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).

Variant of a common protein plays a primary role in Type 2 diabetes and obesity

Scientists in France and the United States report that a variant of a common protein plays a primary role in Type 2 diabetes and obesity, key features of the "insulin resistance syndrome" that affects more than 50 million people in this country and a similar number in Europe.

19 Jul 2005

Gene defect linked to heart disease

Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, have found by studying DNA from 11 members of one family, who suffered from aortic heart disease, a genetic mutation that causes a common birth defect and contributes to heart disease in adults.

19 Jul 2005

Rapid new technique for detecting group A streptococcus

Cornell University scientists have developed a rapid, less costly and sensitive new technique for detecting group A streptococcus, the bacteria that cause scarlet fever. Details will be announced today at the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting and Food Expo in New Orleans.

18 Jul 2005

New theory on aging says popping pills and drinking orange juice no guarantee you'll live longer

In direct contrast to previous reports, researchers now say that drinking gallons of orange juice and popping vitamin pills may not be a guarantee that you will live longer.

18 Jul 2005

Study shows mutation in NOTCH1 gene causes aortic valve disease

By studying five generations of a Dallas family, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have discovered that a mutation in a key gene causes aortic valve disease, a common heart birth defect as well as a major contributor to adult heart disease.

18 Jul 2005

New molecular insights may one day lead to opportunities to stave off old age

Delving deep into the molecular subtleties of a strain of mice engineered to age rapidly, scientists have found that an accumulation of genetic mutations prompts a cascade of programmed cell death that seems to underpin the aging process.

18 Jul 2005

NIPA levels act as switch regulating cell division

Cells control mitosis (cell division) by assembling a biochemical switch to block it or by disassembling the switch to trigger it, according to investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the Technical University of Munich.

18 Jul 2005

Individuals with inactive heterozygous ALDH2, a tendency to alcohol flushing have a greater susceptibility to hangovers

Alcohol consumption is an integral part of the Japanese business culture. Hangovers, however, can have substantial economic drawbacks.

17 Jul 2005

Having asthma, hay fever or another allergic condition may reduce the risk of developing Glioblastoma multiforme

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) affects three out of 100,000 people, a rate that quadruples to 13 out 100,000 among people who are 65 and older. The average five-year survival rate from the time of diagnosis for GBM is only 3.3 percent, and is lower for people 65 and older.

15 Jul 2005

Single mutation in a human sodium channel gene can trigger pain in people with primary erythromelalgia

Yale School of Medicine researchers report the first demonstration that a single mutation in a human sodium channel gene can trigger pain in people with an inherited pain syndrome known as primary erythromelalgia, according to a study published this month in the journal Brain.

13 Jul 2005

New search method could aid in the discovery of biomarkers for breast cancer

Using a super-efficient method they invented to search for a type of cancer-related change in all genes of a cell, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers have discovered new evidence about how the "microenvironment" of breast cancers helps drive the cancers' growth and migration.

13 Jul 2005

Scientists have identified the first reported case in Asia of primate-to-human transmission of simian foamy virus

...a retrovirus found in macaques and other primates that so far has not been shown to cause disease in humans.

13 Jul 2005

New method may accelerate the way cancer-causing genes are found

Researchers at the University of Minnesota Cancer Center and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have discovered a new method that could accelerate the way cancer-causing genes are found and could lead to a more accurate identification of the genes, according to two studies in the July 14, 2005, issue of Nature.

13 Jul 2005

Researchers modify software to predict gene transcription

A modification to an "ace" gene prediction program by computer scientists at Washington University in St. Louis now enables scientists to predict the very beginnings of gene transcription start sites and where the first splice occurs thereby defining the first exon of the gene.

13 Jul 2005

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

Variant of a common protein plays a primary role in Type 2 diabetes and obesity

Gene defect linked to heart disease

Rapid new technique for detecting group A streptococcus

New theory on aging says popping pills and drinking orange juice no guarantee you'll live longer

Study shows mutation in NOTCH1 gene causes aortic valve disease

New molecular insights may one day lead to opportunities to stave off old age

NIPA levels act as switch regulating cell division

Individuals with inactive heterozygous ALDH2, a tendency to alcohol flushing have a greater susceptibility to hangovers

Having asthma, hay fever or another allergic condition may reduce the risk of developing Glioblastoma multiforme

Single mutation in a human sodium channel gene can trigger pain in people with primary erythromelalgia

New search method could aid in the discovery of biomarkers for breast cancer

Scientists have identified the first reported case in Asia of primate-to-human transmission of simian foamy virus

New method may accelerate the way cancer-causing genes are found

Researchers modify software to predict gene transcription

Researchers have pinpointed specific gene and protein over-production in metastatic melanoma

Keap1 protein - a promising new target for drugs to fight many different kinds of cancer

Identical twins lose some fundamental similarities as they grow older

Scientists discover how an HIV protein fragment shuts down an immune response

Patients suffering from oral cancer have increased levels of certain bacteria in their saliva

Study is the first to show that there are mechanisms in place for the immune system to identify cancer cells

Arrayed CRISPR Screening for Revolutionizing Target Discovery

Innovations in baculovirus–insect cell expression systems

Compound Management and its Crucial Role in Early Pharmaceutical Research

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