Feature Channels: Genetics

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Bioengineer Gang Bao and team explore CRISPR-Cas9 alternatives.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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New research published in Nature has shown how genome sequencing can be rapidly established to monitor outbreaks.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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A new study evaluated the relationship between common genetic variants implicated in schizophrenia and those associated with subcortical brain volumes, and found no evidence of genetic overlap between schizophrenia risk and subcortical volume measures.

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Groundbreaking work is the result of analytical ingenuity, fortuitous collaborations, and catalytic philanthropic funding.

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An international coalition of researchers led by Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation scientist Swapan Nath, Ph.D., has identified 10 new genes associated with the autoimmune disease lupus. The findings were published in the Jan. 25 issue of Nature Genetics.

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Expert can discuss recent advances in the science of bioanalytics and molecular information, that let us identify and characterize the products of all living cells—including proteins, lipids, metabolites and nucleic acids. He can specifically focus on how this technology is becoming a key driver in basic research, pharmaceutical development and clinical medicine.

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A new study by researchers at Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) has uncovered a veritable trove of genes used by plants to form symbiotic relationships with fungi, vastly increasing the knowledge of the genetic basis for this agriculturally valuable interaction.

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A new clinical study published in the January issue of Gene Therapy reports the promising results of an innovative DNA-based gene therapy that may offer a potential therapeutic option for a disease with unmet medical needs.

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The study, “Brachyury, Foxa2 and the cis-Regulatory Origins of the Notochord,” published December 18, 2015, in PLOS Genetics, analyzes the regions of DNA that switch on gene expression in the notochord, called notochord cis-regulatory modules (CRMs, also known as enhancers). The paper presents a systematic analysis of CRMs that share the distinctive property of turning on gene expression in the notochord.

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A pair of studies by a team of scientists has shed new light on the nature of a particular type of DNA sequences—tandem DNA repeat arrays—that play important roles in transcription control, genome organization, and development.

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A comprehensive analysis of the molecular characteristics of gliomas—the most common malignant brain tumor—explains why some patients diagnosed with slow-growing (low-grade) tumors quickly succumb to the disease while others with more aggressive (high-grade) tumors survive for many years.

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A protein called XPG plays a previously unknown and critical role helping to maintain genome stability in human cells. It may also help prevent breast, ovarian, and other cancers associated with defective BRCA genes.

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A provocative study by evolutionary biologists at McMaster University takes on one of Charles Darwin’s central ideas: that males adapt and compete for the attention of females because it is the females who ultimately choose their mates and the time of mating.

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Scientists have used a new gene-editing technology called CRISPR, to repair a genetic mutation responsible for retinitis pigmentosa (RP), an inherited condition that causes the retina to degrade and leads to blindness in at least 1.5 million cases worldwide.

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Andean beans (for example, red kidney beans) were overlooked by researchers because other beans were easier to breed. However, researchers took notice of the Andean bean. They recognized its potential to play a role in feeding the world.

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Coastal seagrass ecosystems cover some 200,000 square kilometers and account for an estimated 15 percent of carbon fixed in global ocean. In Nature, a team including DOE Joint Genome Institute researchers describes the first marine angiosperm genome: the eelgrass Zostera marina.

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A gene that is often lost in childhood cancer plays an important role in the decision between life and death of certain cells, according to a new study published in the journal Developmental Cell. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Ludwig Cancer Research in Sweden have discovered the process by which that gene, KIF1B-β, kills cells and thereby suppresses tumour development.

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A team of scientists has uncovered greater intricacy in protein signaling than was previously understood, shedding new light on the nature of genetic production.

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The most commonly mutated gene in cancer, p53, works to prevent tumor formation by keeping mobile elements in check that otherwise lead to genomic instability, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

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Fertility experts in Southampton and the Netherlands have identified a specific genetic pattern in the womb that could predict whether or not IVF treatment is likely to be successful.

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At least 60 genetic diseases called neurocutaneous disorders involve the skin, central nervous system, and/or peripheral nervous system, Loyola University Medical Center neurologists report.

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As countries around the world seek to craft policy frameworks governing the powerful new genetic editing tool, policy makers need to determine 'thresholds of acceptability' for using the technology, according to three researchers from the Centre of Genomics and Policy at McGill University.

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By harnessing the most advanced data-mining tools, Jackson Laboratory Professor Carol Bult is leading the hunt for suspect genes that contribute to a common, deadly birth defect.

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Using a new computer science approach, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, Columbia University and Stanford University discovered a distinctive molecular feature — a biomarker — that identified colon cancer patients who were most likely to remain disease-free up to five years after surgery. The biomarker, a protein called CDX2, also helped the researchers identify Stage II colon cancer patients who are most likely to benefit from chemotherapy after surgery.

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Building on a 30-year, three-generation study of depressed individuals, their children and offspring, a study provides a better understanding of the familial risk for depression and the role neuroplasticity might have in increasing the risk of developing depression.

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A single injection. That’s all someone with a factor VII deficiency would need for a life-long cure, thanks to a new gene therapy treatment developed in a collaboration of researchers at the University of North Carolina (UNC) and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

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This finding is key as UF/IFAS and other agencies conduct studies involving citizen scientists. Good entomological research often relies on collecting and preserving the genetic material in specimens.

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Cancers evolve over time in patterns governed by the same natural laws that drive physical and chemical processes as diverse as the flow of rivers or the brightness of stars, a new study reports.

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CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technique can be transiently activated and inactivated using RNA-based drugs, giving researchers more precise control in correcting and inactivating genes.