DNA News and Research

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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).

Disrupted genetic regulation causes common disturbance in metabolism of fat

The disease familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCH) is a common cause of disturbed metabolism of fat and early heart attacks.

7 Feb 2008

New understanding of cancer initiation

Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha have assisted in a significant discovery - the understanding of a common mechanism of cancer initiation - that could result in better cancer assessment, prevention and detection.

7 Feb 2008

Scientists gain new understanding of gut bugs

Scientists have made a major step towards understanding precisely which bugs in the gut are involved in which processes in the body, by mapping the different species of bugs living in seven members of the same Chinese family.

7 Feb 2008

Disrupted genetic regulation causes common disturbance in metabolism of fat

The disease familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCH) is a common cause of disturbed metabolism of fat and early heart attacks.

5 Feb 2008

Invitrogen and Agilent Technologies resolve all pending patent litigations

Invitrogen Corporation and Agilent Technologies have jointly announced a confidential settlement of multiple patent litigations pending between the two companies.

5 Feb 2008

Experimental drug shows promise for cystic fibrosis

An experimental drug that has proven effective in treating muscular dystrophy also works for cystic fibrosis, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

5 Feb 2008

Genetic mutations in the Toll-like receptor 4 gene increase risk of preterm birth

Genetic mutations in the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene appear to have significant association with inflammatory injury to the placenta and developing baby, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh's department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences report at the 28th annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

5 Feb 2008

Gene ENPP1 is linked to preterm birth and low birth weight among Hispanic women

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found that the gene ENPP1 is linked to preterm birth and low birth weight among Hispanic women.

5 Feb 2008

Structure of important neurotransmitter regulator solved

Researchers from Virginia Tech and the Brookhaven National Laboratory have solved the structure of an enzyme that is critical in the regulation of the neurotransmitter system in the human brain.

4 Feb 2008

Certain genetic variations protect against depression triggered by childhood stress

Certain variations in a gene that helps regulate response to stress tend to protect adults who were abused in childhood from developing depression, according to new research funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health.

4 Feb 2008

New research shows that people with blue eyes have a single, common ancestor

A team at the University of Copenhagen have tracked down a genetic mutation which took place 6-10,000 years ago and is the cause of the eye colour of all blue-eyed humans alive on the planet today.

4 Feb 2008

Researchers use DNA to drive the assembly of 3D gold structures

DNA is the blueprint of all life, giving instruction and function to organisms ranging from simple one-celled bacteria to complex human beings.

4 Feb 2008

A loss in DNS repair function causes acute myeloid leukemia relapse

A University of Kentucky research team reports that loss of an important DNA repair function, called DNA mismatch repair (MMR), is responsible for refractory/relapsed Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).

4 Feb 2008

Researchers seek trial participants for experimental HIV vaccine called PENNVAX-B

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine researchers are recruiting healthy, HIV-negative adults to participate in a phase I clinical trial of an experimental HIV vaccine called PENNVAX-B, a DNA-based vaccine which is made using synthetic DNA-based HIV genes.

4 Feb 2008

Why your fertility cells must have 'radio silence'

Researchers in Kobe, Japan, and Montreal, Canada, have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism which causes embryonic germ cells which later develop into sperm or ova to go through a period of "transcriptional silence," during which information from the cell's DNA cannot be copied.

31 Jan 2008

Viruses for a healthy pregnancy

Sequences of DNA in the human genome that originated from ancient viral infections have some surprising effects on our bodies and are even essential for a healthy pregnancy, according to an article in the February issue of Microbiology Today.

31 Jan 2008

Stem cell treatment for babies with brittle bones in the womb

The extraordinary results of an in utero stem cell treatment could lead to a new treatment for babies with brittle bones, as well as a range of other disabling conditions, according to a maternal-fetal medicine researcher, now based at The University of Queensland (UQ).

31 Jan 2008

Leukemia relapse stems from DNA repair function loss

A University of Kentucky research team reports that loss of an important DNA repair function, called DNA mismatch repair (MMR), is responsible for refractory/relapsed Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).

30 Jan 2008

E.coli tweaked to produce hydrogen

For most people, the name "E. coli" is synonymous with food poisoning and product recalls, but a professor in Texas A&M University's chemical engineering department envisions the bacteria as a future source of energy, helping to power our cars, homes and more.

30 Jan 2008

Improved methods for decontamination of bioterrorism hazards

In October 2001, letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to several news media offices and two U.S. senators, killing five people and infecting 17 others.

30 Jan 2008