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Last Updated: Apr 6, 2008 - 11:26:48 PM |
Latest Research
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Genetics
A tall story? Genes do manipulate height
New York, April 7 - Scientists now have a far clearer picture of what makes some people tall - and others not so.
Apr 7, 2008 - 9:41:15 AM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Large gap between Genomic Medicine and Clinical practice
A large gap exists between what knowledge is available about genomic medicine and incorporating it into clinical practice for assessing the risk of and treating common chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and cancer, according to a systematic review in the March 19 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on Genetics and Genomics.
Mar 18, 2008 - 9:31:45 AM
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Latest Research
Moving an active gene from the interior of the nucleus can silence genes , preventing their transcription . scientists report .
Moving an active gene from the interior of the nucleus to its periphery can inactivate that gene report scientists from the University of Chicago Medical Center .
Feb 14, 2008 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Europe's most common genetic disease is a liver disorder
Much less widely known than the dangerous consequences of iron deficiencies is the fact that too much iron can also cause problems. The exact origin of the genetic iron overload disorder hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) has remained elusive. In a joint effort, researchers from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and the University of Heidelberg, Germany, have now discovered that HH is a liver disease. They report in the current issue of Cell Metabolism that the disorder develops when a crucial gene is lacking in liver cells.
Feb 6, 2008 - 8:55:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Psychiatry
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Depression
Genetic variations may predispose some men to suicidal thoughts during treatment for depression
Genetic variations may help explain why some men with depression develop suicidal thoughts and behaviors after they begin taking antidepressant medications, while most do not, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Jun 7, 2007 - 4:00:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
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Genetic Disorders
Switching genes to overdrive improves muscular dystrophy symptoms in mice
Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have shown in a laboratory study that revving up a crucial set of muscle genes counteracts the damage caused by a form of muscular dystrophy.
Apr 1, 2007 - 11:56:50 AM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
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Genetic Disorders
Gene mutation associated with X-linked mental retardation revealed
Researchers have identified a novel gene mutation that causes X-linked mental retardation for which there was no previously known molecular diagnosis, according to an article to be published electronically on Tuesday, March 20, 2007 in The American Journal of Human Genetics.
Mar 19, 2007 - 10:53:10 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
RNA Silencing Sheds Light on the RNA World
RNA silencing — also known as RNA interference — is an intriguing phenomenon in which short, double-stranded RNA “triggers” can prevent the expression of specific genes. First discovered in plants, RNA interference is now recognized as a widespread, if not ubiquitous, phenomenon, and it is causing great excitement as an experimental technique for selectively blocking gene expression.
Dec 5, 2006 - 7:51:55 AM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
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Genetic Disorders
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Huntington's
Link between Huntington's and abnormal cholesterol levels in brain discovered
Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered a protein interaction that may explain how the deadly Huntington's disease affects the brain. The findings, published in and featured on the cover of the current issue of Human Molecular Genetics, show how the mutated Huntington's protein interacts with another protein to cause dramatic accumulation of cholesterol in the brain.
Dec 3, 2006 - 3:10:30 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Reinventing Human genome
Geneticists have generally assumed that your string of DNA 'letters' is 99.9% identical to that of your neighbour's, with differences in the odd individual letter. These differences make each person genetically unique — influencing everything from appearance and personality to susceptibility to disease. But hold on, say the authors of a new study published in Nature. They have identified surprisingly large chunks of the genome that can differ dramatically from one person to the next.
Nov 23, 2006 - 4:27:05 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Wnt reactivates dormant limb regeneration program
Chop off a salamander's leg and a brand new one will sprout in no time. But most animals have lost the ability to replace missing limbs. Now, a research team at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies has been able to regenerate a wing in a chick embryo – a species not known to be able to regrow limbs - suggesting that the potential for such regeneration exists innately in all vertebrates, including humans.
Nov 18, 2006 - 1:52:57 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
New research into csd genes could help designing strategies for breeding honey bees
Three years ago, scientists pinpointed a gene called csd that determines gender in honey bees, and now a research team led by University of Michigan evolutionary biologist Jianzhi "George" Zhang has unraveled details of how the gene evolved.
Oct 27, 2006 - 4:46:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
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Genetic Disorders
Williams Syndrome, the brain and music
Children with Williams syndrome, a rare genetic disorder, just love music and will spend hours listening to or making music. Despite averaging an IQ score of 60, many possess a great memory for songs, an uncanny sense of rhythm, and the kind of auditory acuity, than can discern differences between different vacuum cleaner brands.
Oct 5, 2006 - 12:58:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Genetic mutation identified as cause of cranio-lenticulo-sutural dysplasia
A research team led by a UC Davis Childrens Hospital scientist has identified a genetic mutation as the cause of a congenital craniofacial birth defect called cranio-lenticulo-sutural dysplasia. The mutation closes off a pathway that is vital to the transport of cellular proteins and, in doing so, significantly alters normal growth patterns of skeletal and connective tissue. The research finding, which appears in the October issue of Nature Genetics , is independently confirmed in a Vanderbilt University Medical Center study published in the same issue
Sep 29, 2006 - 4:08:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Chance Fluctuations in mRNA Output in Mammalian Cells
In the drama of cell biology, both genetics and environment write the script, and chance throws in the twists of plot. In general, most cells live relatively predictable lives: divide, differentiate, and die. Yet chance leaves its imprint even in ordinary cells. For instance, bacterial or yeast cells in culture are known to produce widely different amounts of certain proteins, even when they are genetically identical. Scientists attribute such cell-to-cell variations to chance fluctuations in the cellsâ ability to make these proteins. They also speculate that such fluctuations may benefit the cells in their struggle to adapt and survive.
Sep 13, 2006 - 3:44:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Transposon Silencing Keeps Jumping Genes in Their Place
Nearly a century ago, two geneticists described ârogueâ pea plants with an unorthodox pattern of inheritance. William Bateson and Caroline Pellew found that crossing inferior rogues with normal plants always produced rogue offspring, suggesting that the rogue appearance was a dominant trait. The real surprise came when rogue progeny were crossed back to normal plants. Following the principles of Mendelian inheritance, these crosses should have produced a mix of normal and rogue plants, but they produced only rogue plants. The phenomenon, later dubbed âparamutation,â allowed the rogues to break the rules by acting âepigeneticallyââinducing heritable changes in gene expression without DNA mutations. In one-sided interactions between gene pairs, or alleles, only âparamutagenicâ alleles can attenuate, and eventually silence, the expression of âparamutableâ alleles.
Sep 13, 2006 - 3:40:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
GATA2 - predicting susceptibility to coronary artery disease
Variations in a gene that acts as a switch to turn
on other genes may predispose individuals to heart disease, an international team of researchers led by Duke University Medical Center scientists has discovered.
Aug 26, 2006 - 2:15:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
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Genetic Disorders
Exploring genetics of congenital malformations
New research published in the August issue of the Journal of Cell Biology explains for the first time why congenital heart defects so often occur with limb deformities. In their research into the molecular mechanisms that control embryonic limb and heart development, Northwestern University researcher Hans-Georg Simon and his laboratory group recently identified a new protein, LMP4, which binds and regulates activity of the Tbx4 and Tbx5 transcription factors. Tbx5 and Tbx4 proteins play a key role in limb and heart formation in virtually all vertebrates, from fish to birds to mice to humans.
Aug 19, 2006 - 9:42:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Genome insertions and deletions (INDELs) provide expanded view of human genetic differences
Emory University scientists have identified and created a map of more than 400,000 insertions and deletions (INDELs) in the human genome that signal a little-explored type of genetic difference among individuals. INDELS are an alternative form of natural genetic variation that differs from the much-studied single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Both types of variation are likely to have a major impact on humans, including their health and susceptibility to disease.
Aug 11, 2006 - 2:19:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
BRIT1 gene identified as protector of DNA
A single gene plays a pivotal role launching two DNA damage detection and repair pathways in the human genome, suggesting that it functions as a previously unidentified tumor suppressor gene, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in Cancer Cell.
Aug 6, 2006 - 11:17:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
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Genetic Disorders
FDA Approves Idursulfase As First Treatment for Hunter Syndrome
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Elaprase (idursulfase), the first product for the treatment of Hunter syndrome (Mucopolysaccharidosis II, or MPS II), a rare inherited disease which can lead to premature death. Elaprase is a new molecular entity, which is an active ingredient never before marketed in the United States.
Aug 2, 2006 - 12:30:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
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Genetic Disorders
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Huntington's
PARP1 inhibitors can protect Huntington's disease affected cells from damage
An enzyme known to be critical for the repair of damaged cells and the maintenance of cellular energy may be a useful target for new strategies to treat Huntington's disease (HD) and other disorders characterized by low cellular energy levels. In the August issue of Chemistry & Biology, a research team from the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MIND) describes their discovery of a novel inhibitor of Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP1) and their findings that PARP1 inhibitors can protect HD-affected cells from damage in laboratory assays.
Jul 30, 2006 - 2:41:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Genetic Gender Gap in Disease Risk, Drug Response
UCLA researchers report that thousands of genes behave differently in the same organs of males and females something never detected to this degree. Published in the August issue of Genome Research, the study sheds light on why the same disease often strikes males and females differently, and why the genders may respond differently to the same drug.
Jul 10, 2006 - 6:29:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
'Molecular assassin' targets disease gene
University of New South Wales (UNSW) researchers have announced they are developing a new class of experimental drug that has the potential to treat a diverse range of health problems, from inflammation and cancer through to eye and heart disease.
Jul 5, 2006 - 3:16:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Scientists Uncover Rules for Gene Amplification
Gene amplification plays an important role in causing cancers via activation of oncogenes. If scientists can determine the rules as to which segments of genetic material become amplified and how, oncologists and drug researchers may be able to interrupt that process and prevent the formation and growth of some tumors. Using yeast as a model organism, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have discovered that the location of a hairpin-capped break relative to the end of the chromosome will determine the fate of the amplification event.
Jun 30, 2006 - 1:17:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
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Genetic Disorders
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Huntington's
Gene therapy protects neurons in Huntington's disease
Researchers at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, and Ceregene Inc., San Diego, have successfully used gene therapy to preserve motor function and stop the anatomic, cellular changes that occur in the brains of mice with Huntington's disease (HD). This is the first study to demonstrate that, using this delivery method, symptom onset might be prevented in HD mice with this treatment.
Jun 30, 2006 - 3:02:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
DNA damage resets the cellular circadian clock
Dartmouth Medical School geneticists have discovered that DNA damage resets the cellular circadian clock, suggesting links among circadian timing, the cycle of cell division, and the propensity for cancer. Their work, reported June 29 in Science Express, the advance electronic publication of Science, implies a protective dimension for the biological clock in addition to its pacemaker functions that play such a sweeping role in the rhythms and activities of life.
Jun 30, 2006 - 2:42:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Human cells use complex system of transcription-factor combinations
Scientists eager to help develop a new generation of pharmaceuticals are studying cellular proteins called transcription factors, which bind to upstream sequences of genes to turn the expression of those genes on or off. Some pharmaceutical companies are also hoping to develop drugs that selectively block the binding of transcription factors as a way to short-circuit the harmful effects of diseases, and researchers at the University of California, San Diego on June 16 reported new findings that could aid that effort.
Jun 19, 2006 - 1:22:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
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Genetic Disorders
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Huntington's
Huntingtin cleavage is caused by caspase-6
Researchers at the University of British Columbia's Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT) have provided ground-breaking evidence for a cure for Huntington disease in a mouse offering hope that this disease can be relieved in humans.
Jun 17, 2006 - 8:10:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
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Genetic Disorders
The risk of transmission of genetic disorders through donor's sperm
As medical technology continues to advance, fertility procedures such as in-vitro fertilization and donor insemination are becoming more commonplace. However, a study in the May issue of The Journal of Pediatrics warns that, even after thorough screenings of sperm donors, genetic disorders can be transmitted to the conceived children.
May 19, 2006 - 7:25:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
How can DNA be damaged
Researchers have known for years that damaged DNA can lead to human diseases such as cancer, but how damage occurs--and what causes it--has remained less clear.
May 18, 2006 - 2:58:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Could cellular defenses against sunlight be the key to effective gene therapy?
An early study has demonstrated for the first time that laser light can target gene therapy right up to the edge of damaged cartilage, while leaving nearby healthy tissue untouched, according to an article published in the April edition of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. True repair of injuries to articular cartilage would enable millions of patients, currently consigned to worsening arthritis and joint replacement, to return to athletic exercise.
Apr 25, 2006 - 7:33:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
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Genetic Disorders
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MSUD
Liver transplants provide metabolic cure for maple syrup urine disease
Liver transplants cured the metabolic symptoms of 11 patients with a rare but devastating genetic condition known as Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD), according to a study by researchers from Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and the Clinic for Special Children.
Apr 11, 2006 - 10:28:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Gene therapy helps two Germans in global first
For the first time, gene therapy has been used to alter the cells of sick adults and allow them greater resistance to bacteria and fungi, a Germany-based team of scientists said.
Apr 3, 2006 - 2:38:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Mutations Change the Boolean Logic of Gene Regulation
It is easy to think of a gene acting like a light bulb, switching either on or off, remaining silent, or being transcribed by the RNA-making machinery. The region of DNA that controls the gene's output is called its regulatory region, and in this simple (and too simplistic) scenario, that region would act like a simple onoff switch.
Mar 29, 2006 - 6:39:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Synthetic biology experiment turns up a previously unrecognized gene-expression phenomenon
An experiment designed to show how a usually innocuous bacterium regulates the expression of an unnecessary gene for green color has turned up a previously unrecognized phenomenon that could partially explain a feature of bacterial pathogenicity.
Feb 16, 2006 - 7:47:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
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Genetic Disorders
Spinocerebellar ataxia type 5 (SCA5) gene pinpointed
Researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School have discovered the gene responsible for a type of ataxia, an incurable degenerative brain disease affecting movement and coordination.
Jan 23, 2006 - 4:12:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
MDC1 protein amplifies DNA injury signals
A Mayo Clinic-led research collaboration has discovered that the protein MDC1 amplifies weak DNA injury signals so genetic repair can begin. Once amplified, even low-level damage signals become strong enough to activate the cell's natural repair processes while the injury is most tractable to repair. How this "distress call" was communicated wasn't clear until this finding, which appears in the January 20 issue of Molecular Cell. The research was conducted in collaboration with colleagues from Harvard University and the University of Texas, Austin.
Jan 21, 2006 - 3:39:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Breakthrough in master gene mapping
Researchers have broken new ground with their work on the key tumour suppressor gene "p53", raising hopes of better detection and treatment of cancer, a published report said Thursday.
Jan 19, 2006 - 12:46:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Research points to possible therapy to prevent congenital skull malformation
Craniofacial researchers have developed an animal model that explains how skull malformations occur and how they might be prevented. Birth defects of the face and skull are relatively common in humans, striking one in 500 to 1,000 babies. Defects can include cleft lip or palate, congenitally missing teeth and severe malformations of the skull. A group led by Yang Chai, chair of the division of craniofacial sciences and therapeutics in the USC School of Dentistry, has identified the genetic factor leading to malformation of the forehead and frontal part of the skull. The discovery was published online Dec. 20 by the journal Development. Children with frontal bone defects lack vital protection for their brain. They also may develop bulging, irregularly shaped heads.
Dec 25, 2005 - 12:56:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
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Genetic Disorders
Scientists probe connection between regulatory DNA and disease
Through the Human Genome Project, the HapMap Project and other efforts, we are beginning to identify genes that are modified in some diseases. More difficult to measure and identify are the regulatory regions in DNA the 'managers' of genes that control gene activity and might be important in causing disease.
Dec 17, 2005 - 3:34:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Detailed analysis of the dog genome published
An international team, led by researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, today announced the publication of the genome sequence of the dog. In the Dec. 8 issue of the journal Nature, the researchers present a detailed analysis of the dog genome and describe how the data offer the potential for improving the health of man and man's best friend. Efforts to create the genetic tools needed for mapping disease genes in dogs have gained momentum over the last 15 years, and already include a partial survey of the poodle genome. More than two years ago, Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, Ph.D., co-director of the genome sequencing and analysis program at the Broad Institute, and her colleagues embarked on a two-part project to assemble a complete map of the dog genome. In the first phase, they acquired high-quality DNA sequence covering nearly 99 percent of the dog genome, from a female boxer named Tasha. The boxer was chosen as a representative of the average purebred dog to produce what has become a reference sequence for the dog genome community. Using the sequence information as a genetic "compass," they navigated the genomes of 10 different dog breeds and other related canine species, including the gray wolf and coyote. In this sampling, they pinpointed tiny spots of genetic variation, called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which serve as recognizable signposts that can be used to locate the causes of genetic disease.
Dec 8, 2005 - 8:05:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Bias in Reporting of Genetic Association Studies
One of the tools in the scientist's armory for resolving a medical issue or consolidating a body of clinical trials is the systematic review of the published medical literature. This technique involves doing a literature search and critical appraisal of individual studies, and in addition, may also use statistical techniques to combine the results of these studies. One of the aims of such reviews is to assess and then, ideally, include all appropriate studies that address the question of the review. But finding all studies is not always possible, and researchers have no way of knowing what they have missed. But does it matter if some studies are left out?
Nov 22, 2005 - 4:01:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Japanese haplotypes would help in identifying genes associated with disease and drug response
Researchers at Kyushu University of Japan, in collaboration with Perlegen Sciences, Inc., have identified common patterns of human DNA sequence variation, or haplotypes, in the Japanese population. By combining a unique set of DNA samples collected at the Medical Institute of Bioregulation at Kyushu University with Perlegens high throughput, whole-genome analysis approach, based on next generation Affymetrix GeneChip ® technology, the collaborators identified common haplotypes that can be used to conduct comprehensive genetic research on human disease and variable response to medicines.
Oct 29, 2005 - 4:29:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Combination Model Controls Alternative mRNA Splicing
In 1977, a flurry of papers ushered in a radical new concept in molecular biologyâthe idea of RNA splicing. It had been known for some years that the information for building organisms is stored as DNA sequences, which are transcribed into messenger RNAs (mRNAs) before translation into proteins. Although it had been established that the DNA and mRNA sequences line up exactly in bacteria, molecular biologists began to suspect in the mid-1970s that the genomes of eukaryotes (organisms with nuclei) are organized somewhat differently. Eukaryotic genes, it turns out, are encoded in small sections scattered over enormous distances of DNA. To make proteins from these âsplit genes,â the whole length of DNA is transcribed into pre-mRNA and then converted into mRNA by spliceosomesâmolecular machines that remove the non-coding pieces of RNA (the introns) and splice together the protein-coding pieces (the exons).
Oct 26, 2005 - 4:02:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Scientists find structure (Htz1 nucleosome) relevant to cell growth and cancer
Researchers discovered a special type of molecular structure that helps keep genes properly turned off until the structure is ejected from those genes in a regulated manner to help turn the genes on. The discovery is reported in the Oct. 21 issue of the journal Cell by scientists from the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah. In all organisms, the genome is split into chromosomes (compressed long strands of DNA) which are subdivided into functional DNA segments called genes. Genes function as the blueprints for building particular pieces of cellular machinery. However, different types of cells each require different types of cellular machinery, and must produce that machinery according to a biological timetable. A central issue in molecular biology is finding out how a cell regulates which genes are on, or active, and which genes are off, or repressed. This topic has direct relevance to human disease, as improper activation or repression of genes that regulate cellular growth is a common feature of cancer cells.
Oct 22, 2005 - 2:40:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
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Genetic Disorders
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Progeria
Farnesyl Transferase Inhibitors in Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome
Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered that a drug currently being tested against cancers might help children with a rare, fatal condition called Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, which causes rapid, premature aging.
Children with progeria appear normal until they're 6 months to a year old, but then begin developing symptoms normally associated with old age -- wrinkled skin, hair loss, brittle bones and atherosclerosis, which usually causes their deaths by about age 13. There's no known treatment.
Sep 28, 2005 - 1:20:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Gene Responsible for Chronic pain syndrome found
In a significant advance toward understanding a perplexing and painful neurological disorder, an international team of researchers has discovered gene mutations associated with an inherited chronic pain and weakness syndrome known as hereditary neuralgic amyotrophy (also called HNA). No treatment is known for this disabling condition, which short-circuits a peripheral nerve center called the brachial plexus, a network of over 100,000 nerves, that branches from the spinal cord to supply muscular function and sensation to the shoulders, arms, and hands.
Sep 27, 2005 - 6:57:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
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Genetic Disorders
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Huntington's
Clioquinol, an antibiotic shows new promise for Huntington's Disease
Clioquinol, an antibiotic that was banned for internal use in the United States in 1971 but is still used in topical applications, appears to block the genetic action of Huntington's disease in mice and in cell culture, according to a study reported by San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) researchers.
Sep 12, 2005 - 6:14:00 PM
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Latest Research
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Genetics
Chimp Genome Offer Clues To Human Diseases
The recently published Chimp Genome Sequencing project highlights the similarities between humans and our closest genetic cousins, the great apes. But a researcher at UCSD suggests it is in the differences, rather than the similarities, that clues to understanding human disease might be found.
Sep 9, 2005 - 5:52:00 PM
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