Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

New genetic clue discovered about breast cancer

New research has discovered that women in Iceland with a particular gene that raises the risk of breast cancer were virtually certain to develop the disease if they also had a mutation in another gene.

20 Jun 2006

In vitro fertilisation could be causing genetic errors in embryo

The conditions in which embryos are cultured in the laboratory during in vitro fertilisation could be causing genetic errors that are associated with certain developmental syndromes and other abnormalities in growth and development, such as low birth weight.

19 Jun 2006

Common genetic prostate cancer variant identified

Prostate cancer (CaP) is a presumed result of both genetic and environmental events.

19 Jun 2006

New technique will screen embryos for almost 6,000 inherited diseases

A powerful new method of testing embryos for inherited diseases, has been developed by fertility specialists in Britain.

19 Jun 2006

AIDS might be an accident of evolution

The virulence characteristic of HIV-1 - the virus predominantly responsible for human AIDS - might amount to an accident of evolution, new evidence reveals.

18 Jun 2006

New hope for Huntington disease cure

Researchers provide ground-breaking evidence for a cure for Huntington disease in a mouse offering hope that this disease can be relieved in humans.

18 Jun 2006

Altered activity in receptor pair points to further complexity in schizophrenia pathology

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, in collaboration with scientists at the City University of New York, have identified a striking dysregulation in neuronal receptor activity in the postmortem brain tissue from patients with schizophrenia.

18 Jun 2006

New roles for growth factors

During embryonic development, nerve cells hesitantly extend tentacle-like protrusions called axons that sniff their way through a labyrinth of attractive and repulsive chemical cues that guide them to their target.

18 Jun 2006

Sonic hedgehog may help overcome problems associated with FGF2 and VEGF therapy

The newest concept for treating coronary artery disease is to induce hearts to grow their own new blood vessels to bypass damaged tissue or clogged arteries.

18 Jun 2006

From DNA to RNA to protein

Of the thousands of proteins produced in our cells, few are as important as the enzyme RNA polymerase (RNAP), which has the unique ability to faithfully copy genetic information from DNA.

18 Jun 2006

Fly research sheds light on sleep regulation and its role in memory

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that a brain region previously known for its role in learning and memory also serves as the location of sleep regulation in fruit flies.

18 Jun 2006

Transcription factors act not only in isolation to regulate distinct sets of genes

Scientists eager to help develop a new generation of pharmaceuticals are studying cellular proteins called transcription factors, which bind to upstream sequences of genes to turn the expression of those genes on or off.

18 Jun 2006

Researchers identify new keys to regulation of bacterial gene expression

The cellular process of transcription, in which the enzyme RNA polymerase constructs chains of RNA from information contained in DNA, depends upon previously underappreciated sections of both the DNA promoter region and RNA polymerase

18 Jun 2006

Discovery of gene behind iron accumulation in brain has implications for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's

Oregon Health & Science University researchers have identified the gene behind a group of rare, progressive childhood disorders caused by an abnormal buildup of iron in the brain.

18 Jun 2006

New leukemia drug gives renewed hope to those battling drug resistance to the disease

New research offers hope for victims of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) battling drug resistance to the disease.

18 Jun 2006

Low-dose exposure to arsenic in drinking water increases risk for skin lesions

Mailman School of Public Health study provides evidence that a population exposed to well water with arsenic concentrations of as little as 50 ug/l is at risk for skin lesions.

14 Jun 2006

Burkitt lymphoma gene expression signature identified

An international research study involving the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the National Cancer Institute and 10 other institutions has successfully identified the gene expression signature for Burkitt lymphoma.

14 Jun 2006

Circulating bone-marrow derived cells do not contribute to egg formation

Ovulated egg cells, or oocytes, in adult female mice are not formed from germ cells in the blood or bone marrow.

14 Jun 2006

Scientists watch the behavior of a single gene in real time

Scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have observed for the first time that gene expression can occur in the form of discrete "pulses" of gene activity.

14 Jun 2006

Scientists reveal two paths of neurodegeneration

Wiring the developing brain is like creating a topiary garden. Shrubs don't automatically assume the shape of ornamental elephants, and neither do immature nerve cells immediately recognize the "right" target cell.

14 Jun 2006