Variants of BMP2 gene as genetic risk factors for osteoporosis
Linking specific genes with common, complex diseases like osteoporosis is a tricky business. There are likely to be many genetic as well as environmental and lifestyle causes, and to find them researchers need large populations, abundant genetic markers, and extensive patient data. In addition to powerful genotyping resources, researchers at deCODE in Iceland can take advantage of a nationwide genealogical database of Icel
University of Leicester astronomers and biologists have patented a new way of analysing DNA from gene-chips, which may be used in laboratories and hospitals to diagnose diseases from a single drop of blood and compare gene expression in different samples.
The pioneering technique uses an instrument developed at the European Space Agency’s laboratories in Holland for the study of light from distant galaxies to overcome a problem that has previously dogged gene-chip research.
The genes that influence the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease may vary over the course of an individual’s lifetime, a new study by Duke University Medical Center researchers finds. The team’s results revealed two chromosomal regions not previously known to influence Alzheimer’s disease: one linked to the disorder in families that first show symptoms early in life and another in families with very late onset of the disorder’s symptoms.
While earlier studies hav
Amino acids have been found in interstellar clouds and in meteorites – but with some enigmatic omissions and tantalizing similarities to life on Earth. Just why some amino acids are present in meteorites and others are absent, and why they seem to prefer the same “left-handed” molecular structure as Earth’s living amino acids are questions that could unravel one of the most fundamental questions of science: Where and how did life begin?
“The bottom line is that you have these materials
Research aimed at understanding how lice feed off humans may lead to new methods to control the blood-sucking pest that can transmit fatal diseases.
In the November issue of the journal Insect Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Purdue and Harvard university researchers report finding lice genes that control the breakdown of their human blood meal into energy and waste. They also identified the first gene in lice that may impact the insects’ ability to fight off bacterial infections. The
An international team of researchers has identified the role of a gene which may explain why some people overeat and become obese.
Their research, published today in Public Library of Science Biology, shows that the gene GAD2 has an appetite stimulating role, and that one form of the gene is strongly associated with obese people.
While the researchers recognise that obesity is a result of the interactions of many genes and environmental factors, this is one of the first gene
Advances in development of lab-on-chip devices, which shrink and potentially simplify laboratory tests like DNA analysis, have largely been tempered by the inherent complexity of the systems they are trying to replace. DNA analysis usually requires a laboratory full of instruments and several days to obtain results.
But now a team of researchers at Arizona State University report that they have made several advances in the area of microfluidic component design, fabrication and integration,
Technique could lead to new drugs as well as industrial processes
The diversity of nature may be enormous, but for Michael Hecht it is just a starting point.
Hecht, a Princeton professor of chemistry, has invented a technique for making protein molecules from scratch, a long-sought advance that will allow scientists to design the most basic building blocks of all living things with a variety of shapes and compositions far greater than those available in nature.
The
Unprecedented genetic access to brain provided by Rockefeller University scientists
For scientists studying the brain, this week’s Nature announces a remarkable new map describing previously uncharted territory, plus the means of exploring the new horizons for themselves. Rockefeller University scientists led by Nat Heintz, Ph.D., and Mary Beth Hatten, Ph.D., are well under way on a genetic atlas of the mammalian brain that provides unprecedented access to central nervous system
A new mouse model developed by Harvard Medical School researchers and reported in the October 30 Neuron may allow scientists for the first time to spotlight two key proteins in a living animal and see how they contribute to the neuronal death and atrophy found in neurodegenerative diseases. The two proteins are dubbed p25 and cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5).
“This is an excellent animal model for any therapeutic approach toward p25 and its link to Alzheimer’s and similar neurodegenera
Inside view of pterosaurs’ brain yields insights to posture, behavior
With its 13-foot wing span, a flying dinosaur soars above a lake, scanning for dinner as its shadow glides across the water’s surface below. Eying a fish, the aerobatic reptile, called a pterosaur, dives through the air, its shadow shrinking and darkening until – splash! The fish is in the pterosaur’s beak, which resembles a cross between a pelican’s bill and a crocodile’s snout.
While s
Duke University Medical Center neurobiologists have discovered how neurons in the brain “reset” when they are overly active. This molecular reset switch works to increase or decrease the sensitivity of brain cells to stimulation by their neighbors. Such “homeostatic plasticity” is critical for the brain to adapt to changes in the environment — either to avoid having its neurons swamped by increased activity of a neural pathway, or rendered too insensitive to detect triggering impulses from other neu
Chemistry & Industry Magazine
The discovery of a gene responsible for learning and memory defects in Down’s Syndrome means mental retardation may soon be reversible, according to a report in this issue of Chemistry & Industry magazine. The gene was discovered by a group led by William Mobley, director of a new centre for Down ’s syndrome research at Stanford University, California.
’The bottom line is that we have found one gene that we think is very important
Identification of ’Jelly Belly’ gene may lead to new drugs to combat heart disease, cancer and neurological disorders
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) have identified a secreted signaling protein that regulates smooth muscle development in fruit flies. In the absence of a protein called “Jelly Belly (Jeb),” primitive smooth muscle cells fail to migrate or differentiate, according to study results published in the October 2 issue of Nature.
“Our r
A team of researchers at the Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology & Natural Resources, together with the Japanese pharmaceutical company, JCR Pharmaceuticals, have discovered an enzyme which could be fundamental in the metabolism of glycogen in mammals. This find may be the first step in the finding a cure for illnesses associated with metabolic disorders such as certain kinds of diabetes and cancer. The characterisation and identification of the gene that its codes has been recently published in
A UCLA study demonstrates for the first time that specific cells found in the adult artery wall have stem cell-like potential. Researchers found artery cells that change into cartilage, bone, muscle and marrow stromal cells.
The new study will be published online on Oct. 27 and will appear in an upcoming print issue of the journal Circulation. The study may lead to a new source of adult stem cells, which may increase potential treatment options and avoid the controversial use of fetal stem
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