Genes in Biological News

Carnegie donates landmark clones to biology

... Department of Plant Biology have cloned genes to produce membrane proteins that may initiate the instructions for genes to turn on in the nucleus. They just donated 2010 of the clones for genes that function in the cell's interaction with its ...

Drug-proof zebrafish reveal secrets of addiction

... Webb and her colleagues discovered a set of 139 genes that respond inappropriately to amphetamine in ... conditions in either genotype. In addition to genes involved in pathways classically associated with ... as the authors demonstrate, several of these genes are expressed in neurogenic domains of the adult ...

UC San Diego engineer provides insights to decades-old DNA squabble

... we have to ask the question why are these genes misfiring? In the end, it boils down to the ... mutations in the oncogenic or tumor suppressor genes that lead to cancer or you could have ... the proteins that regulate chromatin around these genes leading to cancer." The next step for Arya and ...

Antibody targeting of glioblastoma shows promise in preclinical tests, say Lombardi researchers

... example of cancer that develops when embryonic genes are upregulated. As a result, brain tumor cells ... recorded expression of PTN and ALK, as well as genes along this pathway. "We found that they are ... patients with increased expression of these genes had significantly poorer outcomes in an analysis ...

Reprogramming human cells without inserting genes

... has discovered a novel way to turn on stem cell genes in human fibroblasts (skin cells) without the risks associated with inserting extra genes or using viruses. This discovery opens a new ... adult organism. In the pluripotent state, several genes are known to be active, helping to control the ...

First genetically-engineered malaria vaccine to enter human trials

... the vaccine the research team had deleted two key genes in the Plasmodium falciparum parasite which ... of malaria most deadly to humans. By removing the genes the malaria parasite is halted during its liver ... produce similar results in humans. "Although two genes have been deleted the parasite is still alive and ...

Maternal, paternal genes' tug-of-war may last well into childhood

... genetic disorders in which children lack some genes from one parent suggests that maternal and paternal genes engage in a subtle tug-of-war well into ... which holds that each parent contributes genes that seek to nudge his or her children's ...

Comprehensive look at rare leukemia finds relatively few genetic changes launch disease

... also performed DNA re-sequencing of 25 genes that are commonly mutated in adult AML. Point ... less than one point mutation per patient in the genes sequenced. The scientists also reported just 21 ... the analysis identified focal CNAs adjacent to genes previously linked to chromosomal translocations. ...

Study reveals a reprogrammed role for the androgen receptor

... receptor switches on an entirely different set of genes in the latter group than in the former, the ... ones experience an uptick in the activity of genes that control cell division, or mitosis. One such ... cancers may lead to the identification of genes in that pathway that can be targeted by future ...

Cancer's distinctive pattern of gene expression could aid early screening and prevention

... AUGUSTA, Ga. Distinctive patterns of genes turned off or left on in healthy versus ... epigenetics that looks more globally at which genes are turned off and on with an eye on early ... from tumors is another. "A lot of methylated genes we found in cancer are not naturally expressed in ...

Newly discovered gene fusion may lead to improved prostate cancer diagnosis

... hybrid gene formed from two previously separated genes -- may be at the root of what causes cancer cells ... tumor cells can hijack androgen-regulated genes by using neighboring genes to effectively alter their regulation. This may ...

International research team seeks to unravel flatworm regeneration

... involves hundreds of genes. But how are these genes regulated? With the latest technologies ... the function of stem cells. Many planaria genes resemble those of humans, and also many genes specifically linked to planarian stem cell ...

Iowa State University researchers develop process for 'surgical' genetic changes

... a process that will make genetic changes in plant genes much more efficient, practical and safe. The ... technique could allow scientists to remove the genes that make sinapine. The result would be a more ... plants could benefit as well. Removing the genes that are responsible for peanut allergies, or ...

Chasing tiny vehicles

... nanovehicles could one day ferry drugs or even genes into cells. So far, the only way of testing these ... drugs directly to the seat of a disease. "Even genes can be transported this way," says Plank. "That ... on the other hand, have been tailored to deliver genes or drugs directly to the target without ...

Reviews of microbial gene language published in special issue of Trends in Microbiology

... describing how a universal language to describe genes is bringing benefits to the study of the ... genomes has provided useful information about genes that may be important in microbe-host interactions. However related genes that have a common function can be missed in ...

LincRNAs serve as genetic air-traffic controllers

... and the Broad Institute identified a class of RNA genes known as large intervening non-coding RNAs or ... a structure called chromatin, which affects which genes are 'turned on' and which are 'turned off'," ... open, chromatin successfully determines which genes are accessible for transcription." But he ...

Mystery E. coli genes essential for survival of many species

... laboratory and spotted three previously unknown genes that, it turns out, are essential for the ... abnormalities in humans. These mystery genes are also found in numerous other creatures, ... the opportunity to choose to study these genes now, rather than waiting for them to make ...

LSUHSC research helps link schizophrenia to specific DNA region

... on chromosome 6. This is the same area where key genes for immune function are located. The LSUHSC ... This area of chromosome 6, in the same area where genes important to the immune system function, provokes ... been looking for schizophrenia susceptibility genes since the early 1900s," says Buccola. "This study ...

Dogs, humans, put heads together to find cure for brain cancer

... Pinpointing the genes involved in human brain cancer can be like ... chromosomes, which makes isolating the specific genes involved extremely difficult. Humans suffering ... to consider, one can see why figuring out which genes play a key role in meningiomas is extremely ...

Colorectal cancer

... Previously, only a few genes had been associated with the formation of ... Medicine Berlin, Germany, have identified 115 genes that are disregulated both in the primary tumor ... metastases. The researchers identified 115 genes that are falsely regulated in both the primary ...

MS study offers theory for why repair of brain's wiring fails

... today, July 1, 2009, in the print edition of " genes & Development ," was conducted by scientists at ... five, 10, and 14 days. To find out which genes were contributing to three key stages in the ... measured the activity of 1,040 genes. All of the genes they studied encode transcription factors, which ...

Will IVF work for a particular patient? The answer may be found in her blood

... conceived spontaneously. Analysis showed that 128 genes showed a more than two-fold difference in ... interesting patterns of gene clustering. Over 200 genes were differentially expressed in patients who ... field of gene-expression have focused on single genes as opposed to genome-wide screening of all the ...

Researchers see evidence of memory in the songbird brain

... sequential switching on and off of thousands of genes after a bird hears a new tune offers a new ... his colleagues had not expected to see so many genes involved, and thought that any changes in gene ... that allow the cell to translate individual genes into the proteins that do the work of the cells. ...

Further gene mutations linked to autism risk

... extra copies of DNA segments were found in the genes of children with autism spectrum disorders, but ... with ASDs, the study also uncovered two novel genes where variations were found, BZRAP1 and MDGA2 ... Interestingly, key variants on these genes were passed down in some, but not all, of the ...

Pushmi-pullyu of B-cell development discovered

... Although every cell in the body carries the genes necessary to function as an antibody-producing B ... help control both the unspooling of DNA to make genes accessible and the demethylation of DNA that ... Although DNA in every cell contains the genes necessary to become B cells, two factors help ...

Stem cell surprise for tissue regeneration

... previous research that identified critical genes for making muscle stem cells. It turns out that the genes that make muscle stem cells in the embryo are ... Nature . Previous studies have shown that two genes Pax3 and Pax7, are essential for making the ...

Midget plant gets makeover

... contains detailed information on all 33,518 genes that make up this tiny plant (including 114 newly discovered genes and 168 new pseudogenes), the proteins produced ... out as copies of conventional protein-coding genes and sometimes take on interesting new functions; ...

American Chemical Society's Weekly Presspac -- June 17, 2009

... belief that acetic acid fights fat by turning on genes for fatty acid oxidation enzymes. The genes churn out proteins involved in breaking down ... "Acetic Acid Upregulates the Expression of genes for Fatty Acid Oxidation Enzymes in Liver to ...

DNA template could explain evolutionary shifts

... 2009) Rearrangements of all sizes in genomes, genes and exons can result from a glitch in DNA copying ... template, duplicating and even triplicating genes or just shuffling or deleting part of the code ... the human genome that result in the deletion of genes or parts of them or extra copies of genes. Often, ...

Scientists sequence genome of the N2-fixing, soil-living bacterium Azotobacter vinelandii

... allowed the team of researchers to identify the genes involved in respiration, including those ... oxygen-sensitive nitrogenases, as well as the genes that code for other oxygen-sensitive enzymes such ... also provided important information on the genes that code for alginate, a polymer that further ...

Gene evolution process discovered

... REST plays a central role in switching specific genes on and off, thereby determining how specific ... reveals that while REST regulates a core set of genes in all vertebrates, it has also evolved to work with a greater number of genes specific to mammals, in particular in the brain ...

Researchers identify new risk factor gene for rheumatoid arthritis

... of investigators seeking to identify risk genes for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The hope is to ... The consortium has helped identify many genes involved in rheumatoid arthritis but this genetic ... Today, most markers that are used to identify genes represent variants that occur in more than five ...

Gene activity reveals dynamic stroma microenvironment in prostate cancer

... to prostate cancer, changes in the expression of genes occur that induce the formation of new structures ... determine the biological processes with which the genes with changes had been linked in prior studies. "We found that the top terms linked to the genes were related to neurogenesis (the growth of ...

American Chemical Society's Weekly PressPac -- June 3, 2009

... IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toward new drugs that turn genes on and off ACS Chemical Biology ... of drugs that treat disease by orchestrating how genes in the body produce proteins involved in ... might ratchet up the production of proteins in genes working at abnormally low levels or shut ...

Recruitment of reproductive features into other cell types may underlie extended lifespan in animals

... 'mortal' somatic cells to express some of the genes that allow the 'immortality' of reproductive ... pathway did exhibit somatic cell expression of genes usually active only in germline cells. The ... also found that inactivating germline-expressed genes in the mutant worms eliminated the increased ...

Small molecules mimic natural gene regulators

... disease, one appealing route involves turning genes on or off at will, directly intervening in ailments such as cancer and diabetes, which result when genes fail to turn on and off as they should. ... Chemical Biology . Molecules that can prompt genes to be active are called transcriptional ...

Researchers engineer metabolic pathway in mice to prevent diet-induced obesity

... in mammals, Liao's team cloned bacteria genes from Escherichia coli that would enable the shunt, then introduced the cloned E. coli genes into the mitochondria of liver cells in mice; ... is the first example of how people can build new genes into mammals to achieve a desired function. It's ...

Tulane receives grant to study limb regeneration

... and the University of Kentucky to identify the genes that trigger regeneration in the axolotl, a ... will then attempt to determine how the same genes are regulated in response to injuries in mice ... a comprehensive database that identifies all the genes involved in regenerating a salamander limb, we ...

MicroRNAs grease the cell's circadian clockwork

... our cells possess an internal clock, a group of genes displaying a cyclic expression pattern that reaches a peak once a day. A large number of circadian genes are expressed by organs such as the liver, whose ... team, published in the 1st June edition of genes & Development , fills in this important gap. ...

Penn researchers discover genetic risk factor for testicular cancer

... of Medicine have uncovered variation around two genes that are associated with an increased risk of ... incidence, they now know that an individual's genes also play a major role in disease susceptibility. ... prostate cancer. In those diseases, individual genes increase a person's risk by 10 to 25 percent, ...