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Researchers associate six new genetic variants with heart disease risk factor

Using new techniques for rapidly scanning the human genome, researchers have associated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, two fats in the blood, to 18 genetic variants, six of which represent new DNA regions never before associated with the traits.

15 Jan 2008

New genetic variations associated with lipid levels, risk for coronary artery disease

Environmental and genetic factors influence a person's blood fat, or lipid levels, important risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD). While there is some understanding of the environmental contribution, the role of genetics has been less defined.

14 Jan 2008

Study suggests link between genetic basis of height and arthritis

In studies involving more than 35,000 people and a survey across the entire human genome, an international team supported in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found evidence that common genetic variants recently linked to osteoarthritis may also play a minor role in human height.

14 Jan 2008

Dissecting the genetic components of adaptation of E. coli to the mouse gut

New insights into the evolutionary mechanisms that facilitate the remarkably fast adaptation of intestinal bacteria within their natural environment are provided in the January issue of PLoS Genetics by researchers from INSERM and INRA at University Paris Descartes.

14 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

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

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

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

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

Methadone and rare ventricular arrhythmia link

Methadone is a possible cause of sudden cardiac death even when it isn't overdosed but is taken at therapeutic levels primarily for relief of chronic pain or drug addiction withdrawal, a new study by Oregon Health & Science University researchers suggests.

10 Jan 2008

Blocking parasites' communication reduces infection

One of the most common human parasites, Toxoplasma gondii, uses a hormone lifted from the plant world to decide when to increase its numbers and when to remain dormant, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found.

10 Jan 2008

New understanding on the mechanics of gene transcription

The molecular machinery behind gene transcription -- the intricate transfer of information from a segment of DNA to a corresponding strand of messenger RNA -- isn't stationed in special "transcription factories" within a cell nucleus, according to Cornell researchers.

9 Jan 2008

Chlamydia trachomatis genome sheds light on an emerging infection

Researchers have decoded the genome of the strain of Chlamydia that causes the most severe, invasive form of the disease. Their study shows that, despite recent increases in invasive infections, the strain has remained virtually unchanged for 40 years.

7 Jan 2008

Salinispora tropica marine bacterium points to new ways to treat human diseases

An unexpected discovery in marine biomedical laboratories at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego has led to new, key information about the fundamental biological processes inside a marine organism that creates a natural product currently being tested to treat cancer in humans.

7 Jan 2008

New understanding of cell's inner workings

A group of scientists in Princeton's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology has uncovered a new biological mechanism that could provide a clearer window into a cell's inner workings.

7 Jan 2008

Scientists discover remarkable editing system for protein production

Even small mistakes made by cells during protein production can have profound disease effects, but the processes cells use to correct mistakes have been challenging to decipher.

4 Jan 2008

Artificial viral shells for pinpoint drug delivery

Researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and The Scripps Research Institute in California are designing an artificial viral shell as a valuable nano-container for pinpoint drug delivery, molecular computing components, and a host of other applications.

3 Jan 2008

Model developed that predicts molecular response of living cells to genetic or environmental change

Scientists at the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB), in collaboration with researchers from New York University (NYU), have developed a model which rapidly characterizes and accurately predicts the molecular-level, mechanistic response of a free-living cell to genetic and environmental changes.

28 Dec 2007

Copy number variation may stem from replication misstep

Genome rearrangements, resulting in variations in the numbers of copies of genes, occur when the cellular process that copies DNA during cell division stalls and then switches to a different genetic "template," said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in a report that appears today in the journal Cell.

28 Dec 2007

RNA interference therapy heals growth deficiency disorder in a live animal

A team of Vanderbilt researchers have demonstrated for the first time that a new type of gene therapy, called RNA interference, can heal a genetic disorder in a live animal.

20 Dec 2007