Genes News and Research

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Research simplifies diagnosis of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is the most common hereditary disorder of the peripheral nervous system, leading to a weakening of the muscles in the lower legs, feet and hands as the nerves that run from the spinal cord to the muscles die off.

24 Jul 2006

Loss of Matrilin-3 gene leads to osteoarthritis

A gene that is associated with osteoarthritis and skeletal deformities in people has been shown to be responsible for preventing the onset of osteoarthritis in adult mice, according to a recent study led by Rhode Island Hospital.

24 Jul 2006

New molecular target for obesity

Mice bred without the enzyme MKP-1 are resistant to weight gain despite consuming high fat foods and eating more than control mice, according to a research study published online in Cell Metabolism.

24 Jul 2006

Active mind and body slows Alzheimer's progression

Researchers have uncovered the pathways behind the protection offered by environmental stimulation in Alzheimer's disease, further confirming that enhanced mental and physical activity slows neurological decline.

24 Jul 2006

Link between cell's energy use and genome health discovered

While studying how a cell keeps its genetic material intact, scientists at Johns Hopkins got busy alternately knocking out two catalysts vital to managing a yeast cell's energy.

21 Jul 2006

Gene variant increases risk of type 2 diabetes - but healthy lifestyle changes reduce genetic risk

Researchers have confirmed that a gene variant confers susceptibility to type 2 diabetes in participants of the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a large clinical trial in adults at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

21 Jul 2006

Latest sequencing targets for NHGRI

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) has announced several new sequencing targets including the Northern white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys).

19 Jul 2006

Anomalous renal effects of tin protoporphyrin in a murine model of sickle cell disease

Researchers have unexpectedly shown that sickle cell-associated kidney injury may be reduced by inhibiting the enzyme activity of a protein that commonly confers protection in other diseased states.

19 Jul 2006

New role discovered for breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1

A recently discovered facet of the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 reveals a mechanism linking mutation of BRCA1 to formation of large blood vessels needed to support cancer progression.

18 Jul 2006

Researchers isolate rare cancer stem cells that cause leukemia

Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital Boston and their colleagues have isolated rare cancer stem cells that cause leukemia in a mouse model of the human disease.

18 Jul 2006

Crohn's disease - possible genetic cause found

Patients with Crohn's disease of the colon have one copy less than healthy persons of the beta-defensin 2 gene, a gene coding for an important defense molecule of the body.

17 Jul 2006

Gene screen for breast cancer better than pathologist's "eye"

Johns Hopkins scientists have found that a method they developed to screen body fluids for certain kinds of cells and some of their genetic blueprint is twice as accurate at spotting breast cancer cells as a pathologist's view with a microscope.

17 Jul 2006

The facts on dieting

Only 'circumstantial' evidence supporting poor diet and lack of exercise as the main causes of obesity.

17 Jul 2006

Long, healthy life tends to run in some families

Long, healthy life tends to run in some families, and researchers on a project supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) want to learn more about the factors that contribute to it.

13 Jul 2006

Mechanics of atherosclerosis

Atherosclerotic narrowing and hardening of coronary arteries typically appear first at vessel branches, and a study in the October issue of Cellular Signalling reports that the type of mechanical stretching found at those branches activates a cellular protein known to damage cells.

12 Jul 2006