Navigation Links
First analysis of platypus genome may impact disease prevention
Date:5/9/2008

BATON ROUGE Theres no doubt about it ... the platypus is one odd duck-billed, egg-laying, lactating mammal. With adaptations like webbed feet to fit its aquatic lifestyle and the poison spurs that decorate males, the platypus represents for many a patchwork of evolutionary development. But LSUs Mark Batzer, along with an international consortium of scientists led by Wes Warren at Washington University in Saint Louis, Mo., has taken this theory to an entirely new level, proving that platypus looks arent only skin-deep their DNA is an equally cobbled-together array of bird, reptile and mammalian lineages.

The consortium conducted the first analysis of platypus DNA in what was the largest platypus population genetics study to date.

Their genomic organization was strange and a little unexpected, said Batzer, Andrew C. Pereboom Alumni Departmental Professor of Biological Sciences at LSU and one of the principle investigators of the project. It appeared much more bird- and reptile-like than mammalian, even though it is indeed classified as a mammal. Its an ancient animal, too, and it has remained relatively primitive and unchanged, both in physical appearance and genetically.

What does this discovery mean for the public? The very real potential for advances in human disease prevention and a better understanding of mammalian evolution.

This is a huge genetic step, said Batzer. Understanding is key. Were learning a lot about mammalian gene regulation and immune systems, which has huge implications for disease susceptibility research. We hope to, in time, identify the underlying causes and methods of disease prevention in humans.

The platypus was chosen as the subject of this study in large part due to its strange appearance, but other selection factors include the species endangered status in its only indigenous habitat, Australia. Platypuses are extremely shy by nature and there has been little success in breeding t
'/>"/>

Contact: Mark Batzer
mbatzer@lsu.edu
225-578-7102
Louisiana State University
Source:Eurekalert

Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. MXI Security and Communication Intelligence Corporation Team up to Deliver the First Green Portable Security Solution for Financial Institutions
2. Iowa State-ConocoPhillips collaboration advances 26 research projects in first year
3. Scientists find stem cells for the first time in the pituitary
4. First nanoscale image of soil reveals an incredible variety, rich with patterns
5. And the first animal on Earth was a ...
6. First draft of transgenic papaya genome yields many fruits
7. UC biology prof traces his roots to the first Earth Day
8. Research identifies first method for testing, assessing drug treatments for Chagas disease
9. Lincoln Park Zoo launches first-of-its-kind wildlife reintroduction database
10. And the first animal on Earth was a...
11. Geneticist Francis Collins named first recipient of Inamori Ethics Prize at Case Western Reserve

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:12/2/2009)... exposed to cigarette smoking scenes in movies are...this may be part of the acculturation process asso...tudy findings. , "Our study supports an R-rating...he global implementation of the World Health Organ...hich includes guidelines for countries to restrict...
(Date:12/2/2009)... other foods have done more than raise public awar... quietly fueling a boom in the market for food tes...ations. That,s the topic of the two-part cover sto... News , (C&EN) ACS, weekly newsmagazine. , C&EN ...pondent Marc Reisch point out that food safety is ...
(Date:12/2/2009)...d are more likely to go on to university, reveals ...cademy and Sahlgrenska University Hospital. , Th... Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ...en doing military service who were born between 19...ts of both physical and IQ tests when the men enro...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Watching movies featuring characters who smoke negatively influences Mexican-American teens 2Young adults who exercise get higher IQ 2UT Southwestern UT Arlington to develop magnetic surgery tools 51218 1UT Southwestern UT Arlington to develop magnetic surgery tools 51218 2UT Southwestern UT Arlington to develop magnetic surgery tools 51218 3Toward an explanation for Crohns disease 3F 9192 1Toward an explanation for Crohns disease 3F 9192 2Academy Library accepted to prestigious Biodiversity Heritage Library 9190 1Academy Library accepted to prestigious Biodiversity Heritage Library 9190 2
...feeders in their backyards each year, often out of...f research on the topic finds that feeding may not..., Published as a Frontiers in Ecology and the Env... ), the meta-analysis led by Gillian Robb (Queens ...versity of Exeter, UK) reviewed results from more ...
...reading disease are increasingly becoming resistan...d in the online open access journal BMC Complement...ries of a weed common to India, Solanum villosum (... at bay. , S. villosum is a member of the nightsh... commonly used as an ayurvedic herb. , Nandita Ch...
...st Service Southern Research Station (SRS), Iowa S...try have provided the first description of a fungu...he coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida....ant pathologist Stephen Fraedrich and fellow resea...e fungus, the beetle that carries it, and their co...
Other Biology News:Food for thought 2Ayurvedic nightshade deadly for dengue mosquito 2Laurel wilt of redbay and sassafras: Will avocados be next? 2
(Date:12/3/2009)... WALTHAM, Mass., Dec. 3 ..., a global leader in enabling individuals to take ...of rapid diagnostics and health management, has de... B Convertible Perpetual Preferred Stock ( IMA-PB)...stock in an amount per share equal to the quotient...
(Date:12/2/2009)... , NEW YORK, Dec. 2 Reportlinke...is available in its catalogue: ,, Neurostimula...www.reportlinker.com/p0164232/Neurostimulation---A...neurostimulation market stands enthused by the gro...ise in age-related diseases such as, Parkinson,s, ...
(Date:12/2/2009)..., TUSTIN, Calif., Dec. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -... today reported completion of patient enrollment i...a® in patients with relapsed glioblastoma mul... Cotara is a targeted monoclonal antibody linked ...ew treatment for GBM. Cotara specifically targets...
(Date:12/2/2009)... , JERUSALEM, Israel, December 2 /PRNewswi...tudy evaluating the preclinical (animal study) saf...ombines technology from Weill,Cornell Medical Coll...l to,treat inherited anemias such as Cooley,s Anem...of technologies to expand, ex vivo,populations of...
Breaking Biology Technology:Reportlinker Adds Neurostimulation - A Global Market Perspective 2Reportlinker Adds Neurostimulation - A Global Market Perspective 3Reportlinker Adds Neurostimulation - A Global Market Perspective 4Reportlinker Adds Neurostimulation - A Global Market Perspective 5Reportlinker Adds Neurostimulation - A Global Market Perspective 6Peregrine Completes Patient Enrollment in Cotara(R) Dose Confirmation and Dosimetry Brain Cancer Trial 2Peregrine Completes Patient Enrollment in Cotara(R) Dose Confirmation and Dosimetry Brain Cancer Trial 3Peregrine Completes Patient Enrollment in Cotara(R) Dose Confirmation and Dosimetry Brain Cancer Trial 4Peregrine Completes Patient Enrollment in Cotara(R) Dose Confirmation and Dosimetry Brain Cancer Trial 5Gamida Cell Announces Feasibility Study With Weill Cornell Medical College 2Gamida Cell Announces Feasibility Study With Weill Cornell Medical College 3
...nic Foundry, Inc. , has announced it will price a ...s of common stock at $3.75 per share. , ,Proceeds...Dec. 27, 2006, will be used to support research an...company,s search technology and intellectual prope...as focused on developing its rich-media product ca...
...int about the University of Wisconsin-Madison , j...search fruit falls close to the tree. It has world...r turning their best ideas into products or servic... within a half-hour drive from campus. , ,To a poi...pita wages, unemployment and job creation in tech-...
...you subscribe to the theory that consumer need is ...pany may provide you with some proof. , ,In this ...rnet service or broadband access leave something t...iness designed to solve the riddle has deciphered ... Chiozzi, who plans to launch Broadband Infrastru...
Other Biology Technology:Entrepreneurship grant will build strong foundation 2Entrepreneurship grant will build strong foundation 3Entrepreneurship grant will build strong foundation 4Company to operate in wireless Internet space 2
FAST RED Chromogen System (SIGNET) from Covance Research Products, Inc
Mouse Anti-Human QDPR Polyclonal Antibody, Unconjugated from Novus Biologicals
...er stain kits are optimized for use with semi-auto...ainers. This silver stain kit can detect nanogram ...are mass spectrometry compatible. The kit includes...e, background reducer concentrate, image developer...
...effectively in tubes and 96 well plates. microCLEA...and a half spin DNA cleanup reagent. It can be use...randed DNA, efficiently removing reaction buffers,...d or unlabelled). It is therefore ideally suited t...
Biology Products: