Life Sciences

Genetics

RNA Modification Influences Thousands of Genes

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New York, NY (Scicasts) – Over the past decade, research in the field of epigenetics has revealed that chemically modified bases are abundant components of the human genome and has forced us to abandon the notion we've had since high school genetics that DNA consists of only four bases.

Alexander B. Niculescu III, M.D., Ph.D. Image: Indiana University

Key Genes and Prototype Predictive Test for Schizophrenia Identified

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Indianapolis, IN (Scicasts) – An Indiana University-led research team, along with a group of national and international collaborators, has identified and prioritized a comprehensive group of genes most associated with schizophrenia that together can generate a score indicating whether an individual is at higher or lower risk of developing the disease.

Using very small amounts of tumor tissue collected by a needle biopsy, doctors can conduct gene expression profile testing to determine the likelihood that an ocular melanoma tumor will spread beyond the eye.  Image: Harbour laboratory

Genetic Test Identifies Eye Cancer Tumours Likely to Spread

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St. Louis, MO (Scicasts) – Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a genetic test that can accurately predict whether the most common form of eye cancer will spread to other parts of the body, particularly the liver.

Immunostaining of wild-type (top) and H1 triple-knockout (bottom) cultures under a neural differentiation protocol. The H1 triple-knockout cells were defective in forming neuronal and glial cells and a neural network, which is essential for nervous system development. Image: Yuhong Fan

Successful Stem Cell Differentiation Requires DNA Compaction

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Atlanta, GA (Scicasts) – New research findings show that embryonic stem cells unable to fully compact the DNA inside them cannot complete their primary task: differentiation into specific cell types that give rise to the various types of tissues and structures in the body.

Light Used to Switch On Gene Expression

Light Used to Switch On Gene Expression

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Raleigh, NC (Scicasts) – Imagine being able to control genetic expression by flipping a light switch. Researchers at North Carolina State University are using light-activated molecules to turn gene expression on and off. Their method enables greater precision when studying gene function, and could lead to targeted therapies for diseases like cancer.

Sequencing Works in Clinical Setting to Find Diagnosis

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Durham, NC (Scicasts) – Advanced high-speed gene-sequencing has been used in the clinical setting to find diagnoses for seven children out of a dozen who were experiencing developmental delays and congenital abnormalities for mysterious reasons.

The human immune system in action. This colored scanning electron microscope image shows a white blood cell (dyed red) in the act of destroying tuberculosis bacteria (yellow). The bacteria are surrounded by the cell membrane of the scavenger cell, then drawn inside and rendered harmless – ideally, forever.  Image: MPI for Infection Biology/Volker Brinkmann

Biosignatures Distinguish Between Tuberculosis and Sarcoidosis

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München, Germany (Scicasts) – With a range of diseases, doctors need unique features which they can use to unequivocally identify a patient's illness for an appropriate diagnosis. Scientists therefore search for the biomarkers for an illness or a combination of biomarkers, known as biosignatures, which are as easy as possible to measure.

A team led by Scripps Research Institute scientists has found evidence that, as humans evolved, an extra copy of a brain-development gene allowed neurons to migrate farther and develop more connections.  Image: Photo courtesy of The Scripps Research Institute

Scientists Show How a Gene Duplication Helped Our Brains Become 'Human'

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La Jolla, CA (Scicasts) – What genetic changes account for the vast behavioural differences between humans and other primates? Researchers so far have catalogued only a few, but now it seems that they can add a big one to the list. A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has shown that an extra copy of a brain-development gene, which appeared in our ancestors’ genomes about 2.4 million years ago, allowed maturing neurons to migrate farther and develop more connections.

After a DNA molecule breaks, the broken ends search for an intact DNA region with the same sequence in order to get repaired. The image shows an artist impression of the contact point between a RecA-protein DNA molecule (the 'broken end'; horizontal) and a DNA molecule (vertical), where it is probed whether both molecules have the same sequence. If they do not, they will break the contact. If the same sequence is found however, the molecules stably bind and the repair process is initiated. The present study discovered the mechanism of the recognition process from dual molecule experiments where individual DNA molecules can be manipulated with beads. Image: Image courtesy Cees Dekker lab TU Delft / Tremani

Mechanism for DNA Repair Discovered

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The Netherlands (Scicasts) – Scientists from the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience at Delft University of Technology have discovered a key element in the mechanism of DNA repair. When the DNA double helix breaks, the broken end goes searching for the similar sequence and uses that as a template for repair. Using a smart new dual-molecule technique, the Delft group has now found out how the DNA molecule is able to perform this search and recognition process in such an efficient way. This week, the researchers report their findings in Molecular Cell.

Dr James Flanagan. Image: Imperial College London

New Study Identifies Epigenetic Changes Associated with Breast Cancer Risk

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London, UK (Scicasts) – A person’s risk of breast cancer could be decided many years before it develops, according to a new study.
 
Dr James Flanagan, a Breast Cancer Campaign scientific fellow in the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London, has uncovered the first strong evidence that molecular or ‘epigenetic’ changes in a gene can be associated with breast cancer risk and can be detected many years before breast cancer develops.

This is Jacob Mayfield.  Image: photo courtesy of UMass Amherst

Geneticist Develops Tool to Identify Genes Important in Disease and for Tailoring Individual Treatment

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Amherst, MA (Scicasts) – Though the human genome has been sequenced, scientists are still trying to figure out how the accomplishment can help people, for example, how it can be used to treat disease. As University of Massachusetts Amherst geneticist Jacob Mayfield notes, "It was easy to think of the human genome as the big prize, but what we realize now is, it’s just a foot in the door."



Image: Tel Aviv University

Research Shows That "Junk DNA" Can Sense Viral Infection


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New York, NY (Scicasts) – Once considered unimportant "junk DNA," scientists have learned that non-coding RNA (ncRNA) — RNA molecules that do not translate into proteins — play a crucial role in cellular function. Mutations in ncRNA are associated with a number of conditions, such as cancer, autism, and Alzheimer's disease.

Research Uncovers New Genes That Shape Brain Size, Intelligence

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Los Angeles, CA (Scicasts) – In the world's largest brain study to date, a team of more than 200 scientists from 100 institutions worldwide collaborated to map the human genes that boost or sabotage the brain's resistance to a variety of mental illnesses and Alzheimer's disease.