Navigation Links
Researchers reveal types of genes necessary for brain development
Date:7/7/2008

Researchers from Harvard Medical School and Brandeis University have successfully completed a full-genome RNAi screen in neurons, showing what types of genes are necessary for brain development. Details of the screen and its novel methodology are published July 4th in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.

Recent advances in genomics, such as the sequencing of entire genomes and the discovery of RNA-interference as a means of testing the effects of gene loss, have opened up the possibility to systematically analyze the function of all known and predicted genes in an organism. Until now, this type of functional genomics approach has not been applied to the study of very complex cells, such as the brain's neurons, on a full-genome scale.

Dr. Katharine Sepp and her fellow researchers took fresh neuronal cells extracted from embryos of the fruit fly genus Drosophila and screened them using RNA interference techniques. The team tested all genes, one by one in a rapid manner, for their potential role in neuronal development. The team then validated the method in mice.

A combination of live-cell imaging and quantitative analysis allowed Sepp et al to characterize neurons' morphological phenotypes in response to RNAi-mediated gene knockdown. The researchers focused on 104 evolutionary conserved genes that, when downregulated by RNAi, have morphological defects. The team developed algorithms to help streamline the analysis of the thousands of images created in the process.

The analysis revealed unexpected, essential roles in neurite outgrowth for genes representing a wide range of functional categories including signaling molecules, enzymes, channels, receptors, and cytoskeletal proteins. Results also determined that genes known to be involved in protein and vesicle trafficking show similar RNAi phenotypes.

The researchers believe that this study provides an effective method for future studies of a large variety of g
'/>"/>

Contact: Mary Kohut
Press@plos.org
415-568-3457
Public Library of Science
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Researchers identify proteins involved in new neurodegenerative syndrome
2. Texas researchers and educators head for Antarctica
3. MGH researchers describe new way to identify, evolve novel enzymes
4. University of Pennsylvania researchers develop formula to gauge risk of disease clusters
5. U of MN researchers discover noninvasive diagnostic tool for brain diseases
6. U of Minnesota researchers discover noninvasive diagnostic tool for brain diseases
7. Researchers discover new strategies for antibiotic resistance
8. Researchers find new taste in fruit flies: carbonated water
9. Binghamton University researchers investigate evolving malaria resistance
10. UIC researchers find promising new targets for antibiotics
11. Researchers develop simple method to create natural drug products
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:8/19/2008)...t even the tiniest changes in the environment can ..., animals and humans, but rarely do we consider wh...se changes could mean for the infinite varieties o...iences could be affected. , But University of H...son understand that what we don,t see often carrie...
(Date:8/19/2008)...lock the lung,s natural protective response agains...nal Jewish Health. The findings, recently publishe...sue of Infection and Immunity, suggest one mecha...tructive pulmonary disease. , "Although smoking ...ulmonary disease (COPD), only 20 percent of smoker...
(Date:8/19/2008)...ding global healthcare and scientific publisher, h...and Challenge, a competition inviting the scientif...e Sciences information is used in online text data...inguished panel of judges from among over 70 excel...ing semantics, visualization, protocols, social ne...
(Date:8/19/2008)...s contain highly variable amounts of calcium, maki...agement of serpentine soils requires accurate meas...ed this month in the Soil Science Society of Amer...iques are needed to accurately measure calcium con...al growing lands productive, farmers must apply fe...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):UH researchers win top prize for research with humanitarian applications 2UH researchers win top prize for research with humanitarian applications 3Infection blocks lung's protective response against tobacco smoke 2Elsevier announces 10 semi-finalists for the Elsevier Grand Challenge 2Elsevier announces 10 semi-finalists for the Elsevier Grand Challenge 3Concentra Opens On Site Medical Unit at World Trade Center Site 812 1Concentra Opens On Site Medical Unit at World Trade Center Site 812 2Allied Healthcare Reports Strong Fourth Quarter Flat Net Income for Fiscal 2007 vs 2006 810 1Allied Healthcare Reports Strong Fourth Quarter Flat Net Income for Fiscal 2007 vs 2006 810 2Allied Healthcare Reports Strong Fourth Quarter Flat Net Income for Fiscal 2007 vs 2006 810 3Allied Healthcare Reports Strong Fourth Quarter Flat Net Income for Fiscal 2007 vs 2006 810 4Allied Healthcare Reports Strong Fourth Quarter Flat Net Income for Fiscal 2007 vs 2006 810 5Patent Reform Legislation Threatens Americas Leadership in Medical Technology Innovation 808 1VNUS Medical Technologies Announces Resignation of Chief Financial Officer and VP Finance 26 Administration 806 1
... and the general public alike have been acutely aw...m a flu pandemic. Although many people might still...infamous 1918-1920 pandemic--and the possibility o... trepidation. , Strangely, researchers still do...rticular strain of the flu virus in that pandemic,...
...l warming? Perhaps, but the tradeoffs involved are...te generated each year and a greatly increased ris... nuclear material into terrorists, hands. , So co...ing, who has analyzed just how much nuclear power ...greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, and the implic...
...for infecting cornea cells that may also explain h...dy by researchers at the University of Illinois at... in the Sept. 25 issue of the Journal of Cell Biol..., the strain that causes cold sores on the mouth, ..., the clear, domed surface that forms the eye,s ou...
... today unveiled a detailed map of human genetic va...x (MHC), the most important region of the human ge...oimmune disease and organ transplantation. The wor...c variability for this fundamental immune region a...ts aimed at uncovering the genetic roots of immune...
Other Biology News:Recurrence of a flu pandemic similar to infamous 1918 flu could kill 62 million 2Recurrence of a flu pandemic similar to infamous 1918 flu could kill 62 million 3Plutonium or greenhouse gases? Weighing the energy options 2Study shows how herpes infects cornea, evades immune cells 2International team analyzes human genetic variation in key immune region 2International team analyzes human genetic variation in key immune region 3
(Date:8/21/2008)... NEW YORK, MUNICH, Germany and AMSTERDAM, Neth...thcare and SpePharm Holding, B.V., the,pan-Europea...d that they,have entered into a euro 10 million re...fund SpePharm,s acquisition of Dantrium(R) for Eur...le Pharmaceuticals. At the same,time, TVM Capital,...
(Date:8/20/2008)... VIENNA, Va., Aug. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ ...0 ranking of the fastest-growing private companies...T) services provider,MicroTech, ranks No. 285 on ... 2008 Inc. 500 list measures revenue growth from 2...U.S.-based, privately held, independent -,no subsi...
(Date:8/20/2008)... INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Aug. 20 /PRNewswire-First... announced that it has completed the acquisition,o...n Diego-based,biotechnology company focused on dru...y. The completion of the deal followed today,s Spe...SGX stockholders voted in,favor of the merger agre...
(Date:8/20/2008)... Growth Fueled by Popularity with Seniors and ... Marketing, CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 20 /PRNewswi...hole Health (SWH), a voluntary health care plan fo...ng private company in the,United States., Part of...rowing,companies, SWH had revenue growth of 31,000...
Breaking Biology Technology:TVM Capital, Signet Healthcare Partners and Paul Capital Healthcare Enter into euro 26 Million Financing of SpePharm 2TVM Capital, Signet Healthcare Partners and Paul Capital Healthcare Enter into euro 26 Million Financing of SpePharm 3TVM Capital, Signet Healthcare Partners and Paul Capital Healthcare Enter into euro 26 Million Financing of SpePharm 4TVM Capital, Signet Healthcare Partners and Paul Capital Healthcare Enter into euro 26 Million Financing of SpePharm 5MicroTech Ranks No. 285 on Inc. Magazine's 2008 List of the 500 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America 2Lilly Announces Completion of SGX Acquisition 2Inc. Magazine Names Senior Whole Health the Number One Fastest-Growing Private Company in US 2Inc. Magazine Names Senior Whole Health the Number One Fastest-Growing Private Company in US 3
...ast purification of up to 10 mg ultrapure , ...s and benefits , , Up to 10 mg...ates from up to 2.5 liters of LB culture without c...asmid purification time , Fast, easy, a...volumes , , , , * A...
...quality short interfering RNA (siRNA) from QIAGEN ...otic cell culture by targeting complementary endog...ference (RNAi), enables targeted gene , sil... offers a custom siRNA , oligonucleotide sy...ions , and also library siRNAs directed aga...
...IAGEN Multiplex PCR Kit is designed for , h... the need for time-consuming , optimization... , No optimization required easy ass...to-use master mix , High specificity an... , DNA Polymerase and increased sensiti...
...eas Pahl, Uwe Oelmller,* and Susanne , Ullm...ity of Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany , , ... , , , Drug library screening based on...le and reproducible methods of RNA purification ,...CR analysis. This article demonstrates , ho...
Other Biology Technology:QIAfilter Plasmid Kits 2Custom and library siRNA for efficient gene silencing 2Custom and library siRNA for efficient gene silencing 3Custom and library siRNA for efficient gene silencing 4QIAGEN Multiplex PCR Kit 2QIAGEN Multiplex PCR Kit 3High-throughput gene expression analysis to screen for anti-asthma drugs 2High-throughput gene expression analysis to screen for anti-asthma drugs 3High-throughput gene expression analysis to screen for anti-asthma drugs 4
Contains L-glutamine
Clone/PAD: ZMD.358. Immunogen: Synthetic peptide derived from the C-terminal region of human mouse and rat LRP5. Specificity: Reacts with human and mouse LRP5 proteins. Reactivity: Mouse Human (po
Replacement Parts for Electrophoresis Apparatus
Sprague-Dawley rats, 7-8 weeks old, mixed gender; tissue is collected fresh, frozen on dry ice within minutes of sacrifice and stored at -20C; individual tissue weight approx. 0.05 gram.
Biology Products: