Genes News and Research

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Culture techniques can significantly affect cell growth and function

When it comes to growing cells in a lab, technique matters. A new Brown University study shows that nerve cells grown in three-dimensional cultures use 1,766 genes differently compared to nerve cells grown in standard two-dimensional petri dishes.

17 May 2007

Environmental toxins may cause autism

The increase in the number of diagnosed cases of autism in recent years has sparked concern that environmental toxins may cause this complex disorder.

17 May 2007

Promoter hypermethylation is common in breast cancer

Cancer epidemiologists at the University at Buffalo have identified specific genes that are most likely to become cancer promoters when exposed to a process called DNA promoter hypermethylation.

17 May 2007

Yin Yang 1 regulates early B cell development

A new paper in the May 15th issue of Genes & Development reveals how a protein called Yin Yang 1 regulates early B cell development.

17 May 2007

Cronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a major and increasing global health epidemic

Cronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major and increasing global health epidemic that has received insufficient attention from the health-care profession, governments, and the pharmaceutical industry, argues Professor Peter Barnes, one of the world's leading experts on lung disease.

16 May 2007

Researchers identify genetic markers associated with breast cancer tumor grade and lymph node metastases

Researchers have identified genetic markers on several chromosomes in the tissue surrounding tumor cells that are associated with breast cancer tumor grade and the presence of lymph node metastases, according to a study in the May 16 issue of JAMA.

16 May 2007

Gene p53 thought to assist chemotherapy may help cancer thrive

A gene thought to be essential in helping chemotherapy kill cancer cells, may actually help them thrive.

16 May 2007

Engineered minichromosomes for medically useful proteins and metabolites

A team of scientists at the University of Missouri-Columbia has discovered a way to create engineered minichromosomes in maize and attach genes to those minichromosomes.

16 May 2007

Inherited variations in certain genes linked to toxicity of leukemia therapy

Investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have discovered inherited variations in certain genes that make children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) susceptible to the toxic side effects caused by chemotherapy medications.

15 May 2007

Eating lots of fish plus vitamin D reduces risk of age-related macular degeneration

Individuals who have higher dietary intake of foods with omega-3 fatty acids and higher fish consumption have a reduced risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration, while those with higher serum levels of vitamin D may have a reduced risk of the early stages of the disease, according to two reports in the May issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

15 May 2007

Specific genes identified that are most likely to become cancer promoters when exposed to DNA promoter hypermethylation

Hypermethylation is a process that causes genes that promote normal cell growth to produce proteins that cause malignant behavior, or unregulated cell growth. Until now, data has been very limited regarding the mechanism and causes of hypermethylation, especially for hypermethylation in breast cancer.

15 May 2007

Scientists find new proteins involved in Huntington's disease

Researchers in the United States have identified more than 200 new proteins that are involved in Huntington's disease.

14 May 2007

Evidence that dementia can be successfully stalled

A University of Sydney academic is part of a team whose research could profoundly change the way we look at and treat dementia.

11 May 2007

Researchers find a peptide that encourages HIV infection

UCLA AIDS Institute researchers have discovered that when a crucial portion of a peptide structure in monkeys that defends against viruses, bacteria and other foreign invaders is reversed, the peptide actually encourages infection with HIV.

11 May 2007

Researchers identify human genes targeted by a virus believed to cause Kaposi's sarcoma

University of Florida researchers have identified specific human genes targeted by a virus believed to cause Kaposi's sarcoma, a rare form of cancer associated with AIDS and with organ transplants that causes patches of red or purple tissue to grow under people's skin.

11 May 2007

Researchers equip E. coli with a "riboswitch" chemo-navigational system

Using an innovative method to control the movement of Escherichia coli in a chemical environment, Emory University scientists have opened the door to powerful new opportunities in drug delivery, environmental cleanup and synthetic biology.

11 May 2007

Identification of 200 new proteins that interact with the mutated protein that causes Huntington's disease

The identification of more than 200 new proteins that interact with the mutated protein that causes Huntington's disease opens the door to developing treatments for the fatal neurodegenerative disorder, said a Baylor College of Medicine researcher who took part in the work that appears online today in the journal Public Library of Science Genetics.

11 May 2007