Genetics

Whole Genome Sequencing of Entire Family Reveals New Genetic Power

Seattle, WA (Scicasts) - The Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) has analyzed the first whole genome sequences of a human family of four. The findings of a project funded through a partnership between ISB and the University of Luxembourg was published online on March 10, 2010 by Science on its Science Express website. It demonstrates the benefit of sequencing entire families, including lowering error rates, identifying rare genetic variants and identifying disease-linked genes.

Complete Genomics' Genome Sequencing Service Used to Verify Gene Responsible for Miller Syndrome

Mountain View, CA (Scicasts) - Complete Genomics, a third-generation human genome sequencing company, has announced that the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) employed Complete Genomics' human genome sequencing service to sequence a family quartet to determine the depth of genetic information possible in analyzing a full family's sequence, and to verify the gene responsible for Miller syndrome, a rare craniofacial disorder. Results from this collaboration was be published online in the journal Science; the manuscript is titled "Analysis of Genetic Inheritance in a Family Quartet by Whole Genome Sequencing."

Mitochondrial DNA's Surprising Variability Could Complicate Forensic and Genealogical Analyses

Chevy Chase, MD (Scicasts) - Forensic anthropologists, human evolution researchers, and crime scene investigators might want to take note: The mitochondrial genome–long thought to be nearly identical in every cell in the human body–actually varies to a surprising degree, according to new research by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) scientists. The research shows that different forms of the mitochondrial genome can be present in different organs from the same individual, and that these forms probably arise during embryonic development.

Researchers Create Atlas of Transcription Factor Combinations

San Diego, CA (Scicasts) - In a significant leap forward in the understanding of how specific types of tissue are determined to develop in mammals, an international team of scientists has succeeded in mapping the entire network of DNA-binding transcription factors and their interactions. This global network, indicating which factors can combine to determine cell fate, was published in the March 5 issue of the journal Cell.

EMBL Scientists Present Genetic Catalog of our Gut Flora

Heidelberg, Germany (Scicasts) - The thousands of bacteria, fungi and other microbes that live in our gut are essential contributors to our good health. They break down toxins, manufacture some vitamins and essential amino acids, and form a barrier against invaders. A study published this week in Nature shows that, at 3.3 million, microbial genes in our gut outnumber previous estimates for the whole of the human body.

Naegleria Genome Sequenced

Berkeley, CA (Scicasts) - In the long evolutionary road from bacteria to humans, a major milestone occurred some 1.5 billion years ago when microbes started building closets for all their stuff, storing DNA inside a nucleus, for example, or cramming all the energy machinery inside mitochondria.

Researchers Sequence Ancient Polar Bear Fossil

Buffalo, NY (Scicasts) - According to a report from the University of Buffalo, a rare, ancient polar bear fossil discovered in Norway in 2004 is yielding a treasure trove of essential information about the age and evolutionary origins of the species whose future is now seen as synonymous with the devastation wrought by climate change.

Smoking Significantly Increases Risk of Aneurysm in People with Certain Genes

Dallas, TX (Scicasts) - According to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2010, for people who carry common gene variants, cigarette smoking greatly increases the risk that a blood vessel in the brain will weaken and balloon out – called an aneurysm – which could be life-threatening if it ruptures.

Genetic Link between Misery and Death Discovered

San Diego, CA (Scicasts) - In ongoing work to identify how genes interact with social environments to impact human health, UCLA researchers have discovered what they describe as a biochemical link between misery and death. In addition, they found a specific genetic variation in some individuals that seems to disconnect that link, rendering them more biologically resilient in the face of adversity.

Evolutionary Relationships Among Arthropods Analyzed

LOS ANGELES (Scicasts) - Since the dawn of the biological sciences, mankind has struggled to comprehend the relationships among the major groups of "jointed-legged" animals — the arthropods. Now, a team of researchers, including Dr. Joel Martin and Dr. Regina Wetzer from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM), has finished a completely new analysis of the evolutionary relationships among the arthropods, answering many questions that defied previous attempts to unravel how these creatures were connected. Their study is scheduled for publication in the journal Nature on Feb. 24.

The Genetic Secrets to Jumping the Species Barrier

Reading, UK (Scicasts) - Scientists have pinpointed specific mutations that allow a common plant virus to infect new species, according to research published in the March issue of the Journal of General Virology. Understanding the genetics of the key interactions between viruses and hosts could provide insight to how some viruses manage to jump the species barrier and even give us a better idea of how animal diseases are generated.

Single Gene Mutation Induces Endometrial Cancer

Dallas, TX (Scicasts) - Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in an animal study that a mutation in a single gene can cause endometrial cancer that is responsive to a specific drug therapy.

Scientists Reconstruct Ancient Genome of an Extinct Human Being

Copenhagen, Denmark (Scicasts) - Professor Eske Willerslev and his PhD student Morten Rasmussen, from Centre of Excellence in GeoGenetics, The Natural History Museum at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, led the international team of scientists responsible for the findings.

Wild Grass Genome Sequenced

Corvallis, OR (Scicasts) - A global initiative that includes key scientists from Oregon State University has successfully sequenced the genome of the wild grass Brachypodium distachyon, which will serve as a model to speed research on improved varieties of wheat, oats and barley, as well as switchgrass, a crop of major interest for biofuel production.

Scientists Develop New Computational Model to Predict Gene Function

Palo Alto, CA (Scicasts) - According to a report from the Carnegie Institution, scientists have created a new computational model that can be used to predict gene function of uncharacterized plant genes with unprecedented speed and accuracy. The network, dubbed AraNet, has over 19,600 genes associated to each other by over 1 million links and can increase the discovery rate of new genes affiliated with a given trait tenfold. It is a huge boost to fundamental plant biology and agricultural research.

Scientists Map Out Regulatory Regions of Genome, Hot Spots for Diabetes Genes

Chapel Hill, NC (Scicasts) - 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.

Researchers Develop New Tool for Gene Delivery

Boston, MA (Scicasts) - According to a report from Tufts University, researchers at the Institute have developed a new tool for gene therapy that significantly increases gene delivery to cells in the retina compared to other carriers and DNA alone. The study was published in the January issue of The Journal of Gene Medicine. The tool, a peptide called PEG-POD, provides a vehicle for therapeutic genes and may help researchers develop therapies for degenerative eye disorders such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration.

Scientists Achieve First Rewire of Genetic Switches

Manchester, UK (Scicasts) - According to a report from the University of Manchester, researchers at the Institute have successfully carried out the first rewire of genetic switches, creating what could be a vital tool for the development of new drugs and even future gene therapies.

Researchers Uncover Novel Genetic Markers for Diabetes-related Traits

Hinxton, UK (Scicasts) - In two major studies published in Nature Genetics, researchers use biological understanding to dissect the genetics of diabetes. An international team comprising researchers from more than 100 institutions analyzed vast suites of genetic data from more than 100,000 people of European descent to uncover the associations.

Rare Genetic Variants Create "Synthetic" Genome-Wide Signals of Disease Risk

Durham, NC (Scicasts) - Scientists at Duke University Medical Center say they are now convinced that rare genetic variants -- as opposed to more common ones -- lie at the heart of the genetic component of most common diseases.