Genetics News And Research - September 2009 Archives

Cells in developing tissue consider their history of signaling exposure to determine location (9/30/2009)

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have proposed a novel model that differs from a widely held hypothesis about the mechanisms by which developing animals pattern their tissues and structures. ...> Full Article

Lab determines the composition of centromeric chromatin (9/29/2009)

The Stowers Institute's Gerton Lab has provided new evidence to clarify the structure of nucleosomes containing Cse4, a centromere-specific histone protein required for proper kinetochore function, which plays a critical role in the process of mitosis. The work, conducted in yeast cells, was published in the most recent issue of Molecular Cell. ...> Full Article

How mitochondrial gene defects impair respiration, other major life functions (9/28/2009)

Researchers are delving into abnormal gene function in mitochondria, structures within cells that power our lives. Because mitochondria generate energy from food, defects in mitochondria may affect a wide range of organ systems in humans and animals. A new study sheds light on mitochondrial biology, pointing to genes that might be targeted in future disease treatments. ...> Full Article

All tied up: Tethered protein provides long-sought answer (9/24/2009)

Single-molecule tests help scientists address long-standing questions ...> Full Article

How proteins talk to each other (9/22/2009)

Investigators at Burnham Institute for Medical Research have identified novel cleavage sites for the enzyme caspase-3 (an enzyme that proteolytically cleaves target proteins). Using an advanced proteomic technique called N-terminomics, Guy Salvesen, Ph.D., professor and director of the Apoptosis and Cell Death Research program of Burnham's NCI-designated Cancer Center, and colleagues determined the cleavage sites on target proteins and found, contrary to previous understanding, that caspase-3 targets a-helices as well as unstructured loops. ...> Full Article

Ontario Genomics Institute Launches Program to Improve Researchers' Access to Genomics Technologies (9/21/2009)

Organization seeks to increase research access to leading-edge technologies by providing support for both vendor-platform and user-platform access and transactions. ...> Full Article

Regulatory role of key molecule discovered (9/20/2009)

The discovery by Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers of an additional role for a key molecule in our bodies provides a further step in world-wide efforts to develop genetic regulation aimed at controlling many diseases, including AIDS and various types of cancers. ...> Full Article

NIH funds grantees focusing on epigenomics of human health and disease (9/20/2009)

The National Institutes of Health announced today that it will fund 22 grants on genome-wide studies of how epigenetic changes -- chemical modifications to genes that result from diet, aging, stress, or environmental exposures -- define and contribute to specific human diseases and biological processes. ...> Full Article

New sequencing technique could boost pine beetle fight, improve cancer research (9/19/2009)

UBC researchers have helped developed a cheaper, faster way to compile draft genome sequences that could advance the fight against mountain pine beetle (MPB) infestation and improve cancer research. ...> Full Article

Researchers unlock genetic secrets of date palm (9/18/2009)

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar have mapped a draft version of the date palm genome, unlocking many of its genetic secrets. ...> Full Article

When you've doubled your genes, what's 1 chromosome more or less? (9/17/2009)

For animals, an extra chromosome can result in major problems, but plants are another matter. Many plants can survive an extra copy of their entire genome (polyploidy), and this process often results in a new species, making it an important mechanism in evolution. In fact, over 80 percent of plants may be a product of polyploidy. This research examines how polyploidy and genomic change can lead to evolutionary change, and affect plants' fitness and vigor. ...> Full Article

Researchers program cells to be remote-controlled by light (9/16/2009)

UCSF researchers have genetically encoded mouse cells to respond to light, creating cells that can be trained to follow a light beam or stop on command like microscopic robots. ...> Full Article

RNA interference found in budding yeasts (9/15/2009)

Some budding yeast species have the ability to silence genes using RNA interference (RNAi). Until now, most researchers thought that no budding yeasts possess the RNAi pathway because Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the protoypical model budding yeast does not. Some budding yeasts cause human diseases, while other budding yeasts are used in research as models for more complicated organisms, in industry to create beer and biofuels, and in pharmaceuticals to produce drugs and vaccines. ...> Full Article

Study of huge numbers of genetic mutations point to oxidative stress as underlying cause (9/14/2009)

A study that tracked genetic mutations through the human equivalent of about 5,000 years has demonstrated for the first time that oxidative DNA damage is a primary cause of the process of mutation -- the fuel for evolution but also a leading cause of aging, cancer and other diseases. ...> Full Article

Computational biologists develop innovative method to detect genetic causes of complex diseases (9/13/2009)

Computational biologists at Carnegie Mellon University have developed an analytical technique to detect the multiple genetic variations that contribute to complex disease syndromes such as diabetes, asthma and cancer, which are characterized by multiple clinical and molecular traits. ...> Full Article

Sex talk revelations of the lonely Y chromosome (9/12/2009)

New study proves that communication between male and female occurs in our innermost beings ...> Full Article

Genomics sciences guarantees better results in the art of winemaking (9/12/2009)

While the art of fine winemaking is a beautiful thing, winemakers are increasingly turning to the power of science to give them the tools they need to ensure a high quality pour each and every time. ...> Full Article

Potato blight reveals some secrets as genome is decoded (9/11/2009)

Late blight caused the 19th century famine that sparked a wave of emigration from Ireland to the United States, but the disease has also infected tomatoes and potatoes this year. Potatoes, the world's fourth-largest food crop, were raised on 65,500 acres in Wisconsin in 2007. If a potato field is not treated with pesticide, late blight can destroy the crop in a few days. ...> Full Article

Genomes reveal bacterial lifestyles: Research (9/11/2009)

Sampling just a few genes can reveal not only the "lifestyle" of marine microbes but of their entire environments, new research suggests. This means researchers may be able to predict the types of microbes that thrive in specific marine environments by sampling the genomes of just a few dominant species, according to research co-author Rick Cavicchioli of the University of NSW. As well, it may reveal new insights into the impacts of climate change on biodiversity in the world's oceans. ...> Full Article

Largest ever Alzheimer's genome study unveils dementia mysteries (9/10/2009)

British scientists have discovered two new genes associated with Alzheimer's disease, while French colleagues uncovered a third ...> Full Article

Zoo volunteers help explain mysteries of the genome (9/9/2009)

Chimps trained to enable keepers to take DNA samples with cheek swabs ...> Full Article

Researchers restore missing protein in rare genetic brain disorder (9/8/2009)

UCSF researchers have successfully used protease inhibitors to restore to normal levels a key protein involved in early brain development. Reduced levels of that protein have been shown to cause the rare brain disorder lissencephaly, which is characterized by brain malformations, seizures, severe mental retardation and very early death in human infants. ...> Full Article

Lipid involved with gene regulation uncovered (9/7/2009)

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine researchers have discovered a new role for the bioactive lipid messenger, sphingosine-1-phosphate, or S1P, that is abundant in our blood -- a finding that could lead to a new generation of drugs to fight cancer and inflammatory disease. ...> Full Article

Research scientists identify genetic cause for type of deafness (9/5/2009)

A team led by scientists from the Scripps Research Institute has discovered a genetic cause of progressive hearing loss. The findings will help scientists better understand the nature of age-related decline in hearing, and may lead to new therapies to prevent or treat the condition. ...> Full Article

Sex disorders linked to Y chromosome's instability (9/4/2009)

When researchers first reported the sequence of the human Y chromosome, they referred to it as a "literal hall of mirrors." That is, the male sex chromosome, and in particular the genes essential for sperm production, are encoded in long stretches of mirror-image sequence. That unique pattern provides the lone Y chromosome with pairs of genes within its own structure that can back each other up, helping to maintain its integrity. ...> Full Article

Fungal map of mutations key to increasing enzyme production for bioenergy use (9/3/2009)

In a PNAS paper released online this week, an international team of researchers provides the first genome-wide look at the mutations in strains of the fungus Trichoderma reesei in order to understand just how the production of enzymes that break down cellulose production was first improved, and how it can be boosted even further for industrial applications such as biofuel production. ...> Full Article

Open source DNA (9/2/2009)

A new mathematical tool from Dr. Eran Halperin of TAU's Blavatnik School of Computer Science aims to protect genetic privacy while giving genomic data to researchers. ...> Full Article

Counting duplicated genome segments now possible (9/1/2009)

A new computational method has proven its usefulness in counting duplicated sequences in human genomes and in initially assessing their content. Duplicated segments have been linked with several types of diseases, including intellectual impairment, schizoprhenia, lupus, Crohn's, psoriasis and macular degeneration. They have also been found in resistance to certain diseases, like HIV infections. Determining the number, content, and location of segmental duplications is vital to understanding their health implications. ...> Full Article