New Map of Variation in Maize Genetics Holds Promise for Developing New Varieties

A new study of maize has identified thousands of diverse genes in genetically inaccessible portions of the genome. New techniques may allow breeders and researchers to use this genetic variation to identify desirable traits and create new varieties that were not easily possible before.

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Sweet Corn Story Begins in Lab

This week, scientists are revealing the genetic instructions inside corn, one of the big three cereal crops. Corn, or maize, has one of the most complex sequences of DNA ever analyzed, says University of Wisconsin-Madison genomicist David Schwartz, who was one of more than 100 authors in the article in the journal Science.

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Amaizing: Corn Genome Decoded

In recent years, scientists have decoded the DNA of humans and a menagerie of creatures but none with genes as complex as a stalk of corn, the latest genome to be unraveled. A team of scientists led by The Genome Center at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis published the completed corn genome in the Nov. 20 journal Science, an accomplishment that will speed efforts to develop better crop varieties to meet the world’s growing demands for food, livestock feed and fuel.

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Petascale Tools Could Provide Deeper Insight into Genomic Evolution

Research recently funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 aims to develop computational tools that will utilize next-generation petascale computers to understand genomic evolution.

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Nanoparticles Found in Common Household Items Caused Genetic Damage in Mice

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, found in everything from cosmetics to sunscreen to paint to vitamins, caused systemic genetic damage in mice, according to a comprehensive study conducted by researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

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Largest Gene Study in Childhood IBD Finds 5 New Genes

In the largest, most comprehensive genetic analysis of childhood-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), an international research team has identified five new gene regions, including one involved in a biological pathway that helps drive the painful inflammation of the digestive tract that characterizes the disease.

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‘Despair’ Gene May Link to Mood Disorders

After testing behavior of mice lacking the gene, pharmacy researchers at the University of Maryland, Baltimore say it may play an important role in mood regulation.

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Researchers Identify a Weak Link in Cancer Cell Armor

The seeming invincibility of cancerous tumors may be crumbling, thanks to a promising new gene therapy that eliminates the ability of certain cells to repair themselves. Researchers at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine have discovered that inactivation of a DNA repair gene called Hus1 efficiently kills cells lacking p53 -- a gene mutated in the majority of human cancers.

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Mouse Gene Suppresses Alzheimer’s Plaques and Tangles

Investigators at Burnham have identified a novel mouse gene that reduces the accumulation of two toxic proteins that are major players in Alzheimer’s disease: amyloid beta and tau. Amyloid beta is responsible for the plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Tau causes the tangles found within patients’ brain cells.

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