Cap Analysis of Gene Expression (CAGE) protocol with the Helicos Genetic Analysis System developed by Helicos BioSciences Corporation, opens the door to the detailed analysis of gene expression networks and rare cell populations. ...> Full Article

Errors in protein structure sparked evolution of biological complexity (5/28/2011)

A new comparison of proteins shared across species finds that complex organisms, including humans, have accumulated structural weaknesses that may have actually launched the long journey from microbe to man. The study, published in Nature, suggests that the random introduction of errors into proteins, rather than traditional natural selection, may have boosted the evolution of biological complexity. ...> Full Article

Researchers uncover a new level of genetic diversity in human RNA sequences (5/27/2011)

A detailed comparison of DNA and RNA in human cells has uncovered a surprising number of cases where the corresponding sequences are not, as has long been assumed, identical. The RNA-DNA differences generate proteins that do not precisely match the genes that encode them. ...> Full Article

From gene to protein -- new insights (5/27/2011)

How do genes control us? This fundamental question still remains elusive despite decades of research. Genes are blueprints for proteins, but it is the proteins that actually carry out vital functions. But how is protein production controlled? Researchers of the Max Delbrueck Center have now comprehensively quantified gene expression for the first time and found out that control mainly occurs in the cytoplasm of the cell and not in the cell nucleus. ...> Full Article

Researchers outline method for DNA computation in new book (5/26/2011)

Researchers at NYU's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences have outlined a method for storing programs inside DNA that simplifies nanocomputing -- computation at the molecular level. Co-authored by Jessie Chang and Dennis Shasha, "Stored Clocked Programs Inside DNA: A Simplifying Framework for Nanocomputing" describes how to build millions of DNA programs from which instructions can be peeled away one at a time from each program in synchrony. ...> Full Article

Atomic-scale structures of ribosome could help improve antibiotics (5/26/2011)

In a development that could lead to better antibiotics, scientists from several institutions including Berkeley Lab derived atomic-scale resolution structures of the cell's protein-making machine, the ribosome, at key stages of its job. The structures reveal that the ribosome's ability to rotate an incredible amount without falling apart is due to the never-before-seen springiness of molecular widgets that hold it together. ...> Full Article

The structure-based design of zinc finger nucleases can facilitate genomic editing (5/24/2011)

A recent study published in the May 2011 issue of Science China: Life Sciences described a novel method using FoldX force field based protein modeling that can be applied in zinc finger nucleases design. ...> Full Article

Heads or tails? (5/24/2011)

Northwestern University and MIT scientists have discovered that an ancient and seldom-studied gene is critical for regeneration in the planarian flatworm, which has the amazing ability to regenerate its entire body from a small wedge of tissue. The gene notum, the researchers found, plays a key role in the regeneration decision-making process. The findings may have important ramifications for tissue regeneration and repair in humans. ...> Full Article

A gene that fights cancer, but causes it too (5/23/2011)

An international team of researchers, led by scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, and the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital in China, say a human gene implicated in the development of leukemia also acts to prevent cancer of the liver. ...> Full Article

Plasticity of hormonal response permits rapid gene expression reprogramming (5/23/2011)

Gene expression is the process of converting the genetic information encoded in DNA into a final gene product such as a protein or any of several types of RNA. Scientists have long thought that the gene programs regulated by different physiological processes throughout the body are robustly pre-determined and relatively fixed for every specialized cell. But a new study by researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine reveals the unsuspected plasticity of some of these gene expression programs. ...> Full Article

Gene expression changes in nasal cells may help identify lung cancer in earliest stages (5/22/2011)

A simple, minimally-invasive technique using cells from the interior of the nose could help clinicians detect lung cancer in its earliest -- and most treatable -- stages, according to a study conducted by researchers in Boston. ...> Full Article

Researchers identify DNA region linked to depression (5/21/2011)

Researchers at Washington University and King's College London have independently identified DNA on chromosome 3 that appears to be related to depression. ...> Full Article

Study gives clue as to how notes are played on the genetic piano (5/20/2011)

Japanese and US scientists report an epigenetic rationale as to how some genes are silenced and others aren't. By reversing this effect, it may be possible to devise therapies for cancer and other diseases. ...> Full Article

Eucalyptus tree genome deciphered (5/19/2011)

A team of international researchers, led by Prof. Zander Myburg from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, completed the genome sequence for the forest tree species Eucalyptus grandis. The completed genome sequence, that unlocks new possibilities for biofuels and forestry, is available on the internet. ...> Full Article

Scientists use genetically altered virus to get tumors to tattle on themselves (5/18/2011)

Scientists have used a genetically re-engineered herpes virus that selectively hunts down and infects cancerous tumors and then delivers genetic material that prompts cancers to secrete a biomarker and reveal their presence. According to a study appearing May 11 in PLoS (Public Library of Science) ONE, the novel technology has the potential to vastly improve cancer diagnosis by allowing the disease to be caught at much earlier stages and to monitor the effectiveness of therapy. ...> Full Article

The '$1,000 genome' may cost $100,000 to understand (5/17/2011)

Advances in technology have almost lifted the curtain on the long-awaited era of the "$1,000 genome, compared to nearly $1 million a few years ago. But an article in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), ACS' weekly newsmagazine, raises the disconcerting prospect that a price tag of $100,000, by one conservative estimate, is necessary to analyze that genetic data so it can be used in personalized medicine. ...> Full Article

Discovery of DNA silencing mechanism reveals how plants protect their genome (5/16/2011)

Researchers at the RIKEN Plant Science Center (PSC) have clarified a key epigenetic mechanism by which an enzyme in the model plant Arabidopsis protects cells from harmful DNA elements. Published in the April 28 issue of the journal PLoS Genetics, the finding contributes to advancing our understanding of a broad range of biological processes in both plants and animals, opening the door to applications in cancer therapy and agriculture. ...> Full Article

RNA spurs melanoma development (5/16/2011)

Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and the University of Queensland show that long, non-coding RNA (lncRNA) levels are altered in human melanoma. Their study, published online May 10 by the journal Cancer Research, shows that one lncRNA called SPRY4-IT1 is elevated in melanoma cells, where it promotes cellular survival and invasion. ...> Full Article

Latest advances in gene therapy for ocular disease (5/15/2011)

Disorders of the eye are excellent targets for gene therapy because the ocular environment is readily accessible, relatively easy to monitor, and sequestered from the rest of the body. A series of articles available online ahead of print in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., highlight several exciting developments in ocular gene therapy. ...> Full Article

From a bucket of seawater, new understanding of the ocean (5/14/2011)

From a bucket of seawater, scientists have unlocked information that may lead to deeper understanding of organisms as different as coral reefs and human disease. By analyzing genomes of a tiny, single-celled marine animal, they have demonstrated a possible way to address diverse questions such as how diseased cells differ from neighboring healthy cells and what it is about some Antarctic algae that allows them to live in warming waters while other algae die out. ...> Full Article

In a genetic research first, Researchers turn zebrafish genes off and on (5/13/2011)

Mayo Clinic researchers have designed a new tool for identifying protein function from genetic code. A team led by Stephen Ekker, Ph.D., succeeded in switching individual genes off and on in zebrafish, then observing embryonic and juvenile development. The study appears in the journal Nature Methods. ...> Full Article

Medusa-structure of gene regulatory network: Dominance of transcription factors in cancer subtypes (5/12/2011)

In the work published in the May 2011 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine, Dr. Huang and his students, Guo, Feng and Trivedi, offer a first step towards understanding the source of the stable pattern of gene expression profiles by testing whether gene expression profiles are indeed established by a gene regulatory network that has the structure of a "medusa," with a command and control "head" and an enslaved periphery, as proposed by theoreticians. ...> Full Article

Selaginella genome adds piece to plant evolutionary puzzle (5/11/2011)

A Purdue University-led sequencing of the Selaginella moellendorffii (spikemoss) genome -- the first for a non-seed vascular plant -- is expected to give scientists a better understanding of how plants of all kinds evolved over the past 500 million years and could open new doors for the identification of new pharmaceuticals. ...> Full Article

New mitochondrial control mechanism discovered (5/10/2011)

Scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Aging, Germany, have discovered a new component of mitochondria that plays a key part in their function. The discovery, which is presented in the journal Cell Metabolism, is of potential significance to our understanding of both inherited and age-related diseases. ...> Full Article

Genome duplication encourages rapid adaptation of plants (5/9/2011)

A University of Rochester biologist has found that at least some plant adaptations can occur almost instantaneously, not by a change in DNA sequence, but simply by duplication of existing genetic material. ...> Full Article

Early history of genetics revised (5/8/2011)

The early history of genetics has to be re-written in the light of new findings. Scientists from the University Jena in cooperation with colleagues from Prague found out that there were four direct protagonists, "rediscoverers" of Mendel's laws. The researchers could also prove that some of the scientists should indeed exchange plant seeds and corresponded about the research results in their letters. ...> Full Article

New insight into chromosome segregation: Centromere-independent kinetochore assembly (5/7/2011)

One of the most critical tasks that a dividing cell must accomplish is the successful delivery of a complete set of genetic information to each new daughter cell. Now, a study published by Cell Press in the April 29 issue of the journal Cell, provides fascinating new insight into the complex of proteins that orchestrates the proper segregation of human chromosomes during cell division. ...> Full Article

Advances in DNA 'origami' (5/6/2011)

Now a team at MIT, led by biological engineer Mark Bathe, has developed software that makes it easier to predict the three-dimensional shape that will result from a given DNA template. While the software doesn't fully automate the design process, it makes it considerably easier for designers to create complex 3-D structures, controlling their flexibility and potentially their folding stability. ...> Full Article

2 unsuspected proteins may hold the key to creating artificial chromosomes (5/6/2011)

Whitehead Institute scientists report that two proteins once thought to have only supporting roles, are the true "stars" of the kinetochore assembly process in human cells. The kinetochore is vital to proper DNA distribution during cell division. This finding suggests that scientists may be able to stimulate kinetochore assembly in a process that could lead to new genetic research tools, such as efficient creation of artificial human chromosomes. ...> Full Article

RAD-tagging technology is demystifying genome sequencing (5/5/2011)

Take millions of puzzle pieces containing partial words and create full words, sentences, paragraphs and chapters until a book is rebuilt. That process is like sequencing a genome, says a University of Oregon biologist who has published a proof-of-principle paper on a patent-pending technology. ...> Full Article

Water molecules characterize the structure of DNA genetic material (5/4/2011)

Water molecules surround the genetic material DNA in a very specific way. Scientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) have discovered that, on the one hand, the texture of this hydration shell depends on the water content and, on the other hand, actually influences the structure of the genetic substance itself. These findings are not only important in understanding the biological function of DNA; they could also be used for the construction of new DNA-based materials. ...> Full Article

Mutant mouse reveals new wrinkle in genetic code (5/3/2011)

Call it a mystery with a stubby tail: an odd-looking mouse discovered through a US government breeding program in the 1940s that had a short, kinky tail and an extra set of ribs in its neck -- and nobody knew why. ...> Full Article

Gene therapy shows promise against age-related macular degeneration (5/3/2011)

A study shows promise in slowing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Tufts researchers demonstrate for the first time that a gene therapy approach to deliver CD59, an inhibitor of complement, can significantly reduce uncontrolled blood vessel growth and cell death that is typical in AMD, the most common cause of blindness in the elderly. ...> Full Article

Decoding human genes is the goal of a new open-source encyclopedia (5/3/2011)

A massive database cataloging the functional components of the human genome is being made available as an open resource to scientists, classrooms, science writers, and the public, thanks to an international team led by a Penn State professor and other scientists. A paper providing an overview of the project, as well as a guide for using its vast amounts of data and resources, will be published in the journal PLoS Biology on April 19, 2011. ...> Full Article

Ends of chromosomes protected by stacked, coiled DNA caps (5/2/2011)

Researchers are delving into the details of the complex structure at the ends of chromosomes. Recent work, e-published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology last month, describes how these structures, called telomeres, can be protected by caps made up of specialized proteins and stacks of DNA called G-quadruplexes, or "G4 DNA." ...> Full Article

RNA dynamics deconstructed (5/2/2011)

RNA plays a critical role in directing the creation of proteins, but there is more to the life of an RNA molecule than simply carrying DNA's message. Researchers at the Broad have developed an approach that offers many windows into the lifecycle of these essential molecules. They describe their approach, which offers high resolution and a comprehensive scope, in a Nature Biotechnology article published online on April 24. ...> Full Article

Hopkins team discovers how DNA changes (5/1/2011)

Using human kidney cells and brain tissue from adult mice, Johns Hopkins scientists have uncovered the sequence of steps that makes normally stable DNA undergo the crucial chemical changes implicated in cancers, psychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. The process may also be involved in learning and memory, the researchers say. ...> Full Article

Team perfects non-lethal way of switching off essential genes in mice (5/1/2011)

Switching off an essential gene to study its function is problematic because shutting off its activity permanently will kill the organism before the gene's function can be determined. Researchers at CSHL have overcome this problem by using RNAi technology to temporarily turn off any essential gene in adult mice and then turn it back on before the change kills the animals. ...> Full Article

Secrets of a precision protein machine (5/1/2011)

The structure of the DNA-slicing protein FEN1, an essential player in human DNA replication, has been solved by an international team of life scientists led by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Scripps Research Institute. FEN1 cuts the "flaps" leftover when new fragments of DNA are assembled during replication and also plays a role in DNA repair. Its protein structure reveals the surprising mechanism behind FEN1's speed, accuracy, and versatility. ...> Full Article