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DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA).

GENIE public engagement lectures to take place on Mar. 12

If you have ever wondered why a curry feels hot, or about the risks of inherited disease, two eminent experts will give you an answer at a University of Leicester public event.

8 Mar 2013

SRSF1 protein can prevent cancerous proliferation by stabilizing p53

Some cellular proteins have multiple, and occasionally opposing, functions. Professor Adrian Krainer and colleagues at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory demonstrate in a paper published online today in Molecular Cell that the oncogenic protein SRSF1 can also trigger a stop in cell growth and prevent cancerous proliferation by stabilizing p53, the powerful tumor-suppressor protein.

8 Mar 2013

Salk epigenetic findings may aid in crop production and study of human diseases

Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified patterns of epigenomic diversity that not only allow plants to adapt to various environments, but could also benefit crop production and the study of human diseases.

7 Mar 2013

Genomic analysis could illuminate more options in developing precise treatments for cancer

Investigators working on the precision medicine initiative at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey are embarking on a genomic analysis study which could illuminate more options in developing personalized and precise treatments for cancer patients.

7 Mar 2013

UCLA scientists discover new genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease

Scientists at UCLA have discovered a new genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease by screening people's DNA and then using an advanced type of scan to visualize their brains' connections.

7 Mar 2013

‘New Frontiers in Neurodegenerative Disease Research’ symposium to be held from Feb. 4-7

At the Keystone Symposium "New Frontiers in Neurodegenerative Disease Research," held 4-7 February in Santa Fe, New Mexico, researchers explored the processes that lead to a variety of diseases, including Alzheimer's and Lou Gehrig's disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS).

7 Mar 2013

Vitamin B12 and folate alleviate negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia

Adding the dietary supplements folate and vitamin B12 to treatment with antipsychotic medication improved a core symptom component of schizophrenia in a study of more than 100 patients.

7 Mar 2013

Study combines induced pluripotent stem cell technology and genetic correction to treat DMD

Researchers at the University of Minnesota's Lillehei Heart Institute have combined genetic repair with cellular reprogramming to generate stem cells capable of muscle regeneration in a mouse model for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).

7 Mar 2013

Screening healthy adults could potentially prevent rare genetic disorders

Millions of people unknowingly carry rare gene mutations that put them at high risk of developing preventable diseases such as colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and several catastrophic blood vessel disorders.

6 Mar 2013

New NIH collaborative initiative aims to accelerate search for biomarkers in Parkinson's

Last month, the National Institutes of Health announced a new collaborative initiative that aims to accelerate the search for biomarkers -- changes in the body that can be used to predict, diagnose or monitor a disease -- in Parkinson's disease, in part by improving collaboration among researchers and helping patients get involved in clinical studies.

6 Mar 2013

Insight into how protein synthesis and degradation help regulate delicate ballet of cell division

Biochemists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst including assistant professor Peter Chien recently gained new insight into how protein synthesis and degradation help to regulate the delicate ballet of cell division. In particular, they reveal how two proteins shelter each other in "mutually assured cleanup" to insure that division goes smoothly and safely.

5 Mar 2013

Discovery provides clues for potentially eliminating HIV infection in children

A two-year-old child born with HIV infection and treated with antiretroviral drugs beginning in the first days of life no longer has detectable levels of virus using conventional testing despite not taking HIV medication for 10 months, according to findings presented today at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Atlanta.

5 Mar 2013

Study highlights long-term benefits of early antiretroviral therapy initiated in infants

A study led by University of Massachusetts Medical School professor and immunologist Katherine Luzuriaga, MD, and Johns Hopkins Children's Center virologist Deborah Persaud, MD, highlights the long-term benefits of early antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiated in infants.

5 Mar 2013

People with variations in FTO gene could be at increased risk of melanoma

The research shows that people with particular variations in a stretch of DNA within the FTO gene, called intron 8, could be at greater risk of developing melanoma.

5 Mar 2013

Study identifies two gene mutations that lead to death of nerve cells in ALS

A study led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has discovered mutations in two genes that lead to the death of nerve cells in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and related degenerative diseases.

4 Mar 2013

Researchers identify mechanisms that connect variety of diseases linked with inflammation

A study led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) has identified epigenetic mechanisms that connect a variety of diseases associated with inflammation.

3 Mar 2013

Melanoma tumours deliberately create conditions that knock out body's premier immune defence

New research in the Journal of Clinical Investigation reveals that tumours in melanoma patients deliberately create conditions that knock out the body's 'premier' immune defence and instead attract a weaker immune response unable to kill off the tumour's cancerous cells.

2 Mar 2013

Researchers elucidate how Fgf8 is controlled by multiple regulatory elements in mammal embryos

During embryo development, genes are dynamically, and very precisely, switched on and off to confer different properties to different cells and build a well-proportioned and healthy animal. Fgf8 is one of the key genes in this process, controlling in particular the growth of the limbs and the formation of the different regions of the brain. Researchers at EMBL have elucidated how Fgf8 in mammal embryos is, itself, controlled by a series of multiple, interdependent regulatory elements.

1 Mar 2013

Structural connectome maps reveal new details about agenesis of the corpus callosum

Combining hospital MRIs with the mathematical tool known as network analysis, a group of researchers at UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley have mapped the three-dimensional global connections within the brains of seven adults who have genetic malformations that leave them without the corpus callosum, which connects the left and right sides of the brain.

1 Mar 2013

New way to identify heterogeneous brain cells by looking at epigenetic variation

Scientists from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD have developed a new way to identify heterogeneous brain cells by looking at epigenetic variation (the heritable alterations in gene expression caused by mechanisms other than changes in DNA sequence).

1 Mar 2013

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

GENIE public engagement lectures to take place on Mar. 12

SRSF1 protein can prevent cancerous proliferation by stabilizing p53

Salk epigenetic findings may aid in crop production and study of human diseases

Genomic analysis could illuminate more options in developing precise treatments for cancer

UCLA scientists discover new genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease

‘New Frontiers in Neurodegenerative Disease Research’ symposium to be held from Feb. 4-7

Vitamin B12 and folate alleviate negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia

Study combines induced pluripotent stem cell technology and genetic correction to treat DMD

Screening healthy adults could potentially prevent rare genetic disorders

New NIH collaborative initiative aims to accelerate search for biomarkers in Parkinson's

Insight into how protein synthesis and degradation help regulate delicate ballet of cell division

Discovery provides clues for potentially eliminating HIV infection in children

Study highlights long-term benefits of early antiretroviral therapy initiated in infants

People with variations in FTO gene could be at increased risk of melanoma

Study identifies two gene mutations that lead to death of nerve cells in ALS

Researchers identify mechanisms that connect variety of diseases linked with inflammation

Melanoma tumours deliberately create conditions that knock out body's premier immune defence

Researchers elucidate how Fgf8 is controlled by multiple regulatory elements in mammal embryos

Structural connectome maps reveal new details about agenesis of the corpus callosum

New way to identify heterogeneous brain cells by looking at epigenetic variation

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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