Genetics News And Research Archives Page 9

Handheld DNA detector (3/11/2008)

Researcher describes a mathematical simulation to show how a new type of nanoscale transistor might be coupled to a DNA sensor system to produce a characteristic signal for specific DNA fragments in a sample ...> Full Article

New revelations in epigenetic control shed light on breast cancer (3/11/2008)

Scientists discover that long-term regulation of the human genome is much more dynamic than assumed ...> Full Article

Researchers discover the structural alphabet of RNA (3/9/2008)

A team of bioinformaticians at the Université de Montréal (UdeM) report in the March 6th edition of Nature the discovery of a structural alphabet that can be used to infer the 3D structure of ribonucleic acid (RNA) from sequence data, providing new tools to understand the role of this important class of cellular regulators. ...> Full Article

Protocols features high-throughput methods for analyzing gene activity (3/9/2008)

New high-throughput methods are revolutionizing our understanding of transcriptional regulation ...> Full Article

Brown-led study rearranges some branches on animal tree of life (3/8/2008)

A study led by Brown University biologist Casey Dunn uses new genomics tools to answer old questions about animal evolution. The study is the most comprehensive animal phylogenomic research project to date, involving 40 million base pairs of new DNA data taken from 29 animal species. ...> Full Article

Zebrafish provide useful screening tool for genes, compounds that protect against hearing loss (3/8/2008)

In a study published in the Feb. 29 issue of the journal PLoS Genetics, researchers at the University of Washington have developed a research method that relies on a zebrafish's lateral line--the faint line running down each side of a fish that enables it to sense its surroundings--to quickly screen for genes and chemical compounds that protect against hearing loss from some medications. ...> Full Article

Giant panda genome to be sequenced (3/7/2008)

Researchers announce the launch of the International Giant Panda Genome Project ...> Full Article

How worms protect their chromosomes: Thereby hangs a surprising tail (3/7/2008)

A team of scientists has discovered that the roundworm C. elegans constructs the protective tips of its chromosomes - known as telomeres - with a little more panache than do mammals, a finding that could deepen our understanding of the interrelationship of aging and cancer. ...> Full Article

Gene variants may increase risk of anxiety disorder (3/6/2008)

Strongest genetic evidence to date could help identify new drug targets ...> Full Article

Genes hold the key to how happy we are, scientists say (3/6/2008)

Happiness in life is as much down to having the right genetic mix as it is to personal circumstances according to a recent study. ...> Full Article

Researchers Help Unlock the Genetic Secrets of Corn (3/5/2008)

Relying on a genetic "physical map" developed by University of Arizona plant scientists, researchers from Washington University, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Iowa State University and the UA have completed a working draft of the corn genome. By unlocking the genetic secrets of this crop vital to U.S. agriculture, the researchers have gained information that could ultimately help society deal with drought, global warming, population pressures and increasing energy needs. ...> Full Article

Mice with gene deletion provide clues to Prader-Willi syndrome in study (3/5/2008)

A new mouse model for a genetic cause of obesity has been developed by scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. The researchers hope that learning more about the mice, which overeat but do not gain weight, will help them develop new therapies for people with Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare genetic condition that triggers uncontrollable eating. ...> Full Article

Device allows scientists to control gene activity across generations of cells (3/4/2008)

Just as cells inherit genes, they also inherit a set of instructions that tell genes when to become active, in which tissues and to what extent. Now, Rockefeller University researchers have built a device that, by allowing scientists to turn genes on and off in actively multiplying budding yeast cells, will help them figure out more precisely than before how genes and proteins interact with one another and how these interactions drive cellular functions. ...> Full Article

Short RNA strand helps exposed skin cells protect body from bacteria, dehydration and even cancer (3/4/2008)

Every minute, 30,000 of our outermost skin cells die so that we can live. When they do, new cells migrate from the inner layer of the skin to the surface of it, where they form a tough protective barrier. In a series of elegant experiments in mice, researchers at Rockefeller University have now discovered a tiny RNA molecule that helps create this barrier. The results not only yield new insight into how skin first evolved, but also suggest how healthy cells can turn cancerous. ...> Full Article

Zebrafish provide useful screening tool for genes, drugs that protect against hearing loss (3/3/2008)

A small striped fish is helping scientists understand what makes people susceptible to a common form of hearing loss, although, in this case, it's not the fish's ears that are of interest. In a study published on February 29 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics, researchers at the University of Washington have developed a research method that relies on a zebrafish's lateral line-the faint line running down each side of a fish that enables it to sense its surroundings-to quickly screen for genes and chemical compounds that protect against hearing loss from some medications. The study was funded in part by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), one of the National Institutes of Health. ...> Full Article

Understanding primate evolution could aid HIV research (3/3/2008)

Evolution moves in fits and starts, shaping species through random genetic mutations that can help them survive or even hasten their death. But although the mutations occur by chance, the process can create surprisingly similar results. Now, in a startling twist, new research has provided an example in which evolution didn't just result in similar outcomes - it actually repeated itself, occurring the same way twice. Scientists at Rockefeller University and the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center have shown that nearly the exact same mutation occurred twice, in two monkey species that live on opposite sides of the world from each other. And while the change evolved independently in each case, in both species it plays a distinct role in how the animals fend off disease. ...> Full Article

All Eyes and Ears on the Corn Genome (3/3/2008)

Researchers complete draft sequence in less than three years ...> Full Article

Cancers in Dogs, Humans Share Same Genetic Basis, Say Researchers (3/2/2008)

Cancer researchers have found that humans and dogs share more than friendship and companionship - they also share the same genetic basis for certain types of cancer. Furthermore, the researchers say that because of the way the genomes have evolved, getting cancer may be inevitable for some humans and dogs. ...> Full Article

Genetic Coding Of The Pea Unraveled (3/2/2008)

The pea is one of many important crop species that is unsuited to the Agrobacterium-based genetic modification techniques that are commonly used to work with crops. Researchers have now discovered the first high-throughput forward and reverse genetics tool for the pea (Pisum sativum), could have major benefits for crop breeders around the world. ...> Full Article

Inverted DNA Turns Quiet Developmental Gene into a Potent Driver of T-Cell Lymphoma (3/1/2008)

A gene crucial for embryonic development can quickly become a potent cancer promoter in adult mice after a genetic misalignment, according to researchers from Fox Chase Cancer Center, causing white blood cells to become cancerous spontaneously. ...> Full Article

Donation of $600,000 to Buy State-of-Art DNA Sequencer (3/1/2008)

Cancer center receives donation to buy new genetic sequencer ...> Full Article

New gene discovery could help schizophrenics (2/29/2008)

International team has discovered a gene that increases the risk of developing schizophrenia ...> Full Article

Gene That Controls Ozone Resistance of Plants Could Lead to Drought-Resistant Crops (2/29/2008)

Biologists at the University of California, San Diego, working with collaborators at the University of Helsinki in Finland and two other European institutions, have elucidated the mechanism of a plant gene that controls the amount of atmospheric ozone entering a plant's leaves. ...> Full Article

Researchers help piece together the corn genome's first draft (2/28/2008)

Researchers helped write the first draft of the corn genome sequence that will be announced Thursday, Feb. 28, at the 50th Annual Maize Genetics Conference in Washington, D.C. ...> Full Article

Bee Stock Collection Moves to UC Davis (2/28/2008)

A noted collection of about 750,000 live honeybees, developed 18 years ago by internationally known honeybee geneticist Robert E. Page Jr. will soon return to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at UC Davis. ...> Full Article

Getting to the roots of hair loss (2/27/2008)

New gene improves our understanding of hair growth and offers a path to effective therapies ...> Full Article

Toolkit energizes study of cell's powerhouse (2/27/2008)

Screening both genes and physiology yields rich compendium on mitochondrial biology ...> Full Article

Genome-wide profiling of epigenetic therapy in cervical cancer (2/26/2008)

In a single-arm interventional study, demethylating hydralazine and the histone deacetylase (HADC) inhibitor magnesium valproate were added to cisplatin chemoradiation in International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IIIB cervical cancer treatment to assess their safety and biological effects. ...> Full Article

Radiation From Mobile Phones Changes Protein Expression In Living People, Study Suggests (2/26/2008)

A new study completed by the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) on effects of mobile phone radiation on human skin strengthens the results of the human cell line analyses: living tissue responds to mobile phone radiation. ...> Full Article

Gene at intersection of stem cells, immunity (2/25/2008)

A gene that "wakes up" the blood system's stem cells in times of stress also plays an important role in protecting against infection, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and Duke University Medical School in a report that appears in the journal Cell Stem Cell. ...> Full Article