Feature Channels: Genetics

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30-Nov-2010 5:20 PM EST
Gene Duplication Detected in Depression
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

A large genetic study of people with major depression has found that a duplicated region of DNA on chromosome 5 predisposes people to the disorder. The gene at that site influences nerve cell development.

1-Dec-2010 11:30 AM EST
Researchers Identify Gene Tied to Extremely Rare Disorder That Causes Loss of Fat
UT Southwestern Medical Center

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a gene responsible for a rare disease that results in severe joint stiffness, muscle loss, anemia and panniculitis-induced lipodystrophy, or JMP syndrome.

Released: 30-Nov-2010 5:00 PM EST
New Study Suggests That a Propensity for One-Night Stands, Uncommitted Sex Could be Genetic
Binghamton University, State University of New York

So, he or she has cheated on you for the umpteenth time and their only excuse is: “I just can’t help it.” According to researchers at Binghamton University, they may be right. The propensity for infidelity could very well be in their DNA.

Released: 30-Nov-2010 2:45 PM EST
Genomic Fault Zones Come and Go
University of California San Diego

The fragile regions in mammalian genomes that are thought to play a key role in evolution go through a "birth and death" process, according to new bioinformatics research performed at the University of California, San Diego. The new work, published in the journal Genome Biology on November 30, could help researchers identify the current fragile regions in the human genome – information that may reveal how the human genome will evolve in the future.

26-Nov-2010 11:00 AM EST
Tiny RNA Shown to Cause Multiple Types of Leukemia
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Whitehead Institute researchers have shown in mouse models that overexpression of the microRNA 125b (miR-125b) can independently cause leukemia and accelerate the disease’s progression in mice.

Released: 29-Nov-2010 1:40 PM EST
Researchers Identify Novel Gene Connected to Rare Muscle Disease
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU)

Researchers have identified a novel geneon chromosome 15q that, when altered, causes nemaline myopathy with cores, a rare inherited muscle disorder.

   
Released: 29-Nov-2010 11:00 AM EST
Forget Farmville, Here’s a Game That Drives Genetic Research
McGill University

Playing online can mean more than killing time, thanks to a new game developed by a team of bioinformaticians at McGill University. Now, players can contribute in a fun way to genetic research.

Released: 29-Nov-2010 8:00 AM EST
Consortium Publishes New Standard for Describing Marker Genes
University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Institute for Genome Sciences

Genomic Standards Consortium (GSC) published new standard for describing marker genes with "Minimum Information about an ENvironmental Sequence (MIENS).

Released: 23-Nov-2010 12:45 PM EST
Geneticist at CHOP Honored for Outstanding Research
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Vivian G. Cheung, M.D., a geneticist at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, received the Curt Stern Award of the American Society of Human Genetics on Sat., Nov. 6, at the Society’s 60th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Released: 23-Nov-2010 12:20 PM EST
Researchers Re-sequence Six Corn Varieties, Find Some Genes Missing
Iowa State University

Researchers at Iowa State University, China Agricultural University and the Beijing Genomics Institute in China recently re-sequenced and compared six elite inbred corn (maize) lines, including the parents of the most productive commercial hybrids in China and found entire genes that were missing from one line to another.

Released: 22-Nov-2010 10:00 AM EST
Researchers Kick-Start Ancient DNA
Binghamton University, State University of New York

Binghamton University researchers recently revived ancient bacteria trapped for thousands of years in water droplets embedded in salt crystals. For decades, geologists have looked at these water droplets — called fluid inclusions — and wondered whether microbes could be extracted from them. Fluid inclusions have been found inside salt crystals ranging in age from thousands to hundreds of millions years old.

Released: 19-Nov-2010 11:50 AM EST
Gene Links to Anorexia Found
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Scientists at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have identified both common and rare gene variants associated with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. It is the largest genetic study of this condition.

Released: 18-Nov-2010 10:00 AM EST
Researchers Discoveries Shed More Light on Deadly Thoracic Aortic Disease
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Discovery of a fifth gene defect and the identification of 47 DNA regions linked to thoracic aortic disease are the subject of studies released this month involving researchers at UTHealth.

15-Nov-2010 3:15 PM EST
Scientists Ferret Out a Key Pathway for Aging
University of Wisconsin–Madison

A team of scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and their colleagues describe a molecular pathway that is a key determinant of the aging process.

Released: 17-Nov-2010 3:45 PM EST
New Insight Into the Cause of Common Dementia Found by Researchers
Mayo Clinic

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic campus in Florida have found a clue as to how some people develop a form of dementia that affects the brain areas associated with personality, behavior, and language.

11-Nov-2010 5:00 PM EST
Rett Syndrome Mobilizes Jumping Genes in the Brain
Salk Institute for Biological Studies

With few exceptions, jumping genes-restless bits of DNA that can move freely about the genome-are forced to stay put. In patients with Rett syndrome, however, a mutation in the MeCP2 gene mobilizes so-called L1 retrotransposons in brain cells, reshuffling their genomes and possibly contributing to the symptoms of the disease when they find their way into active genes, report researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

Released: 16-Nov-2010 4:00 PM EST
Genetics Society of America Announces 2011 Award Recipients
Genetics Society of America

The Genetics Society of America announces the recipients of its five awards for distinguished service in the field of genetics. They are: James E. Haber, Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal; John R. Carlton, Genetics Society of America Medal; Abby F. Dernburg, Edward Novitski Prize; Joseph R. Ecker, George W. Beadle Award; Peter J. Bruns, Elizabeth W. Jones Award for Excellence in Education.

Released: 16-Nov-2010 9:00 AM EST
New Test Can Screen All Deafness Genes Simultaneously
University of Iowa

University of Iowa scientists and colleagues at Baylor College of Medicine have developed a test that can screen all of the genes known to cause deafness in a single run. The new test could provide families with useful information more rapidly and at a lower cost than is currently available.

Released: 15-Nov-2010 2:00 PM EST
Natural Compound Shows Promise Against Huntington's Disease
Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Fisetin, a naturally occurring compound found in strawberries and other fruits and vegetables, slows the onset of motor problems and delays death in three models of Huntington's disease, according to researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. The study, published in the online edition of Human Molecular Genetics, sets the stage for further investigations into fisetin's neuroprotective properties in Huntington's and other neurodegenerative conditions.

12-Nov-2010 2:30 PM EST
DNA Sequence Variations Linked to Electrical Signal Conduction in the Heart
NYU Langone Health

Scientists studying genetic data from nearly 50,000 people have uncovered several DNA sequence variations associated with the electrical impulses that make the heart beat. The findings, reported in Nature Genetics, may pave the way for a greater understanding of the mechanisms for abnormal heart rhythms and sudden cardiac death.

Released: 12-Nov-2010 2:35 PM EST
Cystic Fibrosis Gene Typo Is a Double Whammy
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have demonstrated that the gene mutated in cystic fibrosis not only controls traffic on the chloride highway, but also keeps the sodium highway from being overused.

Released: 11-Nov-2010 10:25 AM EST
Pain Gene Found in Flies, Mice and People May Have Links to Creativity
Institute of Molecular Biotechnology

A newly discovered gene which helps to control the sense of pain is linked to synaesthesia, when sensations such as touch also affect other senses like hearing or sight. The rare condition causes some people to see sounds or written words as colours, or experience tastes, smells and shapes in linked combinations. Famous synaesthetes include composers Franz Liszt or Olivier Messiaens, and this condition has been linked to creativity and intelligence.

10-Nov-2010 11:35 AM EST
DNA Repair Protein Caught in Act of Molecular Theft
University of Chicago

Scientists have observed, for the first time, an intermediate stage in the chemical process that repairs DNA methylation damage and regulates many important biological functions that impact health conditions such as obesity, cancer and diabetes.

Released: 9-Nov-2010 3:30 PM EST
Association for Molecular Pathology’s 16th Annual Meeting and Exhibits
Association for Molecular Pathology

AMP invites the media to attend its upcoming 2010 Annual Meeting and Exhibits and learn about the latest advances in clinical molecular diagnostics. The four-day event will feature more than 100 corporate exhibits, as well as many cutting-edge lectures, workshops and plenary sessions.

Released: 9-Nov-2010 9:05 AM EST
Depression Linked to Altered Activity of Circadian Rhythm Gene
Ohio State University

Depression appears to be associated with a molecular-level disturbance in the body's 24-hour clock, new research suggests.

2-Nov-2010 8:00 AM EDT
Study Reveals How Autism-Risk Gene Rewires the Brain
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Using a blend of brain imaging and genetic detective work, scientists at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine and Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior are the first to illustrate how genetic variants rewire the brain. Published in the Nov. 3 online edition of Science Translational Medicine, their discovery offers the crucial missing physical evidence that links altered genes to modified brain function and learning.

Released: 1-Nov-2010 2:00 PM EDT
DNA Fingerprinting Traces Global Path of Plague
Northern Arizona University

An international team of scientists have traced the plague back to its roots in China and paved the way for future bacteria research.

27-Oct-2010 2:20 PM EDT
New Research Provides Detailed Reconstructions of Past Plagues
University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Institute for Genome Sciences

International team of scientists have used DNA fingerprinting analyses to understand multiple global plague disease events.

Released: 29-Oct-2010 12:55 PM EDT
Is the Shape of a Genome as Important as Its Content?
Wistar Institute

Ken-ichi Noma, Ph.D., and Wistar researchers determined the three-dimensional structure of the fission yeast genome, S. pombe. The study is the first to combine microscopy with advanced genomic sequencing techniques, enabling researchers to literally see gene interactions. Applying this technique to the human genome may provide both scientists and physicians a whole new framework from which to better understand genes and disease. The study was published online as a featured article in the journal Nucleic Acids Research.

25-Oct-2010 5:00 PM EDT
Genetic Variants May Affect the Risk of Breast Cancer in Women with BRCA2 Mutations
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

An international study led by researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has identified genetic variants in women with BRCA2 mutations that may increase or decrease their risk of developing breast cancer.

26-Oct-2010 9:00 AM EDT
Uncovering the Cause of a Common Form of Muscular Dystrophy
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

An international team of researchers led by an investigator from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has made a second critical advance in determining the cause of a common form of muscular dystrophy known as facioscapulohumeral dystrophy, or FSHD.

Released: 27-Oct-2010 4:00 PM EDT
Researchers Find a 'Liberal Gene'
University of California San Diego

Liberals may owe their political outlook partly to their genetic make-up, according to new research from the University of California, San Diego, and Harvard University. Ideology is affected not just by social factors, but also by a dopamine receptor gene called DRD4. The study’s authors say this is the first research to identify a specific gene that predisposes people to certain political views.

26-Oct-2010 9:00 AM EDT
60 Utahns Part of First Large-Scale Genome Sequencing Study
University of Utah Health

Just seven months after University of Utah geneticists took part in a landmark study that sequenced for the first time the genome of an entire Utah family, U of U researchers have taken part in another historic study that is the first large-scale genome sequencing project – 179 people representing three continents – and 60 Utahns played a major role in this study, too.

Released: 27-Oct-2010 11:15 AM EDT
Knowledge of Genetic Cancer Risks Often Dies with Patients
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)

If you were dying from cancer, would you consider genetic testing? A recent study conducted by researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center showed that most terminally ill cancer patients who were eligible for genetic testing never received it despite that it could potentially save a relative’s life.

19-Oct-2010 2:45 PM EDT
Why Does Lack of Sleep Affect Us Differently? Study Hints it May Be in Our Genes
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

Ever wonder why some people breeze along on four hours of sleep when others can barely function? It may be in our genes, according to new research and an accompanying editorial published in the October 26, 2010, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Released: 18-Oct-2010 2:15 PM EDT
Four New Psoriasis ‘Hotspots’ Identified by Geneticists
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Four newly discovered DNA “hotspots” may one day help guide new treatments for psoriasis, one of the most common autoimmune diseases in the country, U-M geneticists say.

Released: 15-Oct-2010 7:00 AM EDT
Positively Negative: Cellular Structure’s “Enforcer” Role Discovered by Scientists
Johns Hopkins Medicine

When cells make the proteins that carry out virtually every function of life, it’s vital that the right things happen at the right times, and — maybe more importantly — that wrong things are stopped from happening at the wrong times.

11-Oct-2010 11:25 AM EDT
In Common Childhood Obesity, Gene Variants Raise Risk
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

A new study by pediatric researchers has added to the evidence that genes have a strong influence on childhood obesity. The study team searched the whole genomes of thousands of obese children for copy number variations.

Released: 13-Oct-2010 2:05 PM EDT
Genetic Blueprint of Bacteria Causing Lyme Disease Unraveled
Stony Brook Medicine

Benjamin Luft, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Stony Brook University Medical Center, and a team of medical researchers have determined the genetic blueprint of 13 strains of the bacteria that cause Lyme disease.

Released: 13-Oct-2010 1:00 PM EDT
Scientists Solve Mystery of Arsenic Compound
Genetics Society of America

Hopkins, Baylor and Stanford scientists identify a protein folding machine in yeast cells that controls the folding of other important “machines” that power cells, as a target for arsenite, an arsenic compound and common water contaminant.

Released: 11-Oct-2010 1:55 PM EDT
Global Research Effort Leads to New Findings on Genes and Obesity
Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Two major international studies looking at data from a quarter of a million people around the globe have found a new set of genes associated with body fat distribution and obesity. Researchers at 280 institutions worldwide, including Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, conducted the studies. The research, published in the October 10 online edition of Nature Genetics, sheds light on the biological processes involved in body fat distribution, possibly leading to new ways of treating obesity.

   
Released: 8-Oct-2010 10:40 AM EDT
Researchers Determine the Genetic Blueprint of the Lyme Disease Microbe
Rutgers University

Researchers have determined the genetic structures of 13 previously unmapped strains of the bacterium that causes Lyme Disease. These findings may accelerate progress toward vaccines and more effective treatments.

6-Oct-2010 8:35 AM EDT
First Clinical Trial of Gene Therapy for Muscular Dystrophy Lends Insight Into the Disease
University of North Carolina Health Care System

A clinical trial designed to replace the genetic defect causing the most common form of muscular dystrophy has uncovered an unexpected aspect of the disease. The trial, based on therapy designed by scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, showed that some patients mount an immune response to the dystrophin protein even before they have received the gene therapy.

6-Oct-2010 1:00 PM EDT
Gene Therapy Reveals Unexpected Immunity to Dystrophin in Patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Nationwide Children's Hospital

An immune reaction to dystrophin, the muscle protein that is defective in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, may pose a new challenge to strengthening muscles of patients with this disease, suggests a new study appearing in the October 7, 2010, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

Released: 6-Oct-2010 9:00 AM EDT
Researchers Discover New Class of Objects Encoded within the Genome
Wistar Institute

In the October 1 issue of the journal Cell researchers at The Wistar Institute shed new light on the genetic unknown with the discovery of the ability of long non-coding RNA (ncRNA) to promote gene expression. The researchers believe these long ncRNA molecules may represent so-called gene enhancer elements—short regions of DNA that can increase gene transcription. While scientists have known about gene enhancers for decades, there has been no consensus about how these enhancers work.

1-Oct-2010 8:00 AM EDT
Newly Discovered DNA Repair Mechanism
Vanderbilt University

Researchers at Vanderbilt University, Pennsylvania State University and the University of Pittsburgh have discovered a fundamentally new way that DNA-repair enzymes detect and fix damage to the chemical bases that form the letters in the genetic code.

   
Released: 1-Oct-2010 8:00 AM EDT
Researchers Discover Genetic Changes That Make Some Forms of Brain Cancer More Aggressive Than Others
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

A multi-institutional team led by investigators from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has published a study that provides new insight into genetic changes that make some forms of glioblastoma, the most common type of primary brain cancer, more aggressive than others and explains why they may not respond to certain therapies.

Released: 30-Sep-2010 12:00 PM EDT
Bedouin Tribe Reveals Secrets to McGill’s GA-JOE
McGill University

As part of McGill’s “RaDiCAL” project (Rare Disease Consortium for Autosomal Loci), collaborators in Qatar conducted field research with three patients from biologically interrelated Bedouin families, and sent samples to Canada for analysis by GA JOE – a high-tech genome analyzing machine.

27-Sep-2010 3:00 PM EDT
Scientists Stack Up New Genes for Height
University of North Carolina Health Care System

An international team of researchers, including a number from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill schools of medicine and public health, have discovered hundreds of genes that influence human height. Their findings confirm that the combination of a large number of genes in any given individual, rather than a simple “tall” gene or “short” gene, helps to determine a person’s stature. It also points the way to future studies exploring how these genes combine into biological pathways to impact human growth.

Released: 29-Sep-2010 1:00 PM EDT
Albert Einstein College of Medicine Researcher Among Global Team Investigating Genetics of Height
Albert Einstein College of Medicine

A seemingly simple inherited trait – height – springs from hundreds of genetic causes, according to an international team of scientists. The study identified hundreds of gene variants in at least 180 locations that influence adult height.



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