Genetic News and Research

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Researchers move 2 steps closer to understanding genetic underpinnings of autism

Today's issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics (AJHG), describes what might be a corner piece of the autism puzzle the identification and subsequent validation of a gene linked to the development of autism by three separate groups of scientists.

11 Jan 2008

Genomic screen identifies 273 human proteins required for HIV propagation

In some ways, HIV resembles a minimalist painter, using a few basic components to achieve dramatic effects.

11 Jan 2008

Genetic evolution of tumours according to their growth dynamics.

A study co-directed by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and La Paz hospital in Madrid identifies a protein of high expression in cells located at the tumour boundary that could play an essential role in the evolution of tumours and their invasive potential.

11 Jan 2008

Chemical first found on Easter Island could treat tuberous sclerosis

A new study has shown promising results in fighting a severe genetic disorder which can create tumours throughout the body.

11 Jan 2008

Asf1, the protein that oversees DNA replication and packaging in the cell

At the Institut Curie, the CNRS team of Genevieve Almouzni has just discovered how the protein Asf1 ensures the correct (re)organization of duplicated DNA. During DNA replication, all the information in the mother cell must be transmitted to the daughter cells.

11 Jan 2008

Discovery of gene variant that raises autism risk

Scientists have found a variation in a gene that may raise the risk of developing autism, especially when the variant is inherited from mothers rather than fathers.

11 Jan 2008

The drug sirolimus shrinks tumors, improves lung function

The drug sirolimus, normally used to help transplant patients fight organ rejection, may eventually be used as a less invasive treatment for a tumor called angiomyolipomata in patients with who would otherwise face surgery.

10 Jan 2008

Potential new treatments for Huntington's disease

Working with fruit flies, researchers have discovered a new mechanism by which the abnormal protein in Huntington's disease causes neurodegeneration.

10 Jan 2008

Small pieces of ribonucleic acid prevent spread of breast cancer

Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have identified small pieces of ribonucleic acid (RNA) that suppress the spread of breast cancer to the lungs and bone.

10 Jan 2008

RNA silences cancer suppressor gene

One way cancer arises is when tumor suppressor genes that normally keep cell growth in check are mysteriously turned off.

10 Jan 2008

Important finding for people with anorexia

People given a biological and genetics-based explanation for the causes of anorexia nervosa were less likely to blame people with anorexia for their illness than those given a sociocultural explanation, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study found.

10 Jan 2008

Discovery of chromosomal abnormality that appears to increase susceptibility to autism

A multi-institutional study involving Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers has identified a chromosomal abnormality that appears to increase susceptibility to autism.

10 Jan 2008

Evolution of the sexes: What a fungus can tell us

Fungi don't exactly come in boy and girl varieties, but they do have sex differences.

10 Jan 2008

New research links autism to genetic disorder

New research from the United States suggests that autism may be caused by a genetic disorder.

10 Jan 2008

Stress causes whole body deterioration

Stress, to put it bluntly, is bad for you. It can kill you, in fact. A study now reveals that stress causes deterioration in everything from your gums to your heart and can make you more susceptible to everything from the common cold to cancer.

9 Jan 2008

Discovery of a core mechanism underlying Fragile X syndrome

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center are uncovering how brain cells are affected in Fragile X syndrome, the most common cause of inherited mental retardation and the most common genetic cause of autism.

9 Jan 2008

Loss of a small portion of chromosome 16 linked to autism

Loss of a small portion of chromosome 16, known as 16p11.2, is significantly associated with autism report researchers from the University of Chicago Medical Center, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in an article, published Dec. 21, 2007, online by the journal Human Molecular Genetics.

9 Jan 2008

Dengue seen as potential threat to US public health

A disease most Americans have never heard of could soon become more prevalent if dengue, a flu-like illness that can turn deadly, continues to expand into temperate climates and increase in severity, according to a new commentary by Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and David M. Morens, M.D., Fauci's senior scientific advisor.

9 Jan 2008

New insight into factors that drive muscle-building stem cells

A report in the January issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press, provides new evidence explaining how stem cells known as satellite cells contribute to building muscles up in response to exercise.

9 Jan 2008

Insights into cell movement likely to aid immune study, cancer research

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have used yeast cells to better understand a collection of proteins associated with the formation of actin networks, which are essential to cell movement.

9 Jan 2008