AMP applauds US District Judge Robert Sweet’s ruling in favor of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Association for Molecular Pathology, et al. v. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, et al.
An Agricultural Research Service (ARS) plant molecular biologist says Asian wheat may offer novel genes for shoring up the defenses of U.S. varieties against Fusarium graminearum fungi that cause Fusarium head blight disease.
An international team of scientists, led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has decoded the genome of a songbird – the Australian zebra finch – to reveal intriguing clues about the genetic basis and evolution of vocal learning. The research provides insights to help scientists understand how humans learn language. It also sets the stage for future studies that could help identify the genetic and molecular origins of speech disorders, such as those related to autism, stroke, stuttering and Parkinson’s disease.
Using new one-of-a-kind “mouse models” that promise to have a significant impact on future Parkinson’s disease research, Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers are among the first to discover how mutations in a gene called LRRK2 may cause inherited (or “familial”) Parkinson’s disease, the most common form of the disease. The study, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, is the first in vivo evidence that LRRK2 regulates dopamine transmission and controls motor performance, and that the mutation of LRRK2 eliminates the normal function of LRRK2, leading to Parkinson’s disease.
“I think that Judge Sweet showed an impressive understanding of genetics and some of the nuances involved. I agree with him," says Jim Evans, who led an HHS task force on gene patenting and a school to teach judges about genetics.
Genome sequencing and resulting DNA profiles may one day identify, in advance, patients who are most likely respond to chemotherapy with an aromatase inhibitor.
Scientists may have made a discovery that could lead to higher corn yields in the United States. In research published in the March 2010 issue of the journal GENETICS, scientists used tropical maize from Mexico and Thailand to discover chromosome regions responsible for detecting seasonal changes in flowering time. This discovery may lead to higher crop yields, improved disease resistance, and heartier plants able to withstand severe weather.
The experts who make recommendations for genetic disease screening in newborns face a challenging task: To make conclusions based on the most authoritative available evidence, while considering gaps in the research on such rare conditions, as well as their human impact. An overview of the steps followed by the expert panels tasked with making these recommendations is presented in a special section of the current issue of Genetics in Medicine.
Plant study in Nature shows value of using genome-wide method to locate genes behind physical traits. Authors see applications for agriculture and biofuels.
A newly developed test appears highly accurate in identifying newborns with fragile X syndrome—the most common inherited cause of cognitive impairment—as well as identifying couples who are carriers of the causative gene, reports a study in the March issue of Genetics in Medicine.
Representatives of the media are cordially invited to attend the Genetics Society of America biennial meeting, “GENETICS 2010: Model Organisms to Human Biology,” June 12-15, 2010, at the Sheraton Boston, Massachusetts. This meeting will bring together model organism researchers and human geneticists to discuss the impact of basic research on the study of human diseases.
A team of Agricultural Research Service (ARS) researchers has found a way to speed up grape breeding by developing a way to identify genetic markers in the grapevine’s genome that can be linked with specific traits, such as fruit quality, environmental adaptation, and disease and pest resistance.
Pediatric researchers analyzing DNA variations in type 1 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease have found a complex interplay of genes. Some genes have opposing effects, raising the risk of one disease while protecting against the other. In other cases, a gene variant may act in the same direction, raising the risk for both diseases.
‘Metabolic taxation’ accounts for part of difference between fast and slow growth of animals, according to a new theory. USC marine biologists say that a study of oyster genes associated with growth suggests that fast-growing animals have better tuned ribosomal factories for making proteins.
A better understanding of the pea aphid genome could help control agricultural pests.
Representatives of the media are invited to attend the 51st Annual Drosophila Research Conference in Washington, DC, April 7-11, 2010, sponsored by the Genetics Society of America. More than 1600 basic research scientists who study genetic models in Drosophila (fruit flies) are expected to attend.
A new study suggests that a gene called HuR plays a critical role in inducing and mediating an inflammatory response in cells experiencing mechanical and chemical stresses. The finding may lead to new treatments for diseases associated with inflammation, such as atherosclerosis.
Scientists in Africa are working to develop maize hybrids that keep their genetic diversity and resistance to parasitic weeds.
Scientists at Georgia Tech have discovered that small molecules could have acted as “molecular midwives” in helping the building blocks of life’s genetic material form long chains and may have assisted in selecting the base pairs of the DNA double helix.
Pediatrics researchers have identified the first major gene location responsible for a severe, often painful type of food allergy called eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). In this disease, which may cause weight loss, vomiting, heartburn and swallowing difficulties, a patient may be unable to eat a wide variety of foods.
The Genetics Society of America announces the 2010 Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology Meeting, July 27-August 1, 2010, at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. This biennial meeting brings together investigators studying various aspects of eukaryotic biology in yeast. Program highlights include presentations by three Nobel Laureates and a Canadian astronaut who is also a Member of Parliament.
Offspring of two parents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder appear more likely to develop the same illness or another psychiatric condition than those with only one parent with psychiatric illness, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Reversing a protein deficiency through gene therapy can correct motor function, restore nerve signals and improve survival in mice that serve as a model for the lethal childhood disorder spinal muscular atrophy, new research shows.
The Genetics Society of America is extending the deadline for submissions for its Excellence in Research Journalism Award from March 1, 2010 to March 8, 2010. This award is designed to honor those journalists who provide outstanding coverage of basic genetic research studies of model organisms such as fruit flies (Drosophila), roundworms (C. elegans), mice, yeast, fungi or other organisms and which may link to human biology.
Twenty billion pieces of DNA in 100 small fish have opened the eyes of biologists studying evolution. After combining new technologies, researchers now know many of the genomic regions that allowed an ocean-dwelling fish to adapt to fresh water in several independently evolved populations.
In reports of two new studies, researchers led by Johns Hopkins say they have identified the mechanisms rooted in two anatomical brain abnormalities that may explain the onset of schizophrenia and the reason symptoms don’t develop until young adulthood. Both types of anatomical glitches are influenced by a gene known as DISC1, whose mutant form was first identified in a Scottish family with a strong history of schizophrenia and related mental disorders. The findings could lead to new ways to treat, prevent or modify the disorder or its symptoms.
Researchers have identified new genetic data that could be used in the future to predict who will develop end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). The findings could also advance the use of genetic screening for those at high risk of developing kidney failure, which might enable preventative early treatment in at risk individuals.
Novel method speeds analysis for individualized medicine.
Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have used data from the whole genome sequencing of cancer patients to develop individualized blood tests they believe can help physicians tailor patients’ treatments. The genome-based blood tests, believed to be the first of their kind, may be used to monitor tumor levels after therapy and determine cancer recurrence.
A UCLA study reveals how human genes interact with their environment to boost disease risk. The new findings shed light on why the search for specific gene variants linked to human diseases can only partly explain common disorders.
Large-scale study reveals DNA segments missing or duplicated in tumors, uncovers novel cancer genes and genetic abnormalities shared across cancers.
Creation of a genetic risk score comprised of multiple genetic markers associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) was not associated with significant improvement in CVD risk prediction in a study that included more than 19,000 women, according to a study in the February 17 issue of JAMA.
A few minor variations in one gene may make a difference in athletic endurance, according to a new study from Physiological Genomics.
An international team of investigators at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, Nijmegen Centre for Molecular Life Sciences and other organizations have discovered that TKS4, a protein implicated in cancer metastasis, also plays a significant role in Frank-Ter Haar syndrome (FTHS), a rare fatal disorder.
In a study that could lead to new therapeutic targets for patients with the cystic fibrosis, a research team from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has identified a defective signaling pathway that contributes to disease severity.
Biologist Samuel Hazen is one of 100 researchers who published in Nature the genome of a grass seen as a promising feedstock for clean biofuels. Hazen’s lab is one of 10 developing Brachypodium to reduce use of imported oil and cut GHG. It’s the first of its family to have its DNA fully sequenced.
Specific chemical modifications to proteins called histones, which are found in the nucleus of cells and act as spools around which DNA is wound, can be used to predict prognosis and response to treatment in subsets patients with pancreatic cancer, a study by researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has found.
An analysis of genetic and clinical data for nearly 800 patients with non-small cell lung cancer has identified differences in genetic characteristics that are associated with age and sex specific patterns of increased or decreased recurrence-free survival, according to a study in the February 10 issue of JAMA.
It is widely known that genetic mutations cause disease. What are largely unknown are the mechanisms by which these mutations wreak havoc at the molecular level, giving rise to clinically observable symptoms in patients. Now a new study using bioinformatics, reports the ability to predict the molecular cause of many inherited genetic diseases. These predictions have led to the creation of a web-based tool available to academic researchers who study disease.
The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) commends the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health, and Society (SACGHS) for its thoughtful, deliberative exploration into the challenges of gene patents .
Researchers from 14 institutions has peered into the human genome and has found a way to predict who will benefit the most from exercise.
The ethics commentary, called “Gene Doping and Sports,” appears in the February issue of the journal Science. Lead author Theodore Friedmann, MD, professor of pediatrics and director of the Gene Therapy Program at UC San Diego School of Medicine.
Nuclear pore complexes are best known as the communication channels that regulate the passage of all molecules to and from a cell’s nucleus. Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, however, have shown that some of the pores’ constituent proteins, called nucleoporins, pull double duty as transcription factors regulating the activity of genes active during early development.
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are tapping into the DNA of a wild oat, considered by some to be a noxious weed, to see if it can help combat crown rust, the most damaging fungal disease of oats worldwide.
The Genetics Society of America has launched an awards program to honor journalists who provide outstanding coverage of basic genetics research that uses model organisms (fruit flies, roundworms, yeast, fungi, mice, and other organisms) and which contributes to public understanding of the need for and importance of basic research.
University of Michigan researchers have shown that tension on DNA molecules can affect gene expression---the process at the heart of biological function that tells a cell what to do.
Together with colleagues in Barcelona, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have generated a complete map of the areas of the genome that control which genes are “turned on” or “off.” The discovery, made in pancreatic islet cells, opens new avenues for understanding the genetic basis of type 2 diabetes and other common illnesses.
Mutation of a gene that helps protect the body from genetic instability leads to cellular and molecular changes in the pregnant uterus that trigger premature birth, according to a study appearing online Feb. 1 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The research by scientists at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center sheds new light on the still poorly understood genetic and physiological reasons for preterm births.
New research for the first time links genes to our ability to orient ourselves to the world around us an then navigate through it.
Single mutations in genes involved with nerve cell formation and growth appear to be associated with the risk of attempting suicide among individuals with depression, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the April print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
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