ScienceDaily: Gene News

http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/genes/ Genes and Genetics News. Read today's medical research in genetics including what can damage genes, what can protect them, and more.en-usThu, 29 Nov 2012 03:04:26 ESTThu, 29 Nov 2012 03:04:26 EST60http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gifhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/genes/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121128182739.htm A simple formula can predict at birth a baby?s likelihood of becoming obese in childhood, according to a new study.Wed, 28 Nov 2012 18:27:27 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121128182739.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121128182719.htm Phase I trial shows third-generation drug helps patients after other treatments fail.Wed, 28 Nov 2012 18:27:27 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121128182719.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121128143549.htm A small molecule known to regulate white blood cells has a surprising second role in protecting brain cells from the deleterious effects of stroke, researchers report. The molecule, microRNA-223, affects how cells respond to the temporary loss of blood supply brought on by stroke -- and thus the cells' likelihood of suffering permanent damage.Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:35:35 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121128143549.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121128142651.htm Scientists have combined the ability to detect cancer DNA in the blood with genome sequencing technology in a test that could be used to screen for cancers, monitor cancer patients for recurrence and find residual cancer left after surgery.Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:26:26 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121128142651.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121128132355.htm Researchers have demonstrated how a genetic variant associated with type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune diseases influences susceptibility to autoimmunity.Wed, 28 Nov 2012 13:23:23 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121128132355.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121128132259.htm Nearly three-quarters of mutations in genes that code for proteins -- the workhorses of the cell -- occurred within the past 5,000 to 10,000 years, fairly recently in evolutionary terms, said genomic and genetic experts.Wed, 28 Nov 2012 13:22:22 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121128132259.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121128122041.htm Scientists have uncovered a group of what have been considered relatively minor regulators in the body that band together to suppress the spread of cancer from its primary site.Wed, 28 Nov 2012 12:20:20 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121128122041.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121128122035.htm Reduced production of myelin, a type of protective nerve fiber that is lost in diseases like multiple sclerosis, may also play a role in the development of mental illness, according to new research.Wed, 28 Nov 2012 12:20:20 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121128122035.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121128121505.htm Chemotherapy and a new, targeted therapy work better in combination than chemotherapy alone in treating patients with the most common genetic subtype of lung cancer, new research suggests.Wed, 28 Nov 2012 12:15:15 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121128121505.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121128093919.htm Changes in how genes in the immune system function may result in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of visual impairment in older adults. The findings are epigenetic in nature, meaning that the underlying DNA is normal but gene expression has been modified, likely by environmental factors, in an adverse way. Environmental factors associated with AMD include smoking, diet, and aging. This is the first epigenetic study revealing the molecular mechanisms for any eye disease.Wed, 28 Nov 2012 09:39:39 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121128093919.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121128093810.htm In a new study of the largest number of flame retardants ever tested in homes, researchers found that most houses had levels of at least one flame retardant that exceeded a federal health guideline.Wed, 28 Nov 2012 09:38:38 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121128093810.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121127190021.htm A new study produced new mathematical support for a theory that explains why men in some cultures often feed and care for their sisters? children: where extramarital sex is common and accepted, a man?s genes are more likely to be passed on by their sister?s kids than by their wife?s kids.Tue, 27 Nov 2012 19:00:00 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121127190021.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121127130256.htm Some infants are more susceptible to potentially life-threatening breathing problems after birth, and rare, inherited DNA differences may explain why, according to new research.Tue, 27 Nov 2012 13:02:02 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121127130256.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121127101534.htm Scientists have broadened our understanding of how cells regulate silencing of the X chromosome in a process known as X-inactivation.Tue, 27 Nov 2012 10:15:15 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121127101534.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121127094311.htm Researchers have discovered an alternative mechanism for activating rhe oncogene Ras that does not require mutation or hormonal stimulus.Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:43:43 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121127094311.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121127094248.htm Scientists have discovered that injecting a novel human protein into muscle affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy significantly increases its size and strength, findings that could lead to a therapy akin to the use of insulin by diabetics.Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:42:42 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121127094248.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121127093951.htm Researchers have identified and ?switched off? a chemical chain that causes neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington?s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and dementia. The findings could one day be of particular therapeutic benefit to Huntington?s disease patients.Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:39:39 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121127093951.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121127093855.htm New research showing a more than four-fold increase in the incidence of breast cancer in women with neurofibromatosis-1 (NF1) adds to growing evidence that women with this rare genetic disorder may benefit from early breast cancer screening with mammograms beginning at age 40, and manual breast exams as early as adolescence.Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:38:38 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121127093855.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121126164003.htm PKM2 slips into nucleus to promote cancer; potential biomarker and drug approach discovered.Mon, 26 Nov 2012 16:40:40 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121126164003.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121126142855.htm Discovery of a new drug with high potential to treat Ewing sarcoma, an often deadly cancer of children and young adults, and the previously unknown mechanism behind it, come hand-in-hand in a new study.Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:28:28 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121126142855.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121126131349.htm A newly discovered gene that is essential for embryo survival could also hold the key to treating and potentially controlling chronic infections such as HIV, hepatitis and tuberculosis. The gene, called Arih2, is fundamental to the function of the immune system -- making critical decisions about whether to switch on the immune response to an infection.Mon, 26 Nov 2012 13:13:13 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121126131349.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121126110737.htm Two years ago, a 71-year-old Indiana man impaled his hand on a branch after cutting down a dead tree. The wound caused an infection that led scientists to discover a new bacterium and solve a mystery about how bacteria came to live inside insects.Mon, 26 Nov 2012 11:07:07 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121126110737.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121125192838.htm Over a decade after sequencing the human genome, it has now become clear that the genome is not mostly ?junk? as previously thought. In fact, the ENCODE project consortium of dozens of labs and petabytes of data have determined that these ?noncoding? regions house everything from disease trait loci to important regulatory signals, all the way through to new types of RNA-based genes.Sun, 25 Nov 2012 19:28:28 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121125192838.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121124090511.htm Researchers have uncovered a protein ?partner? commonly used by breast cancer cells to unlock genes needed for spreading the disease around the body. A report on the discovery details how some tumors get the tools they need to metastasize.Sat, 24 Nov 2012 09:05:05 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121124090511.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121123092132.htm The genome encodes the complete information needed by an organism, including that required for protein production. Viruses, which are up to a thousand times smaller than human cells, have considerably smaller genomes. Using a type of herpesvirus as a model system scientists have shown that the genome of this virus contains much more information than previously assumed. The researchers identified several hundred novel proteins, many of which were surprisingly small.Fri, 23 Nov 2012 09:21:21 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121123092132.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121122152928.htm Scientists have made a major advance in understanding how flu viruses replicate within infected cells. The researchers used cutting-edge molecular biology and electron-microscopy techniques to ?see? one of influenza?s essential protein complexes in unprecedented detail. The images generated in the study show flu virus proteins in the act of self-replication, highlighting the virus?s vulnerabilities that are sure to be of interest to drug developers.Thu, 22 Nov 2012 15:29:29 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121122152928.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121122152910.htm Fifty years after scientists first posed a question about protein folding, the search for answers has led to the creation of a full-fledged field of research that led to major advances in supercomputers, new materials and drug discovery, and shaped our understanding of the basic processes of life, including so-called "protein-folding diseases" such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and type II diabetes.Thu, 22 Nov 2012 15:29:29 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121122152910.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121145638.htm Researchers recently uncovered a nerve cell's internal clock, used during embryonic development. This breakthrough could lead to the development of new tools to repair and regenerate nerve cells following injuries to the central nervous system.Wed, 21 Nov 2012 14:56:56 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121145638.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121145621.htm Using a new technique called cryo-electron tomography, scientists have created a three-dimensional map that gives a better understanding of how the architecture of the rod sensory cilium (part of one type of photoreceptor in the eye) is changed by genetic mutation and how that affects its ability to transport proteins as part of the light-sensing process.Wed, 21 Nov 2012 14:56:56 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121145621.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121130933.htm Researchers have resolved the structure of that allows a telomere-related protein, Cdc13, to form dimers in yeast. Mutations in this region of Cdc13 put the kibosh on the ability of telomerase and other proteins to maintain telomeres.Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:09:09 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121130933.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121130811.htm Cancer therapies often have short-lived benefits due to the emergence of genetic mutations that cause drug resistance. A key gene that determines resistance to a range of cancer drugs has been reported in a new study. The study reveals a biomarker that can predict responses to cancer drugs and offers a strategy to treat drug-resistant tumors based on their genetic signature.Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:08:08 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121130811.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121130703.htm Two recent studies delve into the role of chromatin modifying enzymes and transcription factors in tumour cells. In one, it was found that the PARP1 enzyme activated by kinase CDK2 is necessary to induce the genes responsible for the proliferation of breast cancer cells in response to progesterone. In another, extensive work has been undertaken to identify those genes activated by the administration of progesterone in breast cancer, the sequences that can be recognized and how these genes are induced.Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:07:07 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121130703.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121130643.htm Previously discarded, human-specific ?junk? DNA represents untapped resource in the study of diseases like Alzheimer?s and autism.Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:06:06 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121130643.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121130633.htm In a new study, researchers describe markers and a model that quantify how aging occurs at the level of genes and molecules, providing not just a more precise way to determine how old someone is, but also perhaps anticipate or treat ailments and diseases that come with the passage of time.Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:06:06 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121130633.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121104552.htm New research has found there are several different ways that kidney tumors can achieve the same result -- namely, grow.Wed, 21 Nov 2012 10:45:45 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121104552.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121104416.htm Clumped proteins can be dissolved with the aid of cellular repair systems -- a process of critical importance for cell survival especially under conditions of stress. Researchers have now decrypted the fundamental mechanism for dissolving protein aggregates that involves specific molecular chaperones.Wed, 21 Nov 2012 10:44:44 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121104416.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121104401.htm New understanding of molecular changes that convert harmless cells surrounding ovarian cancer cells into cells that promote tumor growth and metastasis provides potential new therapeutic targets for this deadly disease, according to new research.Wed, 21 Nov 2012 10:44:44 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121121104401.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120194932.htm A new rapid test for tuberculosis (TB) could substantially and cost-effectively reduce TB deaths and improve treatment in southern Africa -- a region where both HIV and tuberculosis are common.Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:49:49 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120194932.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120194926.htm A new study has identified hundreds of small regions of the genome that appear to be uniquely regulated in human neurons. These regulatory differences distinguish us from other primates, including monkeys and apes, and as neurons are at the core of our unique cognitive abilities, these features may ultimately hold the key to our intellectual prowess (and also to our potential vulnerability to a wide range of 'human-specific' diseases from autism to Alzheimer's).Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:49:49 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120194926.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120132906.htm Rather than target RNA viruses directly, aiming at the host cells they invade could hold promise, but any such strategy would have to be harmless to the host. Now, a surprising discovery made in ribosomes may point the way to fighting fatal viral infections such as rabies.Tue, 20 Nov 2012 13:29:29 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120132906.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120121835.htm Microbiologists studying bacterial colonization in mice have discovered how the very rapid and efficient spread of antibiotic resistance works in the respiratory pathogen, Streptococcus pneumoniae (also known as the pneumococcus). The team found that resistance stems from the transfer of DNA between bacterial strains in biofilms in the nasopharynx, the area just behind the nose.Tue, 20 Nov 2012 12:18:18 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120121835.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120100155.htm Scientists have discovered another molecule that plays an important role in regulating myelin formation in the central nervous system. Myelin promotes the conduction of nerve cell impulses by forming a sheath around their projections, the so-called axons, at specific locations -- acting like the plastic insulation around a power cord.Tue, 20 Nov 2012 10:01:01 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120100155.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120084725.htm Researchers have discovered new genetic evidence about why some people are happier than others. The scientists have uncovered evidence that the gene FTO -- the major genetic contributor to obesity -- is associated with an eight per cent reduction in the risk of depression. In other words, it's not just an obesity gene but a "happy gene" as well.Tue, 20 Nov 2012 08:47:47 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120084725.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119213144.htm Researchers have found that biological age and life expectancy can be predicted by measuring an individual's DNA. They studied the length of chromosome caps -- known as telomeres -- in a 320-strong wild population of Seychelles Warblers on a small isolated island.Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:31:31 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119213144.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119171403.htm Certain mutated cells keep trying to replicate their DNA -- with disastrous results -- even after medications rob them of the raw materials to do so, according to new research.Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:14:14 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119171403.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119163301.htm DNA sequences obtained from a handful of patients with multiple sclerosis have revealed the existence of an ?immune exchange? that allows the disease-causing cells to move in and out of the brain.Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:33:33 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119163301.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119132056.htm Changes in how DNA interacts with histones ?- the proteins that package DNA ?- regulate many fundamental cell activities from stem cells maturing into a specific body cell type or blood cells becoming leukemic. These interactions are governed by a biochemical tug of war between repressors and activators, which chemically modify histones signaling them to clamp down tighter on DNA or move aside and allow a gene to be expressed.Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:20:20 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119132056.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119114249.htm A new tool for neuroscientists delivers a thousand pinpricks of light to individual neurons in the brain. The new 3-D "light switch", created by biologists and engineers, could one day be used as a neural prosthesis that could treat conditions such as Parkinson's and epilepsy by using gene therapy to turn individual brain cells on and off with light.Mon, 19 Nov 2012 11:42:42 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119114249.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119104944.htm A large-scale international study has just discovered a gene for susceptibility to a rare disease providing evidence of the heterogeneous aetiology of Alzheimer's disease.Mon, 19 Nov 2012 10:49:49 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119104944.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119093848.htm The cerebral cortex is the most complex structure in our brain and the seat of consciousness, emotion, motor control and language. In order to fulfill these functions, it is composed of a diverse array of nerve cells, called cortical neurons, which are affected by many neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases. Researchers have opened new perspectives on brain development and stem cell neurobiology by discovering a gene called BCL6 as a key factor in the generation of cortical neurons during embryonic brain development.Mon, 19 Nov 2012 09:38:38 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119093848.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121118141530.htm Scientists have demonstrated that induced pluripotent stem cells -- the embryonic-stem-cell look-alikes whose discovery a few years ago won this year's Nobel Prize in medicine -- are not as genetically unstable as was thought.Sun, 18 Nov 2012 14:15:15 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121118141530.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121118141524.htm The prevailing wisdom has been that every cell in the body contains identical DNA. However, a new study of stem cells derived from the skin has found that genetic variations are widespread in the body's tissues, a finding with profound implications for genetic screening.Sun, 18 Nov 2012 14:15:15 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121118141524.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121118141432.htm Geneticists, pediatricians, surgeons and epidemiologists have identified two areas of the human genome associated with the most common form of non-syndromic craniosynostosis premature closure of the bony plates of the skull.Sun, 18 Nov 2012 14:14:14 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121118141432.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121117184658.htm A new discovery concerning a fundamental understanding about how DNA works will produce a "180-degree change in focus" for researchers who study how gene packaging regulates gene activity, including genes that cause cancer and other diseases.Sat, 17 Nov 2012 18:46:46 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121117184658.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116161059.htm Adverse side effects of certain hepatitis C medications can now be replicated in the lab, thanks to a research team. The new method aids understanding of recent failures of hepatitis C antiviral drugs in some patients, and could help to identify medications that eliminate adverse effects. The findings may aid the development of safer and more effective treatments for hepatitis C and other pathogens such as SARS and West Nile virus.Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:10:10 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116161059.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116124644.htm Researchers have found that a protein, known for causing cancer cells to spread around the body, is also one of the molecules that trigger repair processes in the brain.Fri, 16 Nov 2012 12:46:46 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116124644.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116124551.htm New research shows that a gene is responsible for a person's tendency to be an early riser or night owl -- and helps determine the time of day a person is most likely to die.Fri, 16 Nov 2012 12:45:45 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116124551.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116091226.htm Insights from a genetic condition that causes brain cancer are helping scientists better understand the most common type of brain tumor in children.Fri, 16 Nov 2012 09:12:12 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116091226.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115210541.htm Researchers have pieced together new genetic clues to the arthritis puzzle in a study that brings potential treatments closer to reality and could also provide insights into why more women than men succumb to the disabling condition.Thu, 15 Nov 2012 21:05:05 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115210541.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115172255.htm Passing one's genes on to the next generation is a mark of evolutionary success. So it makes sense that the body would work to ensure that the genes the next generation inherits are exact replicas of the originals. Biologists have now identified one way the body does exactly that.Thu, 15 Nov 2012 17:22:22 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115172255.htm

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