All Articles Tagged As: genes

Researchers Develop Tool To Study Genes (7/4/2008)

Researchers have developed a computational tool that will help scientists more accurately study complex units of clustered genes, called operons, in bacteria. ...> Full Article

Inelegant Worms Provide New Clues About Gene Required for Development (7/4/2008)

The normal nematodes in Fern Finger’s lab move in beautiful S-shaped curves across their Petri dish. In fact, it was these elegant movements that gave the tiny, clear worms the Latin name Caenorhabditis elegans. But the dish also contains worms with a very specific genetic defect, a mutant unc-85 gene, which are easily identified as the clumsiest dancers on the tiny dance floor. ...> Full Article

Political Participation Is Partially Rooted in Genetic Inheritance and Specifically Associated with Two Genes (7/3/2008)

The decision to vote is partly genetic ...> Full Article

Genome communication (6/28/2008)

Alleles of homologous genes can silence one another through paramutations ...> Full Article

Thinking ahead: Bacteria anticipate coming changes in their environment (6/20/2008)

Microbes may be smarter than we think ...> Full Article

Scientists Discover DNA Knot Keeps Viral Genes Tightly Corked Inside Shell (6/18/2008)

A novel twist of DNA may keep viral genes tightly wound within a capsule, waiting for ejection into a host, a high-resolution analysis of its structure has revealed. ...> Full Article

EuroDYNA takes lid off the genome (6/16/2008)

European researchers have made significant progress unravelling how genes are governed and why this sometimes goes wrong in disease. The key lies in the dynamic ever-changing structure of the chromatin ...> Full Article

Mixing and matching genes to keep nerve cells straight (6/14/2008)

With fewer than 30,000 human genes with which to work, Nature has to mix and match to generate the myriad types of neurons or nerve cells needed to assemble the brain and nervous system. Keeping this involved process on the straight and narrow requires a clever balance of promotion and inhibition ...> Full Article

MicroRNA controls expression of oncogenes (6/12/2008)

A new study demonstrates that microRNAs can modulate the expression of well known tumor-specific oncogenic translocation proteins and may play a significant role in some human cancers. ...> Full Article

Gene Regulating Glucose Levels Identified (6/9/2008)

Discovery provides insight into blood sugar regulation ...> Full Article

Gene That Magnetically Labels Cells Shows Potential as Imaging Tool (6/8/2008)

Mammalian cells can produce tiny magnetic nuggets after the introduction of a single gene from bacteria, scientists have found. The gene MagA could become a valuable tool for tracking cells' movement through the body via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) ...> Full Article

Statistical tool could explain gene study variations (5/30/2008)

While scientists are using the human genome to associate certain genes with disease, Dr. Hongyan Xu wants to ensure they are accounting for natural variations in those genes. ...> Full Article

How body size is regulated: International study discovers ten new genes related to human growth (5/15/2008)

Scientists are beginning to unravel the question why people distinctly vary in size ...> Full Article

Genetic variation linked to sugary food (5/15/2008)

A new study finds that individuals with a specific genetic variation consistently consume more sugary foods ...> Full Article

A new gene trigger for pregnancy disorder identified (5/12/2008)

Clues into how preeclampsia may surface in some pregnancies ...> Full Article

Genetic 'tag team' keeps cells on cycle (5/11/2008)

By surveying the activity of thousands of genes at several different time points, researchers at the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy have uncovered new evidence that a network of influential genes act as a kind of genetic tag team to orchestrate one of the most fundamental aspects of all life: the cell cycle. ...> Full Article

Researcher leads effort, develops test to identify dwarfism gene (5/11/2008)

If this technology is adopted by producers, in theory, we should never see another case of this form of dwarfism. ...> Full Article

Unraveling the Genomic Code for Development (5/10/2008)

Scientists have produced the first complete description of the complex network of genes that create a particular type of cell in an organism. ...> Full Article

Mouse can do without man's most treasured genes (5/7/2008)

The mouse is a stalwart stand-in for humans in medical research, thanks to genomes that are 85 percent identical. But identical genes may behave differently in mouse and man ...> Full Article

The tachykinin receptor 3 gene has been linked to alcohol and cocaine dependence (5/6/2008)

The tachykinin receptor 3 gene has been linked to alcohol and cocaine dependence ...> Full Article

Researchers report the cloning of a key group of human genes, the protein kinases (5/5/2008)

Researchers report cloning of nearly all predicted human protein kinase genes in functional form, and generation of a corresponding set of kinases lacking catalytic activity that are necessary for functional studies ...> Full Article

First genome-wide scan for osteoporosis (5/1/2008)

Research has uncovered two genes to aid diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis. ...> Full Article

Pathway Found That Lets Mosquitoes Fatten Up, Slow Down For Winter (4/25/2008)

Two genes that help insulin regulate mosquitoes' growth have been identified as key contributors to how the insects enter a dormant state to survive winter's cold. ...> Full Article

Scientists Show First 3-D Image of Antibody Gene (4/19/2008)

Researchers have shown for the first time how a genome is organized in three-dimensional space. ...> Full Article

Gene mutations found in many children with abnormally thick heart muscles (4/16/2008)

Gene mutation known to cause heart muscle disease in adults ...> Full Article

Genes linked to height no longer in short supply (4/10/2008)

Large-scale study reveals ten novel height-related genes, provides new biological insights ...> Full Article

Researchers rise to the occasion for yeast study (4/9/2008)

Scientists have found a vital missing link for the regulation of genes essential for cell metabolism. ...> Full Article

Researchers link genetic errors to schizophrenia (3/29/2008)

Researchers have uncovered genetic errors that may shed light on the causes of schizophrenia. The scientists found that deletions and duplications of DNA are more common in people with the mental disorder, and that many of those errors occur in genes related to brain development and neurological function. ...> Full Article

Gene 'Knockout' Floors Tobacco Carcinogen (3/20/2008)

Scientists have shown that silencing a specific gene in burley tobacco plants significantly reduces harmful carcinogens in cured tobacco leaves. ...> Full Article

Genes that protect against atherosclerosis identified (3/17/2008)

One way of combating atherosclerosis is to reduce levels of "bad cholesterol" in the blood. Scientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have now identified the genes that bring about this beneficial effect. ...> Full Article

Crop scientists discover gene that controls fruit shape (3/14/2008)

Crop scientists have cloned a gene that controls the shape of tomatoes, a discovery that could help unravel the mystery behind the huge morphological differences among edible fruits and vegetables, as well as provide new insight into mechanisms of plant development. ...> 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Masters of disguise: secrets of nature's 'great pretenders' revealed (2/22/2008)

A gene which helps a harmless African butterfly ward off predators by giving it wing patterns like those of toxic species, has been identified by scientists who publish their findings today (20 February 2008). ...> Full Article

Imitating monkey's 'jumping genes' could lead to new treatments for HIV (2/20/2008)

Scientists have taken a significant step in understanding how retroviruses such as HIV can move between species and the biological mechanisms behind the 'jumping genes' which make some monkeys immune. They will now use this knowledge to develop a gene therapy treatment for HIV/AIDS in humans. ...> Full Article

BMP protein maintains cross talk between cells that control hair growth (2/18/2008)

Genes, it turns out, are only as active as the signals that turn them on and off. Now scientists from Rockefeller University have identified the signaling molecule that ratchets up and clamps down the activity of key genes in dermal papilla, a type of skin cell whose unique collection of proteins ultimately instruct epithelial stem cells to make hair. ...> Full Article

Microbial 'cheaters' help scientists ID 'social' genes (2/14/2008)

Genome-wide search for social genes turns up more than 100 cheaters ...> Full Article

Scientists find how a protein binds to genes and regulates them across the human genome (2/11/2008)

Out of chaos, control: Cornell molecular biologists have discovered how a protein called PARP-1 binds to genes and regulates their expression across the human genome. Knowing where PARP-1 is located and how it works may allow scientists to target this protein to battle common diseases, such as stroke and cancer. ...> Full Article

Gene Variants Protect Against Adult Depression Triggered by Childhood Stress (2/7/2008)

Certain variations in a gene that helps regulate response to stress tend to protect adults who were abused in childhood from developing depression, according to new research funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health. Adults who had been abused but didn't have the variations in the gene had twice the symptoms of moderate to severe depression, compared to those with the protective variations. ...> Full Article

Disrupted genetic regulation causes common disturbance in metabolism of fat (2/6/2008)

The disease familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCH) is a common cause of disturbed metabolism of fat and early heart attacks. Uppsala University scientists have now developed a pioneering method and can show for the first time what genes are regulated by the gene USF1, which is known to cause the disease. These findings are being presented today in the leading journal Genome Research. ...> Full Article

DNA 'barcode' identified for plants (2/6/2008)

A 'barcode' gene that can be used to distinguish between the majority of plant species on Earth has been identified by scientists who publish their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal today (4 February 2008). ...> Full Article

Lab Prevents Rare Birth Defect by Inactivating p53 Gene (2/5/2008)

Using a mouse model of Treacher Collins Syndrome (TCS), the Stowers Institute's Trainor Lab has demonstrated that it can prevent this rare disorder of craniofacial development either by inactivating a gene implicated in the abnormality or by inhibiting its protein product. ...> Full Article

How we tell front from back (2/5/2008)

Scientists have accidentally discovered the genetics behind how we develop a front and back. ...> Full Article

Researchers discover new muscular dystrophy gene (1/31/2008)

Discovery may lead to better diagnosis and treatment ...> Full Article

Gene Discovery Made Easier with Powerful New Networking Technique (1/30/2008)

The identification of disease-causing genes will be much easier and faster using a powerful new gene-networking model developed by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin. ...> Full Article

A group of researchers discover a new code in the genome (1/29/2008)

The finding have been possible thanks to the calculation capacity of the MareNostrum supercomputer ...> Full Article

Genetic Difference Predicts Antidepressant Response (1/28/2008)

Researchers have identified subtle genetic variations that predict the efficacy of two widely used antidepressant drugs ...> Full Article

Novel genes 'notch' glucose into place (1/27/2008)

A novel gene called rumi regulates Notch signaling by adding a glucose molecule to the part of the Notch protein that extends outside a cell ...> Full Article

'Telepathic' genes recognise similarities in each other (1/25/2008)

Genes have the ability to recognise similarities in each other from a distance, without any proteins or other biological molecules aiding the process, according to new research published this week in the Journal of Physical Chemistry B. This discovery could explain how similar genes find each other and group together in order to perform key processes involved in the evolution of species. ...> Full Article

Scientists Discover New Gene Linked to Fragile X Syndrome (1/24/2008)

Discovery Suggests Potential Targets for Autism and Other Neurological Disorders ...> Full Article

Major European Project to Create New Knowledge Base of Gene-Disease Relationships (1/23/2008)

12M Euro project will provide improved access to information connecting genes with diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer ...> Full Article

'Tree Of Life' Has Lost A Branch, According To Largest Genetic Comparison Of Higher Life Forms Ever (1/22/2008)

Norwegian and Swiss biologists have made a startling discovery about the relationship between organisms that most people have never heard of. The Tree of Life must be re-drawn, textbooks need to be changed, and the discovery may also have significant impact on the development of medicines. ...> Full Article

Researcher In RNA Biology Makes Waves By Challenging Current Thinking (1/21/2008)

In the January 18th issue of Molecular Cell, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researcher Kristian E. Baker, Ph.D. challenges molecular biology's established body of evidence and widely-accepted model for nonsense-mediated messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) decay. With her collaborator, Ambro van Hoof, Ph.D. of The University of Texas Health Sciences Center, Baker directly tested the "faux 3' UTR" model and proved it could not explain how cells recognize and destroy deviant mRNA. This landmark discovery will redirect mRNA research and expand opportunities for new discoveries in understanding the cells' ability to protect itself from these potential errors. ...> Full Article

Probing Question: What is metagenomics? (1/18/2008)

It may sound like a diet plan or a new-age religion, but to microbiologists, metagenomics is something far more important: a new way of looking at the world. ...> Full Article

A new piece in the autism puzzle (1/13/2008)

Genome scan finds missing DNA may play role in cognitive disorder ...> Full Article

Autism Risk Higher in People with Gene Variant (1/12/2008)

Difference in Gene Appears to Pose More Risk When Inherited from Mothers ...> Full Article

Researchers Seek to Make Cavity-Causing Bacteria Self-Destruct (1/12/2008)

Larger Goal to Eliminate Key Enzyme's Contribution to all Strep and Staph Disease ...> Full Article

Researchers report new twist in microRNA biology (1/11/2008)

Computational biology group identifies new mechanism of gene regulation ...> Full Article

Mechanics of gene transcription (1/9/2008)

The molecular machinery behind gene transcription -- the intricate transfer of information from a segment of DNA to a corresponding strand of messenger RNA -- isn't stationed in special "transcription factories" within a cell nucleus, according to Cornell researchers. Instead, the enzyme RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and other key molecules can assemble at the site of an activated gene, regardless of the gene's position. ...> Full Article

Genetically Engineered Corn May Harm Stream Ecosystems (10/9/2007)

A new study indicates that a popular type of genetically engineered corn--called Bt corn--may damage the ecology of streams draining Bt corn fields in ways that have not been previously considered by regulators. The study, which was funded by the National Science Foundation, appears in the Oct. 8 edition of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ...> Full Article

Hydrothermal Vents: Hot Spots Of Microbial Diversity (10/6/2007)

Thousands of new kinds of marine microbes have been discovered at two deep-sea hydrothermal vents off the Oregon coast by scientists at the MBL (Marine Biological Laboratory) and University of Washington's Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Ocean. ...> Full Article

'Genes and Environment' grant funds close look at nature-nurture overlap in common diseases (9/25/2007)

Johns Hopkins' McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine is one of two gene-hunting facilities in the nation to win a new $11.7 million four-year federal grant to rigorously sort out how such environmental factors as diet, exercise, stress and addictions interact with people's individual genetic makeup to affect their risk for disorders as wide-ranging as cancer, diabetes, tooth decay and heart disease. ...> Full Article