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Paige Prescott

Synthetic DNA Created, Evolves on Its Own - 1 views

news.nationalgeographic.com/...volution-genetics-life-science

synthetic dna

shared by Paige Prescott on 20 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • Paige Prescott on 20 Apr 12
     
    a new nucleic acid to learn about- XNA!
Sasicha Manupipatpong

Identical DNA codes discovered in different plant species - 2 views

www.sciencedaily.com/...120409164426.htm

plant species identical DNA sequences medicine

shared by Sasicha Manupipatpong on 16 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • found identical sequences of DNA located at completely different places on multiple plant genomes
  • Although the scientists found identical sequences between plant species, just as they did between animals, they suggested the sequences evolved differently.
  • find identical sequences in plant DNAs
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • identical sections weren't found at the same points
  • genomes of six animals (dog, chicken, human, mouse, macaque and rat)
  • six plant species (Arabidopsis, soybean, rice, cottonwood, sorghum and grape)
  • found long strings of identical code in different species of animals' DNA
  • expect to see convergent evolution, but we don't
  • Plants and animals are both complex multi-cellular organisms that have to deal with many of the same environmental conditions, like taking in air and water and dealing with weather variations, but their genomes code for solutions to these challenges in different ways
  • could help in the development of new medicines
  • used to find identical sequential patterns in an organism's entire set of proteins
  • lead to finding new targets for existing drugs or studying these drugs' side effects
  • Sasicha Manupipatpong on 16 Apr 12
     
    A computer algorithm found identical sequences of DNA in different places of various plant species' genomes. The same has been found in animals. This could prove to be beneficial in the development of new medicines (for testing drug side effects).
Sasicha Manupipatpong

New genes linked to brain size, intelligence - 2 views

www.sciencedaily.com/...120415150123.htm

genes linked brain size intelligence

shared by Sasicha Manupipatpong on 16 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • genes that increase your risk for a single disease that your children can inherit
  • factors that cause tissue atrophy and reduce brain size, which is a biological marker for hereditary disorders
  • schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
  • ...13 more annotations...
  • sample large enough to reveal clear patterns in genetic variation and show how these changes physically alter the brain
  • screened the genomes of people suffering from a specific brain disease and combed their DNA to uncover a common variant.
  • gene variants that deplete brain tissue beyond normal in a healthy person
  • unearth new genetic variants in people who have bigger brains as well as differences in regions critical to learning and memory
  • smaller brains
  • variations in their DNA that help boost or lower their brains’ susceptibility to a vast range of diseases
  • consistent relationship between subtle shifts in the genetic code and diminished memory centers
  • People also can take preventive steps through exercise, diet and mental stimulation to erase the effects of a bad gene
  • Once we identify the gene, we can target it with a drug to reduce the risk of disease
  • genes that explain individual differences in intelligence
  • People whose HMGA2 gene held a letter “C” instead of “T” on that location of the gene possessed larger brains and scored more highly on standardized IQ tests
  • gene called HMGA2 affected brain size as well as a person’s intelligence
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  • Sasicha Manupipatpong on 16 Apr 12
     
    Specific genes have been identified which affect brain size and intelligence--a difference of one nucleotide in the DNA sequence could determine how well you score on a standardized IQ test.
chanon chiarnpattanodom

Chimeric green fluorescent protein-aequorin as bioluminescent Ca2+ reporters at the sin... - 1 views

www.pnas.org/...7260.full

shared by chanon chiarnpattanodom on 16 Apr 12 - No Cached
    • chanon chiarnpattanodom
      chanon chiarnpattanodom on 16 Apr 12
       
      Experiment on Ca2+ reaction with a protein aequorin. Aequorin can be found in jellyfish, when in contact with Ca2+ will emit light. Using the gene that contributes to this protein, make a similar protein emitting another wavelength of light.
Sasicha Manupipatpong

Memory in adults impacted by versions of four genes - 2 views

www.sciencedaily.com/...120415151347.htm

genes alzheimer's hippocampus shrinking

shared by Sasicha Manupipatpong on 16 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • advanced understanding of the genetic components of Alzheimer's disease and of brain development.
  • understanding of the genetic components of Alzheimer's disease and of brain development
  • certain versions of four genes may speed shrinkage of a brain region involved in making new memories
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • hippocampus, normally shrinks with age, but if the process speeds up, it could increase vulnerability to Alzheimer's disease
  • two genes associated with intracranial volume -- the space within the skull occupied by the brain when the brain is fully developed in a person's lifespan
  • gene variants identified in the first study do not cause Alzheimer's, but they may rob the hippocampus of a kind of "reserve" against the disease
  • cause cell destruction and dramatic shrinkage of this key brain site
  • almost twice the Alzheimer's risk if he or she had these versions of the gene
  • if a person with one of these variants did get Alzheimer's, the disease would attack an already compromised hippocampus and so would lead to a more severe condition at a younger age than otherwise
  • Alzheimer's disease causes much of its damage by shrinking hippocampus volume
  • loses a greater-than-average amount of volume due to the gene variants we've identified, the hippocampus is more vulnerable to Alzheimer's
  • associations impacting intracranial volume, which is an indirect measure of the size of the brain at full development.
  • brain volume and intracranial volume are both highly heritable
  • no associations for brain volume
  • one of these genes has played a unique evolutionary role in human development, and perhaps we as a species are selecting this gene as a way of providing further advances in brain development
  • Sasicha Manupipatpong on 16 Apr 12
     
    The shrinking of the hippocampus, which occurs with age in normal people, was found to be accelerated by certain versions of four genes, which could increase susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease, which also affects the volume of the hippocampus.
Sasicha Manupipatpong

Gene switches do more than flip 'on' or 'off': Can exhibit much more complex binding be... - 1 views

www.sciencedaily.com/...120411131911.htm

genes switch on off more complex

shared by Sasicha Manupipatpong on 16 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • right genes for the job are turned on only in the specific cells where they are needed
  • molecular "clutch" that converts treadmilling to a stable bound state, moving the transcription process forward to completion to turn the gene on
  • act like a switch; they are either "on" (bound to DNA) or "off" (not bound)
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • can exhibit much more complex binding behavior
  • transcription factors' binding process is dynamic and involves more than just being bound or unbound
  • In addition to a stable binding state (on or off)
  • "treadmilling," where no forward transcription process is occurring
  • indicator of whether a gene was turned on or off
  • measure and calculate how long a protein is associated with all of the different genes it regulates
  • proteins that bind in the stable state are associated with high levels of gene transcription
  • if we can regulate the transition between treadmilling and stable binding, we can regulate the outcome in terms of gene expression
  • genetic medicine -- a new way to regulate the 'switches' that turn gene expression associated with disease on or off.
  • measured how long it took the competitor transcription factor to replace the resident protein and used this data to calculate the residence time at each location in the genome
  • specific proteins called "transcription factors" that control which genes are turned on or off in cells by binding to nearby DNA
  • new insights on how cells respond to developmental cues and how they adapt to changing environmental conditions
  • Sasicha Manupipatpong on 16 Apr 12
     
    Genes have been discovered to be more complex than we previously thought--rather than having only on and off states, there is an intermediate state called "treadmilling".
Kaoko Miyazaki

Long Intergenic Noncoding RNAs: New Links in Cancer Progression - 1 views

cancerres.aacrjournals.org/...3.full

research gene epigenetics RNA

shared by Kaoko Miyazaki on 16 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • Kaoko Miyazaki on 16 Apr 12
     
    The newly discovered and currently being researched lincRNAs are seen to be one of the causes of cancer. The function of lincRNAs to control gene expression by regulating the number of histones according to specific chromatin, may cause cancer when done wrong or are altered in some way. The epigenetic alterations that occur when this function is done wrong may lead to the disease and the inheritance of it. Which could be hypothesized as to why people with a history of cancer (and other diseases) within their families have higher likelihood to being diagnosed with the disease. But because lincRNA is a very recent discovery and only less than 1% of it has has been characterized in the human body, evidence of this is still being researched, tested and studied.
orasa sukmark

Making a Friendlier Mosquito - Biology Online - 1 views

www.biology-online.org/...aking_friendlier_mosquito.html

making mosquito biology Genes

shared by orasa sukmark on 16 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • Genetically modified mosquitoes that cannot transmit malaria are one hope for battling the disease that still kills over one million people a year. But that plan faces some serious snags, according to UC Davis researchers who are suggesting an alternative strategy.
  • nsmit malaria are one hope for battling the disease that still kills over one million people a year. But that plan face
  • Genetically modified mosquitoes that cannot transmit malaria are one hope for battling the disease that still kills over one million people a year.
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • enetically modified mosquitoes that cannot transmit malaria are one hope for battling the disease that still kills over one million people a year. But that plan faces some serious snags, according to UC Davis researchers who are suggesting an alternative strategy
  • releasing into the wild mosquitoes genetically engineered to resist malaria
  • If the resistant mosquitoes breed and spread their genes through the population, malaria transmission should be shut down.
  • the malaria resistance genes available are not very effective
  • , there's no way to reliably push the genes through the population.
  • Transposons are essentially DNA parasites that snip themselves in or out of the genome under the right circumstances. Scientists can add a new gene into a transposon and use it to carry that DNA into the insect genome. But it's in the interest of that transposon to just get rid of the extra DNA,
  • a transposon that gives an advantage to mosquitoes that already carry genes to block malaria, so that those genes spread through the population by natural selection.
  • orasa sukmark on 16 Apr 12
     
    scientists have found a way to reduce mosquitoes that can transmit malaria. 
orasa sukmark

Cloned Meat & Milk Coming - 1 views

www.i-sis.org.uk/loned_Meat_and_Milk_Coming.php

meat milk coming Genes

shared by orasa sukmark on 16 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • Milk and meat from ‘cloned’ animals’ offspring could soon be on sale without any labels
  • The UK government has no objection to selling meat and milk from clones.
  • There are currently just over 100 offspring of cloned animals on British farms, but this will rise dramatically if the EC gets its way.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • According to BEUC, an overwhelming majority of EU consumers do not want cloning to be used for food production purposes. Some 84 per cent are concerned about the long-term health and safety impacts.
  • orasa sukmark on 16 Apr 12
     
    Cloned Meat and milk will be sold soon.
orasa sukmark

Shot of Young Stem Cells Makes Rapidly Aging Mice Live Much Longer and Healthier - Gate... - 1 views

www.gate2biotech.com/-2130

shot stem cells aging much mice longer gate biotech com DNA genetics disease gene RNA brain human epigenetics research Genes

shared by orasa sukmark on 16 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • animals that got the stem/progenitor cells improved their health and lived two to three times longer than expected,
  • "Our experiments showed that mice that have progeria, a disorder of premature aging, were healthier and lived longer after an injection of stem cells from young, healthy animals," Dr. Niedernhofer said. "That tells us that stem cell dysfunction is a cause of the changes we see with aging."
  • "Typically the progeria mice die at around 21 to 28 days of age, but the treated animals lived far longer -- some even lived beyond 66 days. They also were in better general health."
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • we injected stem/progenitor cells from young, healthy mice into the abdomens of 17-day-old progeria mice,
  • As the progeria mice age, they lose muscle mass in their hind limbs, hunch over, tremble, and move slowly and awkwardly. Affected mice that got a shot of stem cells just before showing the first signs of aging were more like normal mice, and they grew almost as large.
  • orasa sukmark on 16 Apr 12
     
    the experiment from the University of Pittsburgh shows that the mice can be stronger live longer after they were injected with stem cells from young healthy animals.
Sea Maskulrath

Changes in gene expression causes high BP in pregnancy - 1 views

zeenews.india.com/...igh-bp-in-pregnancy_16515.html

epigenetics DNA human

shared by Sea Maskulrath on 16 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • Washington: Researchers have discovered that changes in the gene expression of a key enzyme may contribute to high blood pressure and increase susceptibility to forming blood clots in pregnant women with preeclampsia.
  • Epigenetics refers to changes in gene expression that are mediated through mechanisms other than changes in the DNA sequence.
  • The VCU team reported that thromboxane synthase – an important inflammatory enzyme – is increased in the blood vessels of expectant mothers with preeclampsia.The thromboxane synthase gene codes for this enzyme, which is involved in several processes including cardiovascular disease and stroke. This enzyme results in the synthesis of thromboxane, which increases blood pressure and causes blood clots.
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • According to Walsh, one of the main epigenetic mechanisms is methylation of the DNA, which controls the expression of genes. The increase of
  • his enzyme in the blood vessels is related to reduced DNA methylation and the infiltration of neu
  • enzyme
  • trophils
  • trophils into the blood vessels. Neutrophils are white blood cells that normally help fight infection.
chanon chiarnpattanodom

Cancer epigenetics takes center stage - 1 views

www.pnas.org/...392.full

shared by chanon chiarnpattanodom on 16 Apr 12 - No Cached
    • chanon chiarnpattanodom
      chanon chiarnpattanodom on 16 Apr 12
       
      DNA methylation is a chemical process where a methyl group is added on either the cytosine ring or the adenine ring, used in "higher leveled" organisms. Important in cell differentiation since methylation will cause cells to "remember" and remain differenciated instead of expressing other genes. 
  • Epigenetics is defined as modifications of the genome, heritable during cell division, that do not involve a change in the DNA sequence.
  • Epigenetic alterations in cancer include global hypomethylation
  • ...18 more annotations...
  • the promoters of housekeeping genes that are generally protected from methylation.
  • may lead to aberrant silencing of tumor suppressor genes
  • discovered loss of imprinting (LOI) in cancer
  • Genomic imprinting, the subject of the report by Nakagawa et al. (2), is an epigenetic modification of a specific parental allele of a gene, or the chromosome on which it resides, in the gamete or zygote, leading to differential expression of the two alleles of the gene in somatic cells of the offspring.
  • we found that LOI can occur in the normal colonic mucosa of colorectal cancer patients with LOI in their tumors
  • This LOI was linked to cases showing microsatellite instability (MSI) in the tumors
  • However, these patients do not have mutations in mismatch repair genes
  • One potential cause of MSI in these sporadic cancers is hypermethylation and epigenetic silencing of the hMLH1 mismatch repair gene
  • Nakagawa et al. (2) now confirm the original study of Cui et al. that LOI occurs in both tumor and normal tissue of patients
  • The present study (2) also offers an intriguing mechanistic hypothesis to explain the relationship between H19 DMR methylation and LOI in these patients
  • Nevertheless, the study calls attention to this remarkable highly conserved multifunctional protein,
  • The potential link to CTCF suggested by this study also calls our attention to the link among DNA methylation, epigenetics, and chromatin.
  • A clue to the link between MSI and epigenetics may be provided by another sometimes overlooked common thread in epigenetics, namely DNA replication
  • repeat-induced gene silencing is thought to be propagated through hemimethylated intermediates during DNA replication
  • The studies of Cui et al. (11), Nishihara et al. (20), and Nakagawa et al. (2) suggest a new and provocative view of the timing of epigenetic changes in cancer.
  • Studies of transgenic mice with constitutive biallelic expression of IGF2, comparable to LOI, show reduced apoptosis and increased tumor formation
  • I conclude by noting that the distinction between cancer genetics and epigenetics has blurred considerably in recent years
  • Many conventional “genetic” mechanisms directly affect proteins that regulate chromatin,
Nickyz P.

We Need More Research On Genetically Altered Salmon Says FDA Advisory Panel - 1 views

www.medicalnewstoday.com/...201862.php

shared by Nickyz P. on 16 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • A panel of experts that advises the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided on Monday more research was needed before it could vote on whether to recommend approval to allow genetically modified salmon to be bred for human consumption in the US.
  • To make the genetically modified Atlantic salmon, they take the growth gene from the Pacific chinook salmon and insert it into the DNA of newly fertilized Atlantic salmon eggs. However, this of itself is not enough to keep the salmon growing all year round: to keep the growth gene permanently "switched on", the AquaBounty scientists also add a small piece of DNA from another fish called the ocean pout.
Nickyz P.

Concerns Raised about Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes - NYTimes.com - 2 views

www.nytimes.com/...lly-engineered-mosquitoes.html

shared by Nickyz P. on 16 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • These mosquitoes are genetically engineered to kill — their own children.
  • The results, and other work elsewhere, could herald an age in which genetically modified insects will be used to help control agricultural pests and insect-borne diseases like dengue fever and malaria.
Nickyz P.

GEN | Magazine Articles: Firm Focuses Operations on Gene Silencing - 0 views

www.genengnews.com/...4004

shared by Nickyz P. on 16 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • It is developing therapeutics to prove the validity of ddRNAi in treating cancer, infectious diseases, and disorders of the central nervous system.
  • The ddRNAi platform focuses on the long-term downregulation of genes, making it suitable for targeting chronic life-threatening diseases. “We are silencing genes instead of introducing new genes, which separates us from traditional gene therapy companies,” Dr. French asserts.
  • “This targeted treatment markedly enhanced the benefits of radiation therapy in both cellular and tumor models,” the researchers concluded. Other radiotherapy-resistant tumors may benefit from the shRNAs created for the prostate cancer study.
Nickyz P.

Impact Statements System | CAES Intranet | UGA - 0 views

www.caes.uga.edu/...index.cfm

shared by Nickyz P. on 16 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • The applied insect genetics laboratory in the Entomology Department at the University of Georgia has focused on invasive subterranean term
  • Thus we continue to track and monitor through genetics the Formosan termite movements into and around Georgia. The knowledge of how they are coming into the state as well as how they are moving about the state can be invaluable for managing this traffic.
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