Researchers have found the molecular marker -- a pattern in the plant's natural DNA -- for calcium in potatoes. This will save time in breeding high-quality, high-calcium potatoes that resist rot.
Copies of the mouse gene R2d2 can spread quickly through lab and wild mouse populations, despite the fact that the genes cause females to have fewer offspring. This is the first time scientists have used mice to show that a selfish gene responsible for infertility can become fixed in a population.
A new study reveals that the Kurly protein is required for the proper orientation and movement of tiny hair-like projections called cilia. Defects in cilia are linked to human disease.
A team of national laboratory and university researchers led by the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Argonne National Laboratory is growing large test plots of switchgrass crops with the farmer in mind. For the first time, researchers have mixed different genetic varieties of switchgrass on production-size plots, hypothesizing this could increase yield by extending the growing season, varying the size of the switchgrass plants to produce a fuller crop and potentially reducing the crop’s vulnerability to weather fluctuations. A seven-year study showed the switchgrass variety mixture was, most consistently, the highest yielding crop, as measured by the harvested dry weight from each plot.
Employing cutting edge bioinformatics & next generation sequencing techniques, scientists have reconstructed the spider ‘tree of life’ to come to intriguing new conclusions about the evolution of the web, something which has important implications for the overall story of spider evolution.
A newly discovered human gene mutation appears to contribute both to unusual sleep patterns and to heightened rates of seasonal depression, according to new research from UC San Francisco.
Researchers at the University of Georgia, working with the International Peanut Genome Initiative, have discovered that a wild plant from Bolivia is a “living relic” of the prehistoric origins of the cultivated peanut species.
”Now we want to examine the next stage: If we change the dynamics of the regulatory circuits, will we be able to change the body plan? For example, will a sea cucumber grow a skeleton like a sea urchin?” – Dr. Smadar Ben-Tabou de-Leon from the Department of Marine Biology at the University of Haifa, who undertook the study
Imagine exploring a wooded site along an Alaska stream or lake for evidence of animals. Maybe you’ll see moose prints in the soil or a bit of wolf fur in a berry bush. But some species don’t leave footprints. They still leave a clue. It’s their DNA.
Scientists at the University of Georgia have shown that a hormone instrumental in the aging process is under genetic control, introducing a new pathway by which genetics regulates aging and disease.
Researchers developed a mathematical model to estimate the rates of mutation as a function of the nearby sequences of DNA ‘letters’ -- called nucleotides. This new model not only provides clues into the process of mutation, but also helps discover possible genetic risk factors that influence complex human diseases, such as autism spectrum disorder.
Florida State University researchers are working on new approaches to deciphering genetic data that may lead to new, more targeted prostate cancer treatments.
Researchers at Ohio State University have pinpointed a human gene product that helps regulate wound healing and may control scarring in people recovering from severe injuries and damage to certain internal organs. The protein, MG53, travels throughout the bloodstream and helps the body fix injuries to the skin, heart, and other organs without causing scars. It's a discovery that could help heal open wounds, decrease recovery time after surgery and reduce the spread of infections.
Neuroscientists have discovered a specific enzyme that plays a critical role in spinal muscular atrophy, and that suppressing this enzyme’s activity, could markedly reduce the disease’s severity and improve patients’ lifestyles.
An international team of scientists, led by researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), have created the first comprehensive, cross-species genomic comparison of all 20 known species of Leptospira, a bacterial genus that can cause disease and death in livestock and other domesticated mammals, wildlife and humans.
Caltech biologists have performed the first large-scale screening in a vertebrate animal for genes that regulate sleep, and have identified a gene that when overactivated causes severe insomnia. Expression of the gene, neuromedin U (Nmu), also seems to serve as nature's stimulant--fish lacking the gene take longer to wake up in the morning and are less active during the day.
First genetic evidence of modern human DNA in a Neanderthal individual.
DNA results show that shelter workers are often mistaken when they label a dog as a pit bull, with potentially devastating consequences for the dogs, a new University of Florida study has found.
A new cellular signal discovered by a team of scientists at the University of Chicago with scientists from Tel Aviv University provides a promising new lever in the control of gene expression.
Standard autopsies of people who suffer sudden death do not always reveal inherited cardiac anomalies, so it can be difficult to determine whether the culprit was inherited heart disease or something else. To help improve the likelihood of detecting inherited cardiac anomalies in families and to avert further tragedy, Gregory Webster, MD, MPH, a cardiologist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital has teamed up with colleagues from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine to trace the footprints of genetic heart disease in young people who died suddenly and whose cause of death has not been determined through traditional autopsy.
Database searches for DNA sequences that can take biologists and medical researchers days can now be completed in a matter of minutes, thanks to a new search method developed by computer scientists at Carnegie Mellon University.
On Charles Darwin's 207th birthday, a new study of evolution in a diverse group of wild tomatoes is shedding light on the importance of genetic variation in plants.
Researchers at UC San Francisco and Johns Hopkins may have found a new way to diagnose Lyme disease, based on a distinctive gene “signature” they discovered in white blood cells of patients infected with the tick-borne bacteria.
Scientists at Indiana University have modified a plant gene that normally fights bacterial infection to confer resistance to a virus. The method, described in a paper to be published Feb. 12 in the journal Science, is the first time a plant’s innate defense system has been altered to deliver resistance to a new disease.
Faulty bioelectric signaling has been found to be responsible for the skull and facial abnormalities that characterize the rare genetic disorder Andersen-Tawil Syndrome (ATS). It may therefore be possible to alter bioelectrical signaling to correct effects of fetal alcohol syndrome and other developmental defects or genetic mutations.
A 10-year collaborative project led by biologists from Kansas State University and Washington State University has discovered how the Atlantic molly is able to live in toxic hydrogen sulfide water.
With fewer than 3,500 episodes a year, cardiac arrest in children is decidedly rare, but it could be a dramatic signal that the victim’s family members may be at a heightened risk for sudden cardiac death. This is why, in the aftermath of such a traumatic event, clinical evaluation of the child’s parents and siblings could lead to lifesaving diagnoses and therapies, averting further tragedy, say cardiologists at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Bioengineer Gang Bao and team explore CRISPR-Cas9 alternatives.
Mutations in the gene TBX5 have been shown to cause both rare and more prevalent forms of congenital heart disease, yet the underlying mechanisms have remained unclear. A team led by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has now found evidence pointing to a culprit.
BETHESDA, MD – The Genetics Society of America (GSA) is pleased to announce that Detlef Weigel (Max Plank Institute for Developmental Biology, Tuebingen) has been awarded the GSA Medal for his outstanding contributions to the field of genetics in the last 15 years.
Cellular senescence -- when a cell can no longer divide -- is a programmed stage in a cell's life cycle. Sometimes, as in aging, we wish it didn't happen so much and sometimes, as in cancer, we wish it would happen more. Given its important impacts on health, biologists wish they could explain more about what's happening in cells when senescence takes hold. A new study helps by showing that chromosomes become somewhat transformed, altering their patterns of gene expression.
The London-based LouLou Foundation and the Orphan Disease Center of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have established a Program of Excellence to develop effective treatments for children with CDKL5, a rare X-chromosome-linked genetic disorder that causes severe neuro-developmental impairment and early-onset, difficult-to-control seizures.
On November 11, 1954, Syuiti Mori turned out the lights on a small group of fruit flies. More than sixty years later, the descendents of those flies have adapted to life without light. These flies—a variety now known as “Dark-fly”—outcompete their light-loving cousins when they live together in constant darkness, according to research reported in the February issue of G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics. This competitive difference allowed the researchers to re-play the evolution of Dark-fly and identify the genomic regions that contribute to its success in the dark.
New research published in Nature has shown how genome sequencing can be rapidly established to monitor outbreaks.
Caltech biologists have modified a harmless virus in such a way that it can successfully enter the adult mouse brain through the bloodstream and deliver genes to cells of the nervous system. The virus could help researchers map the intricacies of the brain and holds promise for the delivery of novel therapeutics to address diseases such as Alzheimer's and Huntington's. In addition, the screening approach the researchers developed to identify the virus could be used to make additional vectors capable of targeting cells in other organs.
Cotton's genetic history is full of surprises. From transoceanic travels to inter-species cross-breedings, cotton’s story is one of plant and seed survival, adaptation, and human cultivation. What started as a naturally tough, unspinnable fiber has been transformed into something most folks adore for its soft, comforting feel.
A powerful, three-way mechanism by which a mutation drives the growth of childhood brain cancers, was discovered by scientists. The team hopes the discovery will lead to better methods for diagnosing and treating these cancers, which cannot always be cured with surgery.
Children from war-torn areas of the globe are affected by trauma even before they are born, according to a new University of Florida study.
23andMe, Inc., the leading personal genetics company, today announced the results of one of the largest genome-wide association studies of its kind, identifying genetic variants associated with being a morning person. Published in Nature Communications the study identified 15 locations in DNA (loci) associated with “morningness.”
NC State researcher leads effort to sequence genetic blueprint of the bedbug. The findings show the mechanisms behind some of the insect's most reviled characteristics, including its resistance to insecticides.
A multi-institution team of researchers has successfully mapped the genome of Cimex lectularius, the common bed bug. Among the findings, scientists discovered more than 800 instances of genes being transferred from bacteria to the bed bug’s chromosomes.
New research published Feb. 2 in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that older adults with a major risk gene for Alzheimer’s disease known as APOEɛ4 who ate at least one seafood serving per week showed fewer signs of Alzheimer’s-related brain changes. In contrast, this association was not found in the brains of volunteers who ate fish weekly but did not carry the risk gene.
ISU researchers have found evidence that a “housekeeping” gene present in every cell of the body may have a link to male infertility. The results of the study suggest that deficiency of the SMN gene could have different effects in males and females.
Research from Indiana University published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has identified a genetic mechanism that is likely to drive mutations that can lead to cancer.
The ever-shrinking cost of DNA sequencing improves accessibility for an increasing number of people and, importantly, for the diagnosis and treatment of disease. This is particularly salient in cancer genetics, as cancer is often the result of mutation in not one gene, but many. Moreover, personalized genomics is the foundation of precision medicine; however, having the DNA sequence in hand is only half of the equation.
For the first time, researchers have treated an animal model of a genetic disorder using a viral vector to deliver genome-editing components in which the disease- causing mutation has been corrected. Delivery of the vector to newborn mice improved their survival while treatment of adult animals, unexpectedly, made them worse.
MaxMind, an industry-leading provider of IP security and online fraud detection tools, has given a $100K gift to the George Washington University’s Research Center for Neglected Diseases of Poverty to end schistosomiasis through gene drive technology.
From a collection of more than 7,800 unrelated neurofibromatosis type 1 mutations, UAB researchers have aimed at two goals: correlate a particular mutation with the symptoms that will develop as the child grows, and identify the likely mechanism that caused a group of DNA rearrangement mutations.
Researchers found a way of differentiating angiocentric gliomas from other low-grade pediatric brain tumors and developed a pathological test that will help children avoid unnecessary and potentially damaging additional therapies.
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