Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Researchers find new mutation signature in cancer cells

Mutations are the replacement of DNA bases known as Adenine (A), Cytosine (C), Guanine (G) and Thymine (T) with other bases. When mutations such as C to T or G to A are found within a specific DNA sequence, this is known as a mutation signature.

10 Feb 2016

Certain gene variants influence what we eat

If you're fat, can you blame it on your genes? The answer is a qualified yes. Maybe. Under certain circumstances. Researchers are moving towards a better understanding of some of the roots of obesity.

10 Feb 2016

Study reveals link between genomic instability, aneuploidy and cancer

A recent analysis of 43,205 human tumours unveiled that 68% of solid tumours are aneuploid, that is to say, they have an altered number of chromosomes. In recent years, scientists have attempted to clarify whether this aneuploidy contributes to tumour development or whether it is a co-lateral effect of the genomic instability of cancer cells, which increase the rate of mutations and the likelihood of cancer.

9 Feb 2016

$Certain genes could lead to stress fracture injuries$

Certain genes could lead to stress fracture injuries

In a paper published in The Official Journal of the International Purine Club University of Liverpool researchers have successfully identified how certain genes can contribute towards a person's susceptibility to stress fracture injuries. This research provides a platform for further research into providing a personalised health approach to this common sports injury.

9 Feb 2016

Some heart disease drugs, antibiotics show promising perspectives in treating cancers

North American researchers have identified drugs that showed promising perspectives in treating cancers, according to a recent study published in Cancer Research.

9 Feb 2016

New study pinpoints two tiny clusters of neurons responsible for changing normal breaths into sighs

"You must remember this: a kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh." Contrary to the words immortalized by the piano singer in "Casablanca," a sigh is far more than a sigh. Heaving an unconscious sigh is a life-sustaining reflex that helps preserve lung function.

9 Feb 2016

Abnormal breakage of chromosomes in white blood cells triggers aggressive form of ALL

A research team led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists has discovered details of how the abnormal breakage and rearrangement of chromosomes in white blood cells triggers a particularly aggressive form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Such leukemias are cancers of white blood cells, in which genetic mutations trigger overproduction of immature cells, called lymphoblasts.

9 Feb 2016

TBX5 gene expression could play key role in congenital heart disease

Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect and the leading cause of all infant deaths in the United States. Mutations in the gene TBX5 have been shown to cause both rare and more prevalent forms of congenital heart disease, yet the underlying mechanisms have remained unclear.

9 Feb 2016

Researchers reveal direct link between Wbp2 gene and progressive hearing loss

Researchers at King's College London and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the United Kingdom have for the first time demonstrated a direct link between the Wbp2 gene and progressive hearing loss. The scientists report that the loss of Wbp2 expression leads to progressive high-frequency hearing loss in mouse as well as in two clinical cases of children with deafness with no other obvious features.

8 Feb 2016

Study reveals association between DNA methylation and type 2 diabetes

Researchers from the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute have found an epigenetic mechanism implicated in the regulation of blood sugar. The study, published in the journal Molecular Human Genetics, reveals that the methylation of the TXNIP gene is associated with diabetes mellitus type 2 and, in particular, average blood glucose levels.

8 Feb 2016

FDA clears Sangamo BioSciences' SB-318 IND application for treatment of MPS I

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc., the leader in therapeutic genome editing, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared the Company's Investigational New Drug (IND) application for SB-318, a single treatment strategy intended to provide a life-long therapy for Mucopolysaccharidosis Type I (MPS I).

8 Feb 2016

Novel quantitative method may reduce or eliminate need for invasive biopsies

Scientists have identified a quantitative method to measure changes in biomarkers, which may reduce or eliminate the need for invasive biopsies. The method, described in the February 2016 issue of The FASEB Journal uses a novel chimera design of DNA and small DNA with a companion contrast agent to allow antibodies to cross cellular membranes.

8 Feb 2016

Aggression influences new nerve cell production in the brain

A group of neurobiologists from Russia and the USA, including Dmitry Smagin, Tatyana Michurina, and Grigori Enikolopov from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, have proven experimentally that aggression has an influence on the production of new nerve cells in the brain.

8 Feb 2016

LouLou Foundation, Penn Med set up Program of Excellence to develop treatments for children with CDKL5

The London-based LouLou Foundation and the Orphan Disease Center of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have established a Program of Excellence to develop effective treatments for children with CDKL5, a rare X-chromosome-linked genetic disorder that causes severe neuro-developmental impairment and early-onset, difficult-to-control seizures.

8 Feb 2016

UIC researchers discover molecular switch that allows salmonella bacteria to fight immune system

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered a molecular regulator that allows salmonella bacteria to switch from actively causing disease to lurking in a chronic but asymptomatic state called a biofilm.

7 Feb 2016

Duchenne muscular dystrophy: direct effect on muscle stem cells? An interview with Dr Rudnicki

For twenty years, it has been understood that dystrophin is expressed in differentiated muscle fibers where it is part of a protein complex that crosses the membrane and connects the extracellular matrix to the actin network inside the cell to provide structural integrity.

5 Feb 2016

NIH researchers identify genetic mutation responsible for vibratory urticaria

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have identified a genetic mutation responsible for a rare form of inherited hives induced by vibration, also known as vibratory urticaria. Running, hand clapping, towel drying or even taking a bumpy bus ride can cause temporary skin rashes in people with this rare disorder.

4 Feb 2016

BDNF gene expression signals cognitive reserve against AD progression

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene expression contributes to slowing of cognitive decline in older adults and may protect against the effects of Alzheimer’s disease pathology, researchers report in Neurology.

4 Feb 2016

BMPR2 mutations affect outcomes of PAH patients

Mutations in the bone morphogenetic protein receptor type II gene affect not only the risk of developing pulmonary arterial hypertension but also the severity and outcomes of the disease, shows a meta-analysis of individual patient data.

4 Feb 2016

Study finding could shed light on molecular mechanisms underlying Huntington's disease

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have shown that the core of the protein clumps found in the brains of people with Huntington's disease have a distinctive structure, a finding that could shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the neurodegenerative disorder.

4 Feb 2016

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Researchers find new mutation signature in cancer cells

Certain gene variants influence what we eat

Study reveals link between genomic instability, aneuploidy and cancer

Certain genes could lead to stress fracture injuries

Some heart disease drugs, antibiotics show promising perspectives in treating cancers

New study pinpoints two tiny clusters of neurons responsible for changing normal breaths into sighs

Abnormal breakage of chromosomes in white blood cells triggers aggressive form of ALL

TBX5 gene expression could play key role in congenital heart disease

Researchers reveal direct link between Wbp2 gene and progressive hearing loss

Study reveals association between DNA methylation and type 2 diabetes

FDA clears Sangamo BioSciences' SB-318 IND application for treatment of MPS I

Novel quantitative method may reduce or eliminate need for invasive biopsies

Aggression influences new nerve cell production in the brain

LouLou Foundation, Penn Med set up Program of Excellence to develop treatments for children with CDKL5

UIC researchers discover molecular switch that allows salmonella bacteria to fight immune system

Duchenne muscular dystrophy: direct effect on muscle stem cells? An interview with Dr Rudnicki

NIH researchers identify genetic mutation responsible for vibratory urticaria

BDNF gene expression signals cognitive reserve against AD progression

BMPR2 mutations affect outcomes of PAH patients

Study finding could shed light on molecular mechanisms underlying Huntington's disease

eBook: Using iPSCs models for human disease research and drug discovery eBook

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

How cohesin mechanics and nanotracker tech are redefining DNA research

Todd Bauman and Chris Povich