Transposon in Biological News

Parasites ready to jump

... mechanisms have evolved which can repress transposon activity. Professor Klaus Frstemann of the Gene ... the system of so-called piRNAs ensures that transposon activity is inhibited but only if these RNAs are ... them into the host cells they infect. Therefore, transposon activity must also be repressed in somatic cells. ...

CSHL scientists discover how 'companion' cells to sperm protect them from genetic damage

... sperm cells. There, they inactivate or "silence" transposon DNA via a phenomenon known as RNA interference. ... just enforce epigenetic reprogramming and transposon silencing in the next generation." Other ... of companion cells results in the control of transposon activity in the sperm. ...

Plants display 'molecular amnesia'

... the maize plant "remembers," and keeps the transposon "silenced" generation after generation, even ... although the trigger works fine, and the transposon is silenced, once the trigger is lost, the transposon reawakens," said Jaswinder Singh, a professor in ...

Methods for gene transfer in stem cells featured in Cold Spring Harbor Protocols

... safety concerns associated with viral vectors. Use of the "Sleeping Beauty transposon System for Stable Gene Expression in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells" from ... transfection is a two-component system consisting of a transposase and a transposon containing inverted repeat/direct repeat sequences that result in precise ...

CSHL scientists discover a new way in which epigenetic information is inherited

... is absent in lab strains. In hybrid dysgenesis, the transmission of the transposon by a parent induces sterility in the offspring unless the offspring also inherits a factor that suppresses the transposon and maintains fertility. Since the phenomenon had only been seen when the ...

'Jumping genes' could make for safer gene delivery system

... minimize the insertional mutagenesis risk." Techniques for targeting transposon vectors to regions of the genome devoid of cancer genes are being refined. ... both technical and safety issues to be worked out in the development of transposon vectors before they could be tried in human therapy. But the use of such ...

Singapore scientists elected into National Academy of Sciences

... a mutagenic transposon, a sequence of DNA that can move around to different positions within the genome of a single cell. In moving around, a transposon can cause mutations and change the amount of DNA in the genome. In addition, Drs. Copeland and Jenkins' group plans to use another whimsically ...

Moving gene therapy forward with mobile DNA

... without success. We are glad that we could now overcome this hurdle' claims Thierry VandenDriessche. Zsuzsanna Izsvak and Zoltan Ivics concur: 'This transposon technology may greatly simplify the way gene therapy is conducted, improve its overall safety and reduce the costs'. The VIB researchers are ...

CSHL researchers map changing epigenetic modifications that enable transposons to run amok

... immortalized cells -- cells that are coaxed to grow endlessly in culture dishes -- the epigenetic changes resulting in a loss of heterochromatin and transposon "re-activation" are not due to a loss of the proteins that regulate heterochromatin. Instead, they find that the epigenetic modifications are due to ...

Consortium develops new method to manipulate genetic material

... for inactivation or repair. The potential for discovery is great, said Dan Voytas, Ph.D., director of the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for transposon Research, and co-investigator on the research. In human therapeutics, researchers may aim to correct genetic disorders or diseases, and in plants, ...

KGI professor contributes new insights on 'jumping genes'

... Lynn Sniderhan from the University of Rochester and co-author Ueli Grossniklaus, professor at the University of Zurich, were reported in the paper transposon Excision from an Atypical Site: A Mechanism of Evolution of Novel Transposable Elements. The work extends theories of the renowned cytogeneticist ...

Jumping gene could provide non-viral alternative for gene therapy

... radiation therapy. They found the piggyBac transposon was five to 10 times better than the other ... add a therapeutic gene, we can put it within the transposon and use it to deliver the gene into the cell," ... at what was believed to be the most efficient transposon in mammalian cells, hyperactive Sleeping Beauty, ...

Ancient DNA helps UF researchers unearth potential hemophilia therapy

... strand of DNA present in modern-day fish called a transposon to transport the gene directly into the DNA of ... them to chauffeur genes into the cell. The transposon UF researchers used is one of a few that work in ... cellular and molecular therapy, used the transposon to inject the gene into endothelial cells, which ...

New technique could alter field of mouse genetics

... in Shanghai, China, began their studies with a transposon called piggyBac. With the help of a partner ... day in and day out. It's fairly rare to get a transposon that works on a large scale in an effective way. ... insects from moths to flies and mosquitoes. The transposon has also seen heavy use in the genetic workhorse, ...

Sleeping beauty plays a significant role in identifying cancer genes

... team, which investigated the use of a highly mobile Sleeping Beauty transposon system to study lymphomas, a cancer that strikes the immune system. ... N. "Mammalian mutagenesis using a highly mobile somatic Sleeping Beauty transposon system," Nature, Vol. 436, No. 7047. ...

Scientists identify genes responsible for 'black rot' disease in vegetables

... and deletions. In order to functionally characterize Xcc and identify genes implicated in its pathogenicity, the researchers then screened an Xcc transposon insertional mutant library in its host plant (cabbage). They screened a total of 16,512 Xcc mutants on individual cabbage plants and, of these, 172 ...