| 370 Health - Double Helix - DNA - Genes - Genetics - Genome Resources |
| 10 New Genetic Discoveries -- And The Diseases They Could Treat |
| For years, scientists have recognized that many of the world's most dangerous diseases have an underlying genetic component. Even your susceptibility to conditions like heart disease and lung cancer, diseases closely tied to lifestyle factors like smoking and lack of exercise, are believed to be heavily influenced by your genetic makeup. |
| August 29, 2011 |
| A |
| A 'jumping gene's' preferred targets may influence genome evolution |
| The human genome shares several peculiarities with the DNA of just about every other plant and animal. Our genetic blueprint contains numerous entities known as transposons, or "jumping genes," which have the ability to move from place to place on the chromosomes within a cell. |
| Provides Products |
| A $1000 genome could be reached by 2013 |
| A new report published in the journal Nature describes the new machine created by Jonathan Rothberg of Ion Torrent Systems which uses semiconductors to decode DNA and takes them one step closer to being able to reach the goal of a $1000 human genome test. |
| July 21, 2011 |
| A better way to count molecules discovered |
| Researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have developed a new method for counting molecules. Quantifying the amounts of different kinds of RNA and DNA molecules is a fundamental task in molecular biology as these molecules store and transfer the genetic information in cells. |
| November 21, 2011 |
| A Call to Arms for Synthetic Biology |
| Scientists have replaced all of the DNA in the arm of a yeast chromosome with computer-designed, synthetically produced DNA that is structurally distinct from its original DNA to produce a healthy yeast cell. |
| September 15, 2011 |
| A Semiconductor DNA Sequencer |
| Unlike other systems, Ion Torrent's technology promises to improve in step with advances in electronics--and it's already proving useful for public health. |
| July 21, 2011 |
| Accelrys and Oxford Nanopore Enter Software Partnership for DNA Sequencing Data Analysis |
| Accelrys, Inc., a leading scientific enterprise R&D software and services company, today announced the signing of a partnership agreement with Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd. Under the terms of the partnership, Accelrys and Oxford Nanopore will develop software to enable complex, real-time analyses of experimental data produced by the Oxford Nanopore single molecule analysis system. |
| March 16, 2011 |
| Accelrys Enters Next Generation Sequencing Market with NGS Collection for Pipeline Pilot |
| Accelrys, Inc., the leading scientific informatics software and services company, today announced at the Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference its entrance in the rapidly growing next generation sequencing (NGS) market with the release of the NGS Collection for Pipeline Pilot. |
| February 23, 2011 |
| Acquired traits can be inherited via small RNAs |
| Columbia University Medical Center researchers have found the first direct evidence that an acquired trait can be inherited without any DNA involvement. The findings suggest that Lamarck, whose theory of evolution was eclipsed by Darwin's, may not have been entirely wrong. |
| December 5, 2011 |
| ADAM-12 gene could hold key to cancer, arthritis and cardiac treatments |
| ADAM-12 is not only the name of a 1970's television police drama -- it's also the gene that University of Missouri researchers believe could be an important element in the fight against cancer, arthritis, and cardiac hypertrophy, or thickening of the heart's walls. |
| March 8, 2011 |
| Adults with PTSD and history of childhood trauma have shorter telomeres |
| Telomeres are DNA-protein complexes that cap the ends of chromosomes and protect them from damage and mutations. Short telomere length is associated with an increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as early death. |
| April 25, 2011 |
| Affymetrix Launches Next-Generation microRNA Solution |
| Affymetrix, Inc. today launched the GeneChip® miRNA 2.0 Array. This enhanced version of its best-in-class microRNA (miRNA) interrogation solution will support the research community's pursuit of personalized medicine by accelerating the identification of biomarkers and gene expression signatures associated with disease. Built on the success of the first-generation miRNA Array design, turnkey assay, and data analysis solution, the GeneChip miRNA 2.0 Array combines the most comprehensive miRNA view with the highest level of sensitivity available. |
| February 28, 2011 |
| Agilent Technologies Acquires Lab901 to Expand Electrophoresis Portfolio for Molecular Biology Applications |
| Agilent Technologies Inc. today announced it has acquired Lab901, a leading electrophoresis equipment and consumables company based in Edinburgh, U.K. The company's automated electrophoresis products are used for DNA, RNA and protein analysis. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed. |
| February 28, 2011 |
| All-access genome New study explores packaging of DNA |
| While efforts to unlock the subtleties of DNA have produced remarkable insights into the code of life, researchers still grapple with fundamental questions. For example, the underlying mechanisms by which human genes are turned on and off -- generating essential proteins, determining our physical traits, and sometimes causing disease -- remain poorly understood. |
| September 23, 2011 |
| Alnylam and MIT Collaborators Publish Data on Novel Lipid Nanoparticles for Systemic Delivery of RNAi Therapeutics |
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, together with collaborators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), announced today the publication of new data describing a novel approach for systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics using synergistic combinations of novel lipid-like materials called "lipidoids." |
| July 21, 2011 |
| Alternate ending -- living on without telomerase |
| Scientists of the German Cancer Research Center have discovered an alternative mechanism for the extension of the telomere repeat sequence by DNA repair enzymes. |
| November 3, 2011 |
| Altogen Labs Launches siRNA Liposome Encapsulation Services |
| Altogen Labs has announced the release of a new contract research services product: small interfering RNA liposome encapsulation, a technique used in biology laboratories to enable in vivo delivery of siRNA. |
| December 13, 2011 |
| Amniochip Detects 150 Genetic Syndromes from Amniotic Fluid |
| Genetadi Biotech (Derio, Spain) has developed a chip that is capable of detecting 150 different genetic syndromes from a few milliliters of amniotic fluid. It uses comparative genomic hybridization micro-array technology to identify areas with differences in hybridization between patient and control DNA. This technology allows for a diagnostic resolution much higher than with conventional techniques and spots several syndromes not detected with regular karyotypes. For the patient the procedure has not changed - an amniocentesis is still needed to collect the amniotic fluid, which is only recommended in pregnant women at risk for carrying a fetus with a syndrome. Results are available much faster though, within 48 hours. |
| April 11, 2011 |
| Androgenetic species of clam utilizes rare gene capture |
| In a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, biologist David Hillis from the University of Texas shows how the freshwater Corbicula clam utilizes rare gene capture to avoid the accumulation of mutations in their androgenetic lines. |
| May 24, 2011 |
| Ancestry project reveals students' genetic histories |
| Daniel Klein '11 always considered himself a European with an Ashkenazi Jewish heritage. But after receiving DNA results from the Cornell Genetic Ancestry Project, Klein got a big surprise. |
| April 20, 2011 |
| Ancient gene found to control potent antibody response to retroviruses |
| A researcher at MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer research has identified a gene that controls the process by which antibodies gain their ability to combat retroviruses. Edward Browne shows that the gene TLR7 allows the antibody generating B cells to detect the presence of a retrovirus and promotes a process by which antibodies gain strength and potency, called a germinal center reaction. The findings are published in the Open Access journal PLoS Pathogens on October 6th. |
| October 06, 2011 |
| Anglo-French team discover elusive gene that makes platelets gray |
| Researchers have identified an elusive gene responsible for Gray Platelet Syndrome, an extremely rare blood disorder in which only about 50 known cases have been reported. As a result, it is hoped that future cases will be easier to diagnose with a DNA test. |
| July 25, 2011 |
| Animal's genetic code redesigned |
| Researchers say they have created the first ever animal with artificial information in its genetic code. |
| August 11, 2011 |
| Antioxidant Formula Prior to Radiation Exposure May Prevent DNA Injury, Trial Suggests |
| A unique formulation of antioxidants taken orally before imaging with ionizing radiation minimizes cell damage, noted researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 36th Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago, Ill. In what the researchers say is the first clinical trial of its kind, as much as a 50 percent reduction in DNA injury was observed after administering the formula prior to CT scans. |
| March 29, 2011 |
| Are genes our destiny? 'Hidden' code in DNA evolves more rapidly than genetic code, scientists discover |
| A "hidden" code linked to the DNA of plants allows them to develop and pass down new biological traits far more rapidly than previously thought, according to the findings of a groundbreaking study by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. |
| September 16, 2011 |
| Armchair Science: DNA Strands That Select Nanotubes Are First Step to a Practical 'Quantum Wire' |
| DNA, a molecule famous for storing the genetic blueprints for all living things, can do other things as well. In a new paper, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) describe how tailored single strands of DNA can be used to purify the highly desired "armchair" form of carbon nanotubes. Armchair-form single wall carbon nanotubes are needed to make "quantum wires" for low-loss, long distance electricity transmission and wiring. |
| August 3, 2011 |
| Artificial Intelligence Created Using Human DNA |
| A team at Caltech has developed an artificial neural network from human DNA molecules. Yup, we used a bit of ourselves to create artificial intelligence. I think I know how this story ends. |
| July 28, 2011 |
| Assembly of nanostructures using DNA may lead to the production of new materials |
| Assembly of nanostructures using DNA may lead to the production of new materials with a wide range of applications from electronics to tissue engineering. Researchers in the Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering at the University of Arkansas have produced building blocks for such material by controlling the number, placement and orientation of DNA linkers on the surface of colloidal nanoparticles. |
| September 20, 2011 |
| B |
| Backing out of the nanotunnel - New method for nucleic acid analysis |
| Nanopores provide a versatile tool for probing molecular structures. A new study shows that one can obtain more detailed information about the dynamic behavior of nucleic acids during passage through nanopores by directing them to asymmetric pores for the return journey. |
| January 10, 2012 |
| Biochemists identify new genetic code repair tool |
| Clemson University researchers recently reported finding a new class of DNA repair-makers. |
| September 27, 2011 |
| Biological Molecules Select Their Spin |
| Do the principles of quantum mechanics apply to biological systems? Until now, says Prof. Ron Naaman of the Institute's Chemical Physics Department (Faculty of Chemistry), both biologists and physicists have considered quantum systems and biological molecules to be like apples and oranges. But research he conducted together with scientists in Germany, which appeared recently in Science, definitively shows that a biological molecule -- DNA -- can discern between quantum states known as spin. |
| March 31, 2011 |
| Biologists Sequence Genome of Controversial Arsenic Bacterium |
| One of the most controversial science stories in recent memory, the saga of arsenic-loving microbes, resurfaced again this week, a year after the initial claims created a media firestorm. |
| December 8, 2011 |
| Biologists' Discovery May Force Revision of Biology Textbooks: Novel Chromatin Particle Halfway Between DNA and a Nucleosome |
| Basic biology textbooks may need a bit of revising now that biologists at UC San Diego have discovered a never-before-noticed component of our basic genetic material. |
| August 18, 2011 |
| BioNanomatrix Secures $23.3 Million in Series B Financing |
| BioNanomatrix, Inc., a developer of nanoscale, single-molecule imaging and analysis platforms designed to dramatically reduce the time and cost needed to analyze the genome, has closed a $23.3-million Series B round of equity financing. |
| March 17, 2011 |
| Biophysicists Discover Four New Rules of DNA 'Grammar' |
| For 60 years, biologists have known of only two grammar-like rules that govern the language of DNA. Now they've found four more |
| December 9, 2011 |
| Biosensor provides rapid virus field tests |
| Prof. Samuel Lo, Associate Head of the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, and Dr Derek Or, Associate Professor of the Department of Electrical Engineering, have jointly developed a Portable Real-time DNA Biosensor. The device is designed to perform speedy in situ DNA tests for bio-defence and health surveillance purposes in areas suspected to be contaminated with pathogens and/or undesirable microbes. |
| August 4, 2011 |
| Biosensors: Hormonal attractions |
| Estrogen receptor (ER) proteins play a major role in controlling the transcription of genetic information from DNA to messenger RNA in cells. Understanding how ER proteins interact with specific DNA regulatory sequences may shed new light on important physiological processes in the body, such as cell growth and differentiation, as well as the development and progression of breast cancer. Guo-Jun Zhang at the A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics and co-workers have now developed a detector that uses silicon nanowires (SiNWs) to evaluate these interactions. |
| March 28, 2011 |
| Biotech Firms Battle Over Same Day Genomes |
| Illumina, the leading maker of DNA sequencers, will launch a new machine that can read a human genome in a little more than a day, dramatically faster than its current market-dominating machine. |
| January 10, 2012 |
| Biotech start-up brings DNA-sequencing to the medical market |
| What started back in 2004 as a three-person start-up may well be on its way to becoming a multi-million euro success story. Advanced by a team of young Dutch scientists pushing disruptive biotech innovations onto the market, the SME FlexGen is attracting the attention of some key investors and demonstrating the added value that public support can offer to innovative SMES, with the Eurostars funding programme leading the way. |
| November 8, 2011 |
| BGI develops RNA-Seq from as low as 100 Ng total RNA |
| Beijing Genomics Institute reported that they have achieved optimization RNA-Seq (Quantification) library construction with total RNA inputs as low as 100 ng. This breakthrough enables the application of RNA-Seq (Quantification) technology to experimental designs utilizing samples derived from small numbers of cells, such as those widely used in pharmaceutical research, cancer research, and immunology. |
| September 20, 2011 |
| BGI, Covaris partner to provide Next Generation sequencing technology |
| BGI (Beijing Genomics Institute) and Covaris, Inc. today announced a deal that will integrate Covaris' Adaptive Focused Acoustics™ AFA™ DNA shearing technology across several BGI laboratories in China. BGI will utilize the Covaris LE220 parallel processing, multi-sample platform to fragment DNA samples for Next-Generation Sequencing. |
| July 11, 2011 |
| Brain glia cells increase their DNA content to preserve vital blood-brain barrier |
| The blood-brain barrier is essential for maintaining the brain's stable environment--preventing entry of harmful viruses and bacteria and isolating the brain's specific hormonal and neurotransmitter activity from that in the rest of the body. |
| January 13, 2012 |
| Building crystalline materials from nanoparticles and DNA |
| Nature is a master builder. Using a bottom-up approach, nature takes tiny atoms and, through chemical bonding, makes crystalline materials, like diamonds, silicon and even table salt. In all of them, the properties of the crystals depend upon the type and arrangement of atoms within the crystalline lattice. |
| October 13, 2011 |
| C |
| CAD for RNA |
| The computer assisted design tools that made it possible to fabricate integrated circuits with millions of transistors may soon be coming to the biological sciences. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Joint BioEnergy Institute have developed CAD-type models and simulations for RNA molecules that make it possible to engineer biological components or "RNA devices" for controlling genetic expression in microbes. |
| December 22, 2011 |
| CALSEC Reports Study on Femtoneutrons and DNA Nucleotides for Diagnosing Cancer |
| California Science & Engineering (CALSEC) reported at the Seventh International Conference on Biological Physics that the bombardment of DNA nucleotides with femto-neutrons has resulted in novel findings about the interaction between subatomic particles and DNA nanoparticles which are million times larger. This interaction may help in establishing a completely different diagnostic approach for cancer. |
| June 27, 2011 |
| Can SAP and SuccessFactors Crack the DNA Code? |
| In the silicon-based world of enterprise IT, how in the heck has DNA--a child of microbiology--come to play such a huge role in discussions about SAP's disruptive acquisition of SuccessFactors? |
| December 7, 2011 |
| Challenges and opportunities for structural DNA nanotechnology |
| DNA molecules have been used to build a variety of nanoscale structures and devices over the past 30 years, and potential applications have begun to emerge. But the development of more advanced structures and applications will require a number of issues to be addressed, the most significant of which are the high cost of DNA and the high error rate of self-assembly. |
| December 2, 2011 |
| Chemists monitor single-molecule switching in action |
| In various ways, bacteria are one step ahead to us humans. For example, they dispose of "intelligent" RNA molecules, so-called riboswitches, which help to regulate many of their essential metabolism pathways. The riboswitches, only discovered a few years ago, are sensors in RNA molecules. A riboswitch acts similarly to a motion sensor that switches on or off the light when people are nearby: the riboswitch switches genes off or on when certain metabolism products are present in a cell. There is no similar mechanism of gene regulation in humans, therefore this represents an ideal target for new antibiotics. |
| May 2, 2011 |
| Chemists produce first high-resolution RNA 'nano square' |
| Chemists at UC San Diego have produced the first high resolution structure of a nano-scale square made from ribonucleic acid, or RNA. The structure was published in a paper in this week's early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ("Self-assembling RNA square") by a team of chemists headed by Thomas Hermann, an assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCSD. |
| April 4, 2011 |
| Chinese scientists announce the first complete sequencing of Mongolian genome |
| This genomic study will help researchers to better understand the evolutionary process and migration of Mongolians and their ancestors from Africa to Asia, which also lays an important genomic foundation for further development of human genetic diseases research. |
| December 19, 2011 |
| Clearing house for DNA gets a boost |
| Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute is home to a rich trove of biological material. Known as DNASU, this growing storehouse--a sort of genetic Library of Congress--holds over 147,000 plasmids, (circular DNA samples that can be used to produce individual proteins), as well as full genome collections from numerous organisms and proteins associated with many leading human diseases. |
| October 20, 2011 |
| Click chemistry creates new 'stealth' DNA links |
| Scientists at the University of Southampton have pioneered a chemical method of linking DNA strands that is tolerated by living organisms. |
| July 1, 2011 |
| CMU will tap advanced computer methods to help doctors make sense of their patients' DNA |
| Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University say advanced computational tools will be the key to a new research project that, if successful, could enable doctors to routinely use information extracted from a patient's DNA to diagnose and guide treatment of diseases. |
| January 10, 2012 |
| Collisions of protein machines cause DNA replication derailment |
| Scientists have published results that will forever change the way researchers view the interplay between gene expression, DNA replication and the prevention of DNA damage. |
| February 24, 2011 |
| Combination of two techniques promises to improve effectiveness of experimental gene therapies |
| New research in the FASEB Journal suggests that site-specific recombinases from either yeast or phages act not only to tag and target but also to exchange specific genes in DNA |
| December 1, 2011 |
| Combined molecular study techniques reveal more about DNA proteins |
| Illinois researchers have combined two molecular imaging technologies to create an instrument with incredible sensitivity that provides new, detailed insight into dynamic molecular processes. |
| March 2, 2011 |
| Common genetic variant linked to pulmonary fibrosis risk |
| Scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health have identified a common genetic variant associated with substantially increased risk of developing pulmonary fibrosis, a debilitating and life-threatening lung condition. The genetic variant is found in a region of DNA thought to regulate the production of an important mucus-forming protein. |
| April 20, 2011 |
| Connecting the dots - fused metal shapes on DNA origami |
| 'DNA origami' is a design technique -- similar to the traditional Japanese art or technique of folding paper into decorative or representational forms -- that is used by nanotechnology researchers to fold DNA strands into something resembling a programmable pegboard on which different nanocomponents can be attached. |
| August 11, 2011 |
| Control of Gene Expression: Mediator MED26 Shifts an Idling Polymerase Into High Gear |
| Look up "transcription" -- the copying of a gene's DNA into RNA intermediaries -- in any old molecular biology text book, and it all seems very simple: RNA polymerase II, the enzyme that catalyzes the reaction, assembles at the start site and starts motoring down the strand, cranking out the RNA ribbon used to construct proteins. But researchers now know that RNA polymerase II often stalls on DNA strands where it was once assumed to just barrel down. |
| July 6, 2011 |
| Controlling patterns of DNA methylation |
| In a study published in the latest issue of the scientific journal Nature Genetics, Schübeler and his team show that the binding of transcription factors to specific DNA sequences determines DNA methylation levels at gene regulatory regions. |
| October 28, 2011 |
| Cornell researchers learn how helicase enzyme works to unzip two strands of DNA |
| With an eye toward understanding DNA replication, Cornell researchers have learned how a helicase enzyme works to actually unzip the two strands of DNA. |
| September 19, 2011 |
| Craig Venter's Genetic Typo |
| In May 2010, geneticist J. Craig Venter and his team made news by creating the first "synthetic life form," replacing the genetic code in a bacterium with DNA they'd composed on a computer. |
| March 14, 2011 |
| CSI: PCR-free techniques ID the most active microbes on the scene |
| Anyone who has watched one of the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation television shows knows that PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) is a technology used to amplify the tiniest samples of DNA into forensic evidence that can identify perpetrators or victims of a crime. Microbiologists also use PCR to uncover the identity of microbes in samples taken from a wide range of sources for a wide range of purposes. However, for microbial analysis, the use of PCR technology can pose problems. Now, researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have overcome those problems with the development of PCR-free technology that is based on Berkeley Lab's award-winning, high-density DNA-based microarray known as the PhyloChip. |
| September 21, 2011 |
| D |
| DDC acquires Orchid Cellmark's government paternity business |
| DDC, one of the largest DNA testing companies in the world, announced today the acquisition of Orchid Cellmark, Inc.'s government paternity business. Orchid Cellmark, a leading international provider of DNA testing services primarily for forensic and family relationship applications, is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Laboratory Corporation of Americareg; Holdings. |
| December 19, 2011 |
| Decoded DNA from 100,000 Kaiser members opens new research doors |
| A team of Bay Area researchers faced a herculean challenge 15 months ago: Sequence the DNA of more than 100,000 Kaiser Permanente members who joined an unprecedented study of genetics and environmental conditions links health. |
| July 22, 2011 |
| Decoding DNA's annotations |
| In the currently hot research area known as ‘epigenetics’, researchers are discovering that offspring inherit much more from their parents than just their genes. Individuals also inherit detailed instructions on how to use the genetic sequence coded in their DNA via small chemical, or epigenetic, markers that decorate DNA strands. |
| January 20, 2012 |
| Decoding human genes is the goal of a new open-source encyclopedia |
| A massive database cataloging the human genome's functional elements -- including genes, RNA transcripts, and other products -- is being made available as an open resource to the scientific community, classrooms, science writers, and the public, thanks to an international team of researchers. In a paper that will be published in the journal PLoS Biology on 19 April 2011, the project -- called ENCODE (Encyclopedia Of DNA Elements) -- provides an overview of the team's ongoing efforts to interpret the human genome sequence, as well as a guide for using the vast amounts of data and resources produced so far by the project. |
| April 19, 2011 |
| Deleting 'innocent' DNA will cost £5m |
| Removing innocent people's records from the DNA database will cost almost £5m, the House of Commons was told yesterday. |
| March 31, 2011 |
| Developing wheat with resistance against Mycosphaerella fungus difficult but closer than ever |
| Developing wheat varieties with resistance to the feared leaf blotch disease may be very difficult, but recent studies carried out at Wageningen UR have brought it closer than ever. This is clear from research of the Dutch-Tunisian Sarrah Ben M'Barek-Ben Romdhane who obtained her doctorate on this subject at Wageningen University on 17 October. Ben M'Barek and her colleagues mapped the complete DNA of the pathogen that causes septoria leaf blotch - the fungus Mycosphaerella graminicola. They showed that the fungus can lose entire chromosomes during sexual reproduction without any visible effect. |
| October 27, 2011 |
| Development of a FRET sensor for real-time imaging of intracellular redox dynamics |
| In work published in the June 2011 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine, Kolossov, Spring and their co-investigators - a multidisciplinary team within the Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois - have transferred the concept of redox-sensitive Green Fluorescent Proteins (GFPs) to a quantitative Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) imaging platform ("Development of a high-dynamic range, GFP-based FRET probe sensitive to oxidative microenvironments"). |
| June 7, 2011 |
| Development of DNA trap paves way for personalized medicine |
| Sequencing DNA base pairs -- the individual molecules that make up DNA -- is key for medical researchers working toward personalized medicine. Being able to isolate, study and sequence these DNA molecules would allow scientists to tailor diagnostic testing, therapies and treatments based on each patient's individual genetic makeup. |
| May 23, 2011 |
| Discovery of DNA silencing mechanism reveals how plants protect their genome |
| Researchers at the RIKEN Plant Science Center (PSC) have clarified a key epigenetic mechanism by which an enzyme in the model plant Arabidopsis protects cells from harmful DNA elements. Published in the April 28th issue of the journal PLoS Genetics, the finding contributes to advancing our understanding of a broad range of biological processes in both plants and animals, opening the door to applications in cancer therapy and agriculture. |
| May 12, 2011 |
| Dissecting the intracellular transport mechanism |
| In a multicellular organism, different cells fulfill a range of diversified functions. Often such specialization depends on the delivery of molecular goods to distinct places within a cell. It ensures that particular functions only occur at defined cellular sites. This establishment of intracellular asymmetry in the otherwise fluid environment of the cell cytoplasm requires active transport processes. Messenger RNAs (mRNA) represent an especially important type of freight. They are copies of genetic information stored in the nucleus. In the cytoplasm the information encoded in mRNAs is used for the synthesis of proteins. Obviously it makes sense to manufacture certain proteins at their future site of action. |
| April 20, 2011 |
| DNA Art Brings a Whole New Meaning to Personal Portrait |
| DNA 11 makes art out of your DNA sequence, fingerprint, or kiss imprint, taking the idea of a personal portrait to a whole different level. Want your DNA sequence hanging above your bed? Simply make your color and size choices, send away for your collection kit, swab your cheek, send the kit back, and voilà--you have a canvas print that is as personal as it can get. Fingerprints are collected using ink and kiss imprints with lipstick. |
| October 17, 2011 |
| DNA as invisible ink can reversibly hide patterns |
| While most people know of DNA as the building blocks of life, these large molecules also have potential applications in areas such as biosensing, nanoparticle assembly, and building supramolecular structures. And now scientists have added another use to the list: invisible ink. |
| January 23, 2012 |
| DNA cages 'can survive inside living cells' |
| Scientists at Oxford University have shown for the first time that molecular cages made from DNA can enter and survive inside living cells. |
| July 4, 2011 |
| DNA Construction Software Saves Time, Resources and Money |
| DNA construction, also known as DNA cloning or recombinant DNA technology -- among a host of other terms -- is one of the principal tools of modern biotechnology, used for a wide variety of purposes, including genetic studies, medical research, and the development of advanced biofuels. |
| August 16, 2011 |
| DNA damage across a cellular barrier depends on barrier thickness |
| The use of nanoparticles in medicine is ever increasing and it is important to understand the effects these particles might have on human tissues and health in general. |
| December 13, 2011 |
| DNA Enables Purification of Useful Form of Carbon Nanotubes |
| Carbon nanotubes come in all shapes and sizes. As with many other materials, properties of carbon nanotubes depend upon the geometric arrangement of the constituent atoms. You may recall the paradigm example of graphite versus diamond: even though both are composed of pure carbon, the former is soft, opaque, and a good conductor while the latter, in addition to being a girl's best friend, is hard, transparent, and a good insulator . |
| August 10, 2011 |
| DNA evidence offers proof of North American native population decline due to arrival of Europeans |
| Most history books report that Native American populations in North America declined significantly after European colonizers appeared, reducing their numbers by half or more in some cases. Most attribute this decline in population to the introduction of new diseases, primarily smallpox and warfare. |
| December 6, 2011 |
| DNA from common stomach bacteria minimizes effects of colitis |
| DNA from Helicobacter pylori, a common stomach bacteria, minimizes the effects of colitis in mice, according to a new study by University of Michigan Medical School scientists. |
| May 5, 2011 |
| DNA may be used to predict lifespan: Study |
| This could result from the discovery by a University of Glasgow team in Scotland showing that telomere length on the ends of DNA in their genes in early-life predicts life spans. |
| January 11, 2012 |
| DNA mismatch repair happens only during a brief window of opportunity |
| In eukaryotes -- the group of organisms that include humans -- a key to survival is the ability of certain proteins to quickly and accurately repair genetic errors that occur when DNA is replicated to make new cells. |
| December 22, 2011 |
| DNA nanomaterials: Making contact |
| Metal-containing DNA structures combine the exceptional functionalities and sequence-specific self-association of DNA with the versatile electrical, magnetic and catalytic properties of metals, making them ideal for the development of biocompatible applications such as molecular electronic circuits and asymmetric catalysis. |
| November 28, 2011 |
| DNA Nanotechnology to Create Artificial Structures from DNA |
| Generating synthetic structures from DNA is the aim of DNA nanotechnology. This new field, which merges biology, physics, chemistry and material science utilizes the capability of the natural DNA-strains' ability for auto assembly. |
| April 18, 2011 |
| DNA origami from inkjet synthesis produced strands |
| In the emerging field of synthetic biology, engineers use biological building blocks, such as snippets of DNA, to construct novel technologies. One of the key challenges in the field is finding a way to quickly and economically synthesize the desired DNA strands. Now scientists from Duke University have fabricated a reusable DNA chip that may help address this problem by acting as a template from which multiple batches of DNA building blocks can be photocopied. The researchers have used the device to create strands of DNA which they then folded into unique nanoscale structures. |
| October 31, 2011 |
| DNA origami used to create 3-D nanostructures |
| Miniature architectural forms--some no larger than viruses--have been constructed through a revolutionary technique known as DNA origami. Now, Hao Yan, Yan Liu and their colleagues at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute have expanded the capability of this method to construct arbitrary, two and three-dimensional shapes, mimicking those commonly found in nature. |
| April 14, 2011 |
| DNA readers: Cracking the epigenetic code |
| Decoding some of the subtler information encoded in our DNA could soon become a high-throughput process, a team of researchers in Japan have shown. Masateru Taniguchi and colleagues at Osaka University have shown that DNA-borne chemical markers, which play a key role in gene expression, can be detected electrically using nanoscale electrodes ("Electrical Detection of Single Methylcytosines in a DNA Oligomer"). |
| August 15, 2011 |
| DNA Sequencing is Now Improving Faster Than Moore's Law! |
| The genomics industry marked a new milestone on Tuesday. As Forbes’ Matthew Herper reported in three separate posts and nearly 100 related Tweets, the two leading manufacturers of DNA sequencing instruments announced almost simultaneously at an investors’ conference that they would introduce new machines this year capable of sequencing an entire human genome in a single day. Life Technologies said its forthcoming Ion Proton machine, which processes DNA on a semiconductor chip, will do it for a cost of $1,000 per genome. |
| January 12, 2012 |
| DNA Sequencing Moving Into The Clinic; Used to Diagnose Mitochondrial Disease in 42 Children |
| DNA sequencing is slowly making the long anticipated move from the research lab into clinical use. After a few isolated reports last year where it was used to diagnose individual patients, now we see one of the first reports of it being used successfully on a larger scale, in 42 infants suspected of mitochondrial disease. |
| January 26, 2012 |
| DNA sequencing technology yields new insights into German E.coli pathogen |
| An international team of scientists has successfully employed single molecule, real-time (SMRT™) DNA sequencing technology from Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. to provide valuable insights into the pathogenicity and evolutionary origins of the highly virulent bacterium responsible for the German E. coli outbreak. Published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine, the results provide the most detailed genetic profile to date of the outbreak strain, including medically relevant information. |
| July 28, 2011 |
| DNA solves identities of Australian melons and loofah |
| Molecular data have shown that three Australian Cucurbitaceae species initially collected in 1856 but never accepted as separate species are distinct from each other and that one of them is the closest relative of the honeymelon, Cucumis melo. The names for these species are sorted out in a study published in the open access journal PhytoKeys. |
| July 27, 2011 |
| DNA strands that select nanotubes are first step to a practical 'quantum wire' |
| DNA, a molecule famous for storing the genetic blueprints for all living things, can do other things as well. In a new paper ("Evolution of DNA Sequences Toward Recognition of Metallic Armchair Carbon Nanotubes"), researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) describe how tailored single strands of DNA can be used to purify the highly desired "armchair" form of carbon nanotubes. Armchair-form single wall carbon nanotubes are needed to make "quantum wires" for low-loss, long distance electricity transmission and wiring. |
| August 3, 2011 |
| DNA System Developed to Identify and Authenticate Plant Species |
| A pioneering system which uses a plant's DNA to identify and authenticate a species has been developed in Leicester. Experts from De Montfort University (DMU) have developed a method which can detect the use of illegal or counterfeit plants in medicine and could also be used to boost conservation by identifying and monitoring the exploitation of endangered plant species. |
| November 23, 2011 |
| DNA Tsunami: Raymond McCauley Explains Why Bioinformatics Is Good For Business |
| When Craig Ventor's startup Celera beat the US government's Human Genome Project to seqencing human DNA, pundits heralded a new era in medicine. New drugs would target precise molecular processes, and soon patiences would receive treatments tailored to their individual constitutions. A decade later and conventional wisdom has turned pessmistic: The genome didn't pay off. The promised drugs didn't materialize. Personalized medicine remains a distant dream. |
| October 20, 2011 |
| DNA, folded into complex shapes, could have a big impact on nanotechnology |
| While the primary job of DNA in cells is to carry genetic information from one generation to the next, some scientists also see the highly stable and programmable molecule as an ideal building material for nanoscale structures that could be used to deliver drugs, act as biosensors, perform artificial photosynthesis and more. |
| April 27, 2011 |
| DNAVision purchases 4 of Life Technologies' next-generation sequencing platforms |
| DNAVision, one of European leading genetic analysis service providers, is pleased to announce the purchase of four next-generation sequencing platforms from Life Technologies, including two latest 5500xl SOLiD™ Systems. |
| January 12, 2011 |
| Down's syndrome test breakthrough 'on the horizon' |
| A less risky non-invasive procedure based on maternal DNA to diagnose Down syndrome could be generally available to pregnant women by 2013, a Cyprus researcher said Tuesday. |
| March 8, 2011 |
| E |
| 'Extraordinary' genetic make-up of north east Wales men |
| Experts are asking people from north east Wales to provide a DNA sample to discover why those from the area carry rare genetic make-up. |
| July 19, 2011 |
| Eagle and Cognizant partner with Pistoia Alliance for sequence services |
| Cognizant, a leading provider of consulting, technology, and business process outsourcing services, and Eagle Genomics Ltd., a bioinformatics software company specializing in genomic data management and integration, today announced they are working with the Pistoia Alliance, Inc., a nonprofit, precompetitive alliance of life science companies and vendors, as one of the groups engaged to develop a conceptual cloud-based platform to facilitate access to public and proprietary sources of gene sequence data. |
| April 12, 2011 |
| Editing Human Stem Cell Genes Could Let Patients Grow Their Own Cures |
| For the first time, scientists using a combination of gene-editing technologies have corrected mutations in a patient's own induced stem cells. The breakthrough could pave the way toward reprogramming a person's own cells to cure genetic diseases, rather than using transplanted organs and drug therapies. |
| October 13, 2011 |
| Editing the Genome: Scientists Unveil New Tools for Rewriting the Code of Life |
| The power to edit genes is as revolutionary, immediately useful and unlimited in its potential as was Johannes Gutenberg's printing press. And like Gutenberg's invention, most DNA editing tools are slow, expensive, and hard to use -- a brilliant technology in its infancy. Now, Harvard researchers developing genome-scale editing tools as fast and easy as word processing have rewritten the genome of living cells using the genetic equivalent of search and replace -- and combined those rewrites in novel cell strains, strikingly different from their forebears. |
| July 14, 2011 |
| Einstein offers easy-to-use genome analyzer to scientific community |
| Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have developed a desktop genome analyzer and browser that allows biologists to rapidly and easily analyze and process their high-throughput data. The open-source software, called GenPlay, is described in the May 19 online edition of Bioinformatics. |
| June 7, 2011 |
| Elsevier to organise third Current Opinion conference in structural biology, DNA repair |
| The conference considers the structural biology of the major pathways of DNA repair and their interface with all DNA transactions in cell biology. Topics include the involvement of DNA repair complexes in decisions points in cell biology including replication, recombination, and transcription processes. The presentations will include the nature of the DNA damage, our understanding of repair detection, signally, and processing mechanisms and the connections of DNA repair responses and human health. |
| June 1, 2011 |
| Elusive ultrafine indoor air contaminants yield to NIST analysis |
| Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology spent 75 days on the job carrying out some very important homework--measurements in a "typical dwelling" of the release, distribution and fate of particles almost as tiny as the diameter of a single DNA molecule. |
| December 7, 2011 |
| Ends of chromosomes protected by stacked, coiled DNA caps, study finds |
| Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are delving into the details of the complex structure at the ends of chromosomes. Recent work, e-published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology last month, describes how these structures, called telomeres, can be protected by caps made up of specialized proteins and stacks of DNA called G-quadruplexes, or "G4 DNA." Telomere caps are like a knot at the end of each chromosome "string," with the knot's role preventing the string from unraveling. |
| April 20, 2011 |
| Environs prompt advantageous gene mutations as plants grow; changes passed to progeny |
| If a person were to climb a towering redwood and take a sample from the top and bottom of the tree, a comparison would show that the DNA are different. |
| July 1, 2011 |
| Enzyme RNA Polymerase II Reactivates Arrested Transcriptional Complexes |
| Gene transcription is central to cell function, as it converts the information stored in the DNA into RNA molecules of defined sequence, which then program protein synthesis. |
| February 28, 2011 |
| Exploring the 'last frontier' of our genome |
| The human genome first appeared in print in 2001. But scientists aren't done yet. There's part of our DNA that geneticists have yet to assemble a sequence for: the centromeres. |
| September 23, 2011 |
| Explosive composite based on nanoparticles and DNA could be an energy source for embedded microsystems |
| A solid explosive with an energy density equivalent to that of nitroglycerine: this is the composite material produced by researchers at the Laboratoire d'Analyse et d'Architecture des Systèmes (CNRS) in Toulouse, in collaboration with the Centre Interuniversitaire de Recherche et d'Ingénierie des Matériaux (Université Toulouse 3 / INP Toulouse / CNRS), using an innovative production process that brings nanoparticles into contact with strands of DNA. |
| November 3, 2011 |
| Extensive genomic, transcriptional diversity identified through massively parallel DNA and RNA sequencing |
| In a paper published in the online edition of Nature Genetics on July 3, 2011, sequencing specialists at Axeq Technologies, and scientists from Macrogen Inc., Genomic Medicine Institute at Seoul National University, Psoma Therapeutics Inc., Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School reported the discovery of a wide range of novel genetic variants based on the deep sequencing of 18 genomes and 17 transcriptomes of unrelated Korean individuals. |
| July 8, 2011 |
| Extensive Protein Interaction Network Controls Gene Regulation |
| The genes of a cell are like the 88 keys of a piano. To play chords and music, however, the keys must be activated in exact combinations by a pianist's hands. Those hands represent the coregulators of a cell that simultaneously and precisely activate genes to produce all of the cell's functions. |
| May 26, 2011 |
| F |
| Finger (mal)formation reveals surprise function of desert DNA |
| Swiss scientists from the EPFL and the University of Geneva have discovered a genetic mechanism that defines the shape of our members in which, surprisingly, genes play only a secondary role. |
| November 23, 2011 |
| First Artificial Neural Network Created out of DNA: Molecular Soup Exhibits Brainlike Behavior |
| Artificial intelligence has been the inspiration for countless books and movies, as well as the aspiration of countless scientists and engineers. Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have now taken a major step toward creating artificial intelligence -- not in a robot or a silicon chip, but in a test tube. The researchers are the first to have made an artificial neural network out of DNA, creating a circuit of interacting molecules that can recall memories based on incomplete patterns, just as a brain can. |
| July 20, 2011 |
| First-of-its-kind map of recombination hotspots in a multi-celled organism |
| Researchers have zoomed in on mouse chromosomes to map hotspots of genetic recombination - sites where DNA breaks and reforms to shuffle genes. The findings of the scientists at the National Institutes of Health and Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USU) have the potential to improve the detection of genes linked to disease and to help understand the root causes of genetic abnormalities. The research, published online April 3 in Nature, moves scientists one step closer to understanding how mammals evolve and respond to their environments. |
| April 6, 2011 |
| For Help on Path to Personalized Medicine, Philly Taps Beijing |
| With a massive fleet of "next generation" instruments and an army of bioinformaticians, the Beijing Genomics Institute has become the world's most powerful DNA sequencing and analysis hub. BGI has collaborated with universities, hospitals, and corporations worldwide, and has sequenced organisms from zebrafish to an ancient human. |
| November 11, 2011 |
| Forensics: Developing a Tool for Identification -- Even Using Very Degraded DNA Samples |
| Frequently the only biological material available to identify persons or find next of kin is DNA in a very degraded state. In these cases, the kits usually employed to carry out DNA identifications do not produce very positive results, given that all the DNA is not available, and that which is available is highly fragmented. Biochemist Adrian Odriozola has developed a tool for identifying persons from these small fragments of DNA. |
| April 12, 2011 |
| Freedoms Bill: Gov may U-turn on personal data and DNA retention |
| Following last week's U-turn on prison sentencing, I think there is a possibility that the government could change its approach to the retention of personal data on the DNA database. Ministers are clearly worried that they are being labelled as "soft on law and order", especially by the tabloid press. |
| June 28, 2011 |
| From gene to protein: Gene expression quantification offers new insights |
| How do genes control us? This fundamental question of life still remains elusive despite decades of research. Genes are blueprints for proteins, but it is the proteins that actually carry out vital functions in the body for maintaining life. Diseases such as cancer are not only characterized by altered genes, but also by disturbed protein production. But how is protein production controlled? |
| May 18, 2011 |
| G |
| Galaxy DNA Analysis Software Available on the Cloud |
| Back in 2005 high throughput next generation sequencing entered the biomedical laboratories and most scientists were not equipped to handle such huge amounts of data. A group of researchers headed by Anton Nekrutenko from Penn State University started the Galaxy Project to supply computer power from servers of Penn State University to solve the many problems scientists encounter when they needed to analyze these large data sets. |
| December 2, 2011 |
| Galaxy DNA-analysis software is now available 'in the cloud' |
| Galaxy -- an open-source, web-based platform for data-intensive biomedical and genetic research -- is now available as a "cloud computing" resource. A team of researchers including Anton Nekrutenko, an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State University; Kateryna Makova, an associate professor of biology at Penn State; and James Taylor from Emory University, developed the new technology, which will help scientists and biomedical researchers to harness such tools as DNA-sequencing and analysis software, as well as storage capacity for large quantities of scientific data. Details of the development will be published as a letter in the journal Nature Biotechnology. |
| November 8, 2011 |
| Generating Nanopatterns with Viruses Using Dip Pen Nanolithography |
| One process used to produce nanoscopic structures like ever-smaller integrated circuits, biosensors, and gene chips is known as dip-pen nanolithography, in which the nanotip of an atomic force microscope is used to "write" a pattern directly on a substrate. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, a Korean research team led by Jung-Hyurk Lim at Chungju National University in Chungju have now introduced a refined nanotip for this technique. |
| December 8, 2010 |
| Gene-reading enzyme, inhibitor protein interaction analysis provides surprising insights |
| Within the cells, the RNA polymerase (RNAP) protein complex clutches DNA like a crab claw, scanning across gene-coding regions and transcribing these sequences into the messenger RNA molecules that will ultimately provide the blueprint for protein production. |
| March 4, 2011 |
| Genes Controlled with Light |
| Using a protein from the human retina, researchers in Switzerland have developed a method to control the expression of target genes with light. The scientists say the technology could be employed in the near term to boost the production of biological drugs, such as those for cancer, by enabling precise control over protein production. In the long term, cells engineered to carry the light-sensitive switch could be implanted into patients to produce a missing hormone, such as insulin, on demand. |
| June 23, 2011 |
| Genes ex silico: Computer-designed virus yields phenotype expression benefits |
| Gene therapy is medicine's rising star with adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors -- nonpathogenic parvoviruses -- among the most promising supporting actors, due largely to their capability to integrate into transcriptionally silent genomic regions (areas that do not, via RNA polymerases, make a messenger RNA copy of DNA-stored genetic information). That being said, there's been a downside in assembling AAV vectors into adenoviral (Ad) viral backbones, which are used extensively in genetic research and therapy: They rely on replication (Rep) proteins -- in this study, the Rep 78/68 polypeptide -- which limit viral amplification methodologies. Recently, however, researchers at Stony Brook University have used computational microbiology to reengineer the Rep gene through synonymous codon pair recoding, a technique in which the meaning of a codon (a set of three base nucleotides) is changed in a dynamic site- or mRNA-specific way -- that is, it competes and shares expression with the standard. The experimental results demonstrate the value synonymous codon pair reengineering can have in modifying endpoint expression. |
| August 29, 2011 |
| Genes relate to level of alcohol consumption among Asians |
| In a study of 1,721 Korean male drinkers aged 40 years in an urban population--based cohort, and another sample of 1,113 male drinkers from an independent rural cohort, information on average daily alcohol consumption was collected and DNA samples were collected for genotyping. |
| March 30, 2011 |
| GeneTex to introduce new Easy-iPSC minicircle DNA vector technology in June |
| GeneTex, a leading manufacturer of antibodies for research use, is pleased to announce they will be launching several new exciting products in June, including the new Easy-iPSC minicircle DNA vector technology. |
| June 9, 2011 |
| Genetic diversity: Crucial for our survival in many ways |
| Thanks to the sequencing of the 27 known human interferon genes, researchers from the Institut Pasteur and the CNRS reconstruct the genetic history of these proteins so central for our immune system, and put forward potentially innovative ways to improve the clinical use of interferons in the treatment of pathologies such as Hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis, and some cancers. |
| December 20, 2011 |
| Genetic Map of African-Americans to Aid Study of Diseases, Human Evolution |
| A group of researchers from the University of Oxford, Harvard Medical School and the University of Mississippi Medical Center has constructed the world's most detailed genetic map, a tool scientists can use to better understand the roots of disease and how DNA is passed generationally to create diversity in the human species. |
| July 20, 2011 |
| Genetic sequencing could help match patients with biomarker-driven cancer trials, treatments |
| As cancer researchers continue to identify genetic mutations driving different cancer subtypes, they are also creating a catalog of possible targets for new treatments. |
| November 30, 2011 |
| Genetic study shows that low body fat may not lower risk for heart disease and diabetes |
| Having a lower percentage of body fat may not always lower your risk for heart disease and diabetes, according to a study by an international consortium of investigators, including two scientists from the Institute for Aging Research of Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School (HMS). |
| June 26, 2011 |
| Genetically Engineered Spider Silk Protein as Vector for Gene Therapy |
| The American Chemical Society publishes an interesting podcast series called "Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions" that features various experts discussing topics that non-chemists can understand. The latest podcast is with David Kaplan, Ph.D. of Tufts University who talks about his research team's efforts to use genetically engineered spider silk for gene therapy. |
| November 16, 2011 |
| Genomes Sequenced: Bugs Within Mealybugs; And Bugs Within Bugs Within Mealybugs |
| Bacteria may have bad reputations but in fact, all animals -- us included -- rely on them in critical ways. In the case of sap-feeding insects, intimate associations with microbes offer a source for essential nutrients that their sugary diets just don't include. Now, researchers reporting in the August 11th Current Biology have new insight into organisms that have taken this symbiotic lifestyle to the extreme; they have sequenced the genomes of two species of bacteria that live together, one inside of the other, inside mealybugs. |
| August 11, 2011 |
| Going to extremes to find greener chemicals |
| Next time you watch a TV program that cracks a crime using DNA evidence, tip your hat to the microbe that makes it all possible. |
| November 2, 2011 |
| Google strikes deal to preserve DNA data online |
| Concerned that the federal government might not keep funding the world's largest free database of genetic data, Google Inc. has forged a deal with a Mountain View, Calif., startup to keep the information online - and free for researchers. |
| October 27, 2011 |
| Graphene nanoribbons make the difference for fast nanochannel-based DNA sequencing |
| DNA sequencing using current techniques involves chopping up DNA strands into small pieces, followed by amplification, transcription and finally optical identification of the constituent nucleotides. Before personalized medicine based on genetic screening can become a reality, however, this laborious and expensive process must be made simpler and faster. |
| May 9, 2011 |
| H |
| Hitting moving RNA drug targets |
| By accounting for the floppy, fickle nature of RNA, researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of California, Irvine have developed a new way to search for drugs that target this important molecule. |
| June 26, 2011 |
| Hopkins team discovers how DNA changes |
| Using human kidney cells and brain tissue from adult mice, Johns Hopkins scientists have uncovered the sequence of steps that makes normally stable DNA undergo the crucial chemical changes implicated in cancers, psychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. The process may also be involved in learning and memory, the researchers say. |
| April 14, 2011 |
| How Protein Networks Stabilize Muscle Fibers: Same Mechanism Known for DNA Now Found for Muscle Proteins |
| The same mechanism that stabilises the DNA in the cell nucleus is also important for the structure and function of vertebrate muscle cells. This has been established by RUB-researchers led by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Linke (Institute of Physiology) in cooperation with American and German colleagues. An enzyme attaches a methyl group to the protein Hsp90, which then forms a complex with the muscle protein titin. When the researchers disrupted this protein network through genetic manipulation in zebrafish the muscle structure partly disintegrated. The scientists have thus shown that methylation also plays a significant role outside the nucleus. |
| January 23, 2012 |
| How yeast chromosomes avoid the bad breaks |
| The human genome is peppered with repeated DNA elements that can vary from a few to thousands of consecutive copies of the same sequence. During meiosis--the cell division that produces sperm and eggs--repetitive elements place the genome at risk for dangerous rearrangements from genome reshuffling. This recombination typically does not occur in repetitive DNA, in part because much of it is assembled into specialized heterochromatin. Other mechanisms that restrain recombination in repetitive DNA have remained elusive, until now. |
| August 7, 2011 |
| How your immune system fires off electrons to repair DNA damage |
| Scientists have found out how a famous sunburn-healing enzyme works. The way it zaps DNA damage sounds so science fictional that it seems like something that happened a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. |
| July 29, 2011 |
| Human Brains Are Made of the Same Stuff, Despite DNA Differences |
| Despite vast differences in the genetic code across individuals and ethnicities, the human brain shows a "consistent molecular architecture," say researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health. The finding is from a pair of studies that have created databases revealing when and where genes turn on and off in multiple brain regions through development. |
| October 26, 2011 |
| Hunters present in North America 800 years earlier than previously thought: DNA analysis |
| The tip of a bone point fragment found embedded in a mastodon rib from an archaeological site in Washington state shows that hunters were present in North America at least 800 years before Clovis, confirming that the first inhabitants arrived earlier to North America than previously thought, says a team of researchers led by a Texas A&M University archaeologist. |
| October 20, 2011 |
| I |
| Identical virus, host populations can prevail for centuries |
| A Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) scientist, analyzing ancient plankton DNA signatures in sediments of the Black Sea, has found for the first time that the same genetic populations of a virus and its algal host can persist and coexist for centuries. The findings have implications for the ecological significance of viruses in shaping algae ecosystems in the ocean, and perhaps fresh water as well. |
| July 21, 2011 |
| Identigene announces availability of DNA paternity test kit in New York drug stores |
| Identigene today announced that the Identigene DNA Paternity Test Kit is now available in chain drug stores and independent pharmacies throughout the state of New York, expanding sales from 260 retail locations in the New York City area to more than 1,600 stores across the state. |
| May 11, 2011 |
| ILL Scientists Explain DNA's Structural Elasticity Using Neutron Scattering |
| The Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) scientists have calculated the speed of sound in DNA to ascertain its firmness. These discoveries help researchers to illustrate how DNA coils, folds and denatures. |
| September 12, 2011 |
| Illumina, UNTHSC enter next-generation sequencing collaboration in forensic DNA analysis |
| Illumina, Inc. today announced it has entered into a wide-ranging collaborative research agreement with the Institute of Applied Genetics and the Department of Forensic and Investigative Genetics at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC). Illumina and UNTHSC will collaborate on several visionary projects in forensics using Illumina's next-generation sequencing technologies. |
| October 04, 2011 |
| Immune mechanism blocks inflammation generated by oxidative stress |
| Conditions like atherosclerosis and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) -- the most common cause of blindness among the elderly in western societies -- are strongly linked to increased oxidative stress, the process in which proteins, lipids and DNA damaged by oxygen free radicals and related cellular waste accumulate, prompting an inflammatory response from the body's innate immune system that results in chronic disease. |
| October 05, 2011 |
| Improving DNA sequencing: Sponge-like biosensor crams enormous power into tiny space |
| Vanderbilt University engineers have created a "spongy" silicon biosensor that shows promise not only for medical diagnostics, but also for the detection of dangerous toxins and other tiny molecules in the environment. This innovation was originally designed to detect the presence of particular DNA sequences, which can be extremely helpful in identifying whether or not a person is predisposed to heart disease or certain kinds of cancer. |
| May 26, 2011 |
| Improving evolutionary Tree of Life: Study provides robust molecular phylogeny for mammalian families |
| An international research team led by biologists at the University of California, Riverside and Texas A&M University has released for the first time a large and robust DNA matrix that has representation for all mammalian families. The matrix -- the culmination of about five years of painstaking research -- has representatives for 99 percent of mammalian families, and covers not only the earliest history of mammalian diversification but also all the deepest divergences among living mammals. |
| September 22, 2011 |
| Improving Gene Therapy for Heart Disease, Cancer |
| A Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine study could lead to improved gene therapies for conditions such as heart disease and cancer as well as more effective vaccines for tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases. |
| October 12, 2011 |
| Innovator's DNA: Some Are Born, Others Can Learn |
| Some people are born innovators. Others can become innovators, providing they follow some simple guidelines. That's the thesis of 'The Innovator's DNA', just published by Harvard Business Press, by Hal Gregersen, INSEAD Associate Professor of Leadership, with Jeffrey H. Dyer of Brigham Young University and Clayton Christensen of Harvard Business School. |
| July 21, 2011 |
| Integrating DNA nanotechnology with traditional silicon processing for sub-20nm resolution |
| To build microprocessors with more than one billion transistors, manufacturers still use the same technique -- photolithography, the high-tech, nanoscale version of printing technology -- that they have been using for the past 50 years. State-of-the-art photolithography processes use 193 nm light to produce diffraction-limited features as small as 32 nm. |
| July 26, 2011 |
| International study identifies new gene targets for hypertension treatment |
| A new international report from scientists around the world finds that common variants in 28 regions of DNA are associated with blood pressure in human patients. Of the identified regions, most were completely unsuspected, although some harbor genes suspected of influencing blood pressure based on animal studies. In the study receiving advance online publication in Nature, members of the International Consortium for Blood Pressure Genome-Wide Association Studies (ICBP-GWAS) analyzed genetic data from over 275,000 individuals from around the world. They also identified for the first time the involvement of an important physiologic pathway in blood pressure control, potentially leading to a totally new class of hypertension drugs. |
| September 11, 2011 |
| Investigating the domestication of dogs through DNAInvestigating the domestication of dogs through DNA |
| Most animal lovers can't resist bringing home the occasional stray dog. Imagine, then, having to fight this impulse every day, and on the other side of the world, all while trying to maintain some measure of scientific detachment. |
| February 25, 2011 |
| Investors Expect Illumina To Fetch More Than Roche's Hostile Offer |
| Shares in Illumina, the leading maker of DNA sequencing equipment, jumped 45% in morning trading after the drug giant Roche made a $5.7 billion hostile offer for the company. |
| January 25, 2012 |
| Ion Proton DNA Sequencer Decodes a Human Genome in One Day for $1,000 |
| In our recent best of 2011 post, we wrote about the plummeting costs of genome sequencing, and just days into the new year another big leap has been taken. Today, Ion Torrent, a division of Life Technologies, made the announcement that it will be launching the Ion Proton Sequencer later this year, a benchtop sequencer that sequences the entire human genome in one day for just $1,000. It is the successor to the company’s PGM (Personal Genome Machine) which was introduced just over a year ago. |
| January 10, 2012 |
| Is This The End Of The Half Million-Dollar DNA Sequencer? |
| On January 10, Life Technologies and Illumina both announced plans for faster, same-day DNA sequencers. One difference: Life's machine, the Ion Proton, is considerably cheaper. In a note to his clients this morning, Macquarie Capital analyst Jon Groberg opines: |
| January 23, 2012 |
| Isolated human genes can be patented, US court rules |
| Isolating genes from human DNA structures is patentable, the US Court of Appeals has ruled. |
| August 2, 2011 |
| J |
| Japan, Russia in plan for elephant to birth CLONE MAMMOTH |
| Japanese and Russian boffins are planning to impregnate an elephant with a mammoth embryo cloned from viable fossil DNA discovered frozen beneath the icy Siberian tundra, according to reports. |
| December 5, 2011 |
| Joint Venture Will Develop DNA Sequencing for Data Analysis |
| San Diego-based Accelrys is collaborating with Oxford Nanopore Technologies. The joint venture will create software for complicated analyses of information derived by Oxford Nanopore single molecule analysis system. |
| March 21, 2011 |
| K |
| Kinetochores Prefer the 'Silent' DNA Sections of the Chromosome |
| The protein complex responsible for the distribution of chromosomes during cell division is assembled in the transition regions between heterochromatin and euchromatin. |
| July 5, 2011 |
| King Tut and half of European men share DNA |
| According to a group of geneticists in Switzerland from iGENEA, the DNA genealogy center, as many as half of all European men and 70 percent of British men share the same DNA as the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun, or King Tut. |
| August 3, 2011 |
| L |
| Laser Microscope Reveals Gene Splicing Process |
| Researchers working at Jeff Gelles' Lab at Brandeis University have discovered a way to use lasers that will help them splice pre-messenger RNA molecules, which is a pre-requisite in the development of proteins that supports advanced organisms such as human life. This process is facilitated by spliceosome, which is a cellular micro-machine. |
| March 16, 2011 |
| Laser, electric fields combined for new 'lab-on-chip' technologies |
| Researchers are developing new technologies that combine a laser and electric fields to manipulate fluids and tiny particles such as bacteria, viruses and DNA for a range of potential applications, from drug manufacturing to food safety. |
| July 5, 2011 |
| Let's do the twist: Spiral proteins are efficient gene delivery agents |
| Clinical gene therapy may be one step closer, thanks to a new twist on an old class of molecules. |
| December 16, 2011 |
| Life Technologies Launches Ion Personal Genome Machine Sequencer |
| Recently we reported from TEDMED about Life Technologies' personal genome sequencer, and now it has been officially launched. It is a desktop printer-sized personal genome machine that can sequence your complete genome in an hour or two. Ion Torrent, a recently acquired business unit of Life Technologies, has developed this little device based on its semiconductor sequencing technology. The company itself compares what the device will do for DNA sequencing to what point-and-shoot digital cameras have done for photography. The machine is faster and smaller than other sequencers on the market and, according to the company, is one tenth the price of other sequencers to buy and to run. |
| December 15, 2010 |
| Life Technologies Presents Revolutionary DNA Sequencing Technology |
| Life Technologies, a global biotechnology company operating in India as Invitrogen BioServices India Pvt. Ltd., presented its unprecedented next-generation sequencing product -- Ion Torrent Personal Genome MachineTM (PGM) to its customers in India at the Innovation Update Forum, a regular platform the company setup to exchange insights and opinions on innovation with its key constituents. |
| October 21, 2011 |
| Live-action films of worm sperm help researchers track critical fertility enzymes |
| Compared to most other cells in an organism, sperm undergo a radical transformation to become compact and mobile delivery systems for paternal DNA. Even though sperm looks and moves quite differently across species, SF State researcher Diana Chu and colleagues now say that there are at least a few key enzymes that are critical for sperm development and mobility in species as different as mice and nematode worms. |
| November 1, 2011 |
| Locating patterns in human proteins |
| A national research team, led by University of Connecticut engineering professor Sanguthevar Rajasekaran, is developing a new generation of exact algorithms that will help biologists locate patterns in human proteins and DNA. The work could eventually lead to new medicines to help fight disease. |
| April 26, 2011 |
| Low income, poor diet linked to accelerated aging |
| A new study of the DNA of people living in Glasgow suggests that earning less than the average wage and eating an unhealthy diet could accelerate the ageing process. |
| July 28, 2011 |
| M |
| 'Megapixel' DNA replication technology promises faster, more precise diagnostics |
| UBC researchers have developed a DNA measurement platform that sets dramatic new performance standards in the sensitivity and accuracy of sample screening. |
| July 3, 2011 |
| Macrogen announces formation of Axeq Technologies in the US, Europe and Asia |
| Macrogen, Inc (Seoul, Korea) announces the formation of Axeq Technologies, a US-based division with operations and offices in the US, Europe and Asia. "Axeq" is a premium brand representing a whole new experience and industry-leading standards in DNA sequencing service. Axeq Technologies is dedicated to providing premier next-generation sequencing services and support to researchers around the world. |
| February 22, 2011 |
| Marine organisms with eternal life can solve the riddle of aging |
| Animals that reproduce asexually by somatic cloning have special mechanisms that delay ageing provide exceptionally good health. Scientists at the University of Gothenburg have shown how colony-forming ascidians (or sea squirts) can activate the enzyme telomerase, which protects DNA. This enzyme is more active also in humans who attain an advanced age. |
| April 19, 2011 |
| Maternal Nutrition: What Impact Does It Have On Gene Expression? |
| During intrauterine life and lactation, undernutrition brings about modifications involving DNA, leading to metabolic pathologies at the adult age. Researchers from CNRS, INRA and Inserm have demonstrated for the first time, through an animal-based study, such repercussions at the level of the leptin gene, the hormone that regulates satiety and metabolism. Published in The FASEB Journal, this work could, in the longer term, have an impact on the prevention of metabolic diseases, medically assisted procreation and care for premature infants. |
| July 4, 2011 |
| Mayo Clinic finds new bacterium causing tick-borne illness ehrlichiosis in Wisconsin and Minnesota |
| A new tick-borne bacterium infecting humans with ehrlichiosis has been discovered in Wisconsin and Minnesota. It was identified as a new strain of bacteria through DNA testing conducted at Mayo Clinic. The findings appear in the Aug. 4 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. |
| August 4, 2011 |
| MDL announces HPV-16 Status reflex test |
| Medical Diagnostic Laboratories, L.L.C. is a CLIA certified infectious disease laboratory which specializes in high-complexity, state-of-the-art, automated DNA-based molecular analyses. MDL is able to provide clinicians with valuable tailored diagnostic information to assist in the detection, diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of infections. |
| July 20, 2011 |
| Metabolic errors can spell doom for DNA |
| Many critical cell functions depend on a class of molecules called purines, which form half of the building blocks of DNA and RNA, and are a major component of the chemicals that store a cell's energy. Cells keep tight control over their purine supply, and any disruption of that pool can have serious consequences. |
| January 31, 2012 |
| Methylation also plays a significant role outside the nucleus |
| Research team with RUB involvement reports in Genes and Development |
| January 24, 2012 |
| Missing DNA Helps Make Us Human |
| A new study demonstrates that specific traits that distinguish humans from their closest living relatives -- chimpanzees, with whom we share 96 percent of our DNA -- can be attributed to the loss of chunks of DNA that control when and where certain genes are turned on. The finding mirrors accumulating evidence from other species that changes to regulatory regions of DNA -- rather than to the genes themselves -- underlie many of the new features that organisms acquire through evolution. |
| March 9, 2011 |
| MO BIO Laboratories introduces PowerWater Sterivex DNA Isolation Kit |
| MO BIO Laboratories, Inc., the leader in soil, water and microbial nucleic acid purification, announces the launch of an innovative new product, the PowerWater® Sterivex™ DNA Isolation Kit. |
| May 23, 2011 |
| Modified RNA creates stable therapeutic nanoparticles |
| For years, RNA has seemed an elusive tool in nanotechnology research. While easily manipulated in the laboratory, RNA is susceptible to quick destruction in the body when confronted with a commonly found enzyme. "The enzyme RNase cuts RNA randomly into small pieces, very efficiently and within minutes," explains Peixuan Guo of the University of Cincinnati. |
| February 22, 2011 |
| Molecular corkscrew |
| Scientists from the universities of Zurich and Duisburg-Essen have discovered a specific function of the protein p97/VCP. They demonstrate that the protein repairs DNA breaks like a corkscrew, a repair mechanism that could also prove significant for cancer therapy. |
| November 8, 2011 |
| Molecular mechanisms offer hope for new pain treatments |
| By working with individuals suffering from a severe disorder that causes sensory neurons to degenerate, researchers at the University of Montreal Hospital and CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital have discovered how a specific genetic mutation causes their patients' condition, which in turn has revealed more information about the mechanisms in our bodies which enable us to sense pain. Genetic mutations are mistakes in our genetic code that can either be passed from parents to their children or created when DNA is replicated. Lead author Dr. Jean-Baptiste Rivière published the team's results in the American Journal of Human Genetics today. |
| August 4, 2011 |
| Molecular Nanometric Robot to Follow Commands to Change Track |
| The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has funded a research project by scientists who designed a programmable molecular robot that is a sub-microscopic molecular machine fabricated from artificial DNA that travels between spots on a track separated by 6nm. |
| March 14, 2011 |
| Molecular robot can be programmed to follow instructions |
| Scientists have developed a programmable "molecular robot" -- a sub-microscopic molecular machine made of synthetic DNA that moves between track locations separated by 6nm. The robot, a short strand of DNA, follows instructions programmed into a set of fuel molecules determining its destination, for example, to turn left or right at a junction in the track. The report, which represents a step toward futuristic nanomachines and nanofactories, appears in ACS's Nano Letters ("A Programmable Molecular Robot"). |
| June 22, 2011 |
| Mom, dad and kids undergo novel genome analyses for medical risks in new study |
| Stanford University School of Medicine researchers have predicted the inherited health risks of a four-person family by analyzing their whole genome sequences. With the DNA sequences of both parents and children, the team was able to better check for sequencing errors and more accurately predict how individual genetic variants affect each family member's risk for disease. |
| September 15, 2011 |
| More Powerful 'Lab-On-A-Chip' Made for Genetic Analysis |
| UBC researchers have invented a silicone chip that could make genetic analysis far more sensitive, rapid, and cost-effective by allowing individual cells to fall into place like balls in a pinball machine. |
| July 26, 2011 |
| Mussel adhesive for DNA chips |
| Mussels are true masters of adhesion. Whether on the wood of a pier, the metal of a ship's hull, rocks, or to their own kind, they stick to everything. Researchers led by Philip B. Messersmith at Northwestern University (Evanston, IL/USA) have successfully synthesized a mimic of one of the "universal adhesives" used by mussels. As the scientists report in the journal Angewandte Chemie, they were able to use their synthetic "mussel glue" to fix DNA molecules on various substrates. This new, simple method seems particularly promising for the production of DNA chips for diagnostics and research. |
| December 24, 2010 |
| Mutant proteins weigh in: Researchers 'see' binding with DNA through quartz crystal microbalance |
| Rice University scientists have demonstrated a new way to see and quickly measure DNA/protein binding, a discovery that prompted one journal reviewer to write, "This study has made my day." |
| March 18, 2011 |
| My Genome Via E-mail |
| Trying to understand the six billion nucleotides--all of my DNA--that just arrived in my in-box. |
| September 2, 2011 |
| N |
| Nanoantennas show promise in optical innovations |
| Researchers have shown how arrays of tiny "plasmonic nanoantennas" are able to precisely manipulate light in new ways that could make possible a range of optical innovations such as more powerful microscopes, telecommunications and computers. |
| December 22, 2011 |
| nanoCAGE reveals transcriptional landscape of the mouse main olfactory epithelium |
| The problem in biology of how to identify the promoters of olfactory receptor genes has remained unsolved due to the difficulty of purifying sufficient material from the olfactory epithelium. Researchers at the RIKEN Omics Science Center, collaborating with scientists from Italy, Norway, the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, have now solved this problem using nanoCAGE technology, which enables comprehensive analysis of transcription start sites from tiny biological samples. |
| January 6, 2012 |
| Nanofluidic device allows protein detection with unprecedented sensitivity |
| Molecular separations are extremely important in a wide range of technologies, from conventional proteomics to pathogen detection and DNA fingerprinting. A complication arises from the fact that molecular components in mixtures can span an enormous range of concentration. Conventional approaches such as antibody depletion are not sensitive enough to detect numerous medically significant biomarkers, whose incidence in blood could be as much as a trillion times less abundant than the most plentiful protein, albumin. |
| August 18, 2011 |
| Nanoparticles make DNA analysis 1,000 times faster |
| A University of Arkansas researcher has patented a process that reduces the time it takes to perform DNA analysis from hours to minutes. This development could contribute to many areas of health care and law enforcement, including diagnosing and treating disease, developing and testing new vaccines and forensic identification. |
| October 03, 2011 |
| Nanoparticles offer insights into interactions between single-stranded DNA and their binding proteins |
| Double-stranded DNA must disentangle itself into single strands during replication or repair to allow functional molecules to bind and perform their various operations. Cellular proteins specifically bind to single-stranded DNA to prevent their premature recombination. |
| November 29, 2011 |
| Nanoscale assembly using DNA 'glue' |
| The idea of using complementary strands of synthetic DNA as a highly specific "glue" to link up nanoparticles has moved quickly from intriguing concept to functional 3-D systems, such as quantum dots with enhanced luminosity. |
| March 22, 2011 |
| NanoString Announces Availability of nCounter Rat miRNA Expression Assay Kit |
| NanoString Technologies, a developer of molecular diagnostics and provider of life science tools for translational research, has declared availability of its nCounter rat miRNA expression assay kit for application on the nCounter analysis system. |
| August 10, 2011 |
| Nanotechnology detector for deadly anthrax |
| An automatic and portable detector that takes just fifteen minutes to analyze a sample suspected of contamination with anthrax is being developed by US researchers. The technology amplifies any anthrax DNA present in the sample and can reveal the presence of just 40 microscopic cells of the deadly bacteria Bacillus anthracis. |
| July 5, 2011 |
| Nature solves complex topological puzzles in DNA substrate recognition with elegant simplicity |
| A major discovery about an enzyme's structure has opened a window on understanding DNA repair. Scientists at Duke University Medical Center have determined the structure of a nuclease that will help scientists to understand several DNA repair pathways, a welcome development for cancer research. |
| April 21, 2011 |
| Neutron scattering confirms DNA is as stretchy as nylon |
| Neutron scientists at the ILL have measured how fast sound travels along DNA to determine its 'stiffness'. These findings help to explain how DNA folds, coils and denatures. |
| September 8, 2011 |
| New device could bring optical information processing |
| Researchers have created a new type of optical device small enough to fit millions on a computer chip that could lead to faster, more powerful information processing and supercomputers. |
| December 22, 2011 |
| New DNA analysis thousand times more sensitive |
| An international team of researchers has developed a new DNA technology which makes it possible to perform reliable analyses on DNA quantities that are a thousand times smaller than was previously the case. The method can be used, for example, to study small quantities of stem cells, starting tumour tissue, parts of plant and animal tissue, and archaeological samples. The team, which includes a researcher from Plant Research International, part of Wageningen UR, is publishing the new method in Nature Methods under the name LinDA. |
| June 17, 2011 |
| New DNA nanoforms take shape |
| Some no larger than viruses--have been constructed through a revolutionary technique known as DNA origami. Now, Hao Yan, Yan Liu and their colleagues at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute have expanded the capability of this method to construct arbitrary, two and three-dimensional shapes, mimicking those commonly found in nature. |
| April 14, 2011 |
| New DNA research suggests second migration influx of early farmers to Europe |
| In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) a French team led by molecular anthropologist Marie Lacan of Paul Sabatier University documents the results of their DNA testing of a group of skeletons found in a cave in the 1930's in southern France. The group tested both female linage (mitochondrial) and male (Y-Chromosomal) and found evidence to support the theory that one way that farming made its way into southern Europe was via migration of male farmers from Mediterranean areas, who produced offspring with resident female hunter-gatherers. |
| June 2, 2011 |
| New gene named after famous Scottish vet |
| Researchers at the University of St Andrews have discovered and named a new potentially cancer-controlling gene after a famous Scottish scientist. |
| June 17, 2011 |
| New genome assembly tool brings complex DNA research to the desktop |
| Genome assembly, the construction of DNA sequences from sample sequences, has received a boost with the release of Gossamer, a tool which allows researchers to assemble DNA fragments using cheap commodity computers rather than supercomputers. |
| June 28, 2011 |
| New information on the waste-disposal units of living cells |
| The researchers have provided the most detailed look ever at the "regulatory particle" used by the protein machines known as proteasomes to identify and degrade proteins that have been marked for destruction. The activities controlled by this regulatory particle are critical to the quality control of cellular proteins, as well as a broad range of vital biochemical processes, including transcription, DNA repair and the immune defense system. |
| January 11, 2012 |
| New insights into DNA under the influence of strong forces |
| Researchers in biophysics, including members from the Niels Bohr Institute, have discovered new properties of DNA and observed a number of phenomena of great importance for cellular mechanisms. By studying how DNA behaves under the influence of a force they have discovered that DNA melts and that the melting bubbles depend on the sequence of the base pairs in the DNA strand. These discoveries are brand new and contrary to what was previously believed, but the discoveries are based on very reliable and precise measurements. The results have just been published in the prestigious scientific journal, Nature Physics. |
| May 24, 2011 |
| New level of genetic diversity in human RNA sequences uncovered |
| A detailed comparison of DNA and RNA in human cells has uncovered a surprising number of cases where the corresponding sequences are not, as has long been assumed, identical. The RNA-DNA differences generate proteins that do not precisely match the genes that encode them. |
| May 19, 2011 |
| New method pinpoints important gene-regulation proteins |
| The specific order in which these proteins attach DNA-containing nucleosomes along the chromosome determines whether a brain cell, a liver cell, or a cancer cell is formed. Until now, it has been exceedingly difficult to determine exactly where such proteins bind to the chromosome, and therefore how they work. The new technique precisely pinpoints their location, and has the potential to take high-resolution snapshots of proteins as they regulate or miss-regulate an entire genome. |
| January 18, 2012 |
| New methods allow for insights into molecular mechanisms of regeneration |
| Researchers of the Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB) at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch have gained new insights into planarian flatworms, which are an attractive model for stem cell biology and regeneration. Close collaboration between four laboratories at the BIMSB led by Stefan Kempa, Christoph Dieterich, Nikolaus Rajewsky and Wei Chen has led to the identification of thousands of gene products, many of which are expressed and are important in stem cell function. This was achieved by precise characterization of all RNA-molecules expressed in the animals' cells, the so-called transcriptome, without using the genome sequence. |
| July 5, 2011 |
| New Molecular Robot Can Be Programmed to Follow Instructions |
| Scientists have developed a programmable "molecular robot" -- a sub-microscopic molecular machine made of synthetic DNA that moves between track locations separated by 6nm. The robot, a short strand of DNA, follows instructions programmed into a set of fuel molecules determining its destination, for example, to turn left or right at a junction in the track. The report, which represents a step toward futuristic nanomachines and nanofactories, appears in ACS's Nano Letters. |
| March 9, 2011 |
| New patent: Template-synthesized DNA nanotubes |
| A method of forming DNA nanotubes composed entirely or predominantly from DNA that, The methods of the present invention form single layer or multilayer template-synthesized nanotubes where the bulk of the tube is composed of DNA, and the layers are held together by hybridization of complementary DNA strands. The DNA molecules making up these tubes may be varied as desired, and the DNA is capable of being released from the tube. |
| May 6, 2011 |
| New prototype device to help doctors prescribe most appropriate medicine for individual patients performs well in pilot |
| A prototype handheld device that analyses DNA to predict how patients may respond to their prescription medication has performed well in a preliminary pilot study, researchers announce today. |
| July 5, 2011 |
| New research illustrates how genome adapts to transposon invasion |
| Small, mobile sequences of DNA left over from viruses, called transposons or "jumping genes" because of their ability to move around the genome, pose a significant threat to the genetic integrity and stability of an organism. Considered genetic parasites, these transposable elements are believed to comprise as much as 50 percent of the human genome. |
| December 22, 2011 |
| New Role for Cilia Protein in Mitosis |
| Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School have described a previously unknown role for the cilia protein IFT88 in mitosis, the process by which a dividing cell separates its chromosomes containing the cell's DNA into two identical sets of new daughter cells. Published in advance online by Nature Cell Biology, this newly discovered function for IFT88 suggests a possible alternative or contributory cause for cilia-related diseases such as primary ciliary dyskinesia, and polycystic kidney disease. |
| April 4, 2011 |
| New role for phosphorylation in heterochromatin |
| A great many cellular processes are switched on or off by the modification of a given enzyme or other protein by addition of a phosphate molecule, known as phosphorylation. This regulatory activity occurs widely in the cytoplasm, but can take place in the nucleus as well. Recent work has shown the HP1#945;, a protein that guides the formation of heterochromatin, a form of the DNA-protein structure know as chromatin, is also subject to this post-translational modification, but the biological meaning of this event has remained unresolved. |
| March 9, 2011 |
| New Supercomputer Will Chase Novel Genes |
| With 4000 times as much memory as an ordinary PC, the new supercomputer enables DTU researchers to rapidly identify new genes and proteins that can be used in future sustainable biotechnology industrial processes. The computer, which is an Altix UV 1000 model supplied by SGI, has been named Anakyklosis which is the Greek word for recycling. The name reflects its importance to a biologically sustainable future. |
| June 16, 2011 |
| New Technique Detects Single Small Molecules by Measuring Strength of Ruptured Aptamers |
| At the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz, Germany scientists are using aptamers and an atomic force microscope to detect the presence of individual molecules of specific substances. When aptamers bind to target molecules, the force needed to break them changes which then can be detected by the microscope. The new methodology allows for detection of a wide range of chemical compounds and offers a new option for studying molecular interactions. |
| April 1, 2011 |
| New technique gives precise picture of how regulatory RNA controls gene activity |
| A new technique developed by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine allows researchers to identify the exact DNA sequences and locations bound by regulatory RNAs. This information is necessary to understand how the recently identified RNA molecules control the expression of neighboring and distant genes. |
| September 29, 2011 |
| New technique improves sensitivity of PCR pathogen detection |
| A new procedure devised by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists and colleagues can improve polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods of detecting plant disease organisms. |
| April 21, 2011 |
| New technology helps fight deadly outbreaks |
| Sequencing the DNA of outbreak-causing microbes is nothing new -- but completing the entire process in a few short hours is. |
| June 24, 2011 |
| New, highly sensitive microarray can detect 300 copies of microRNA in a one-microliter sample |
| MicroRNAs are important regulators of gene activity, and their malfunction is known to be responsible for certain cancers and many other diseases. The rapid detection of microRNAs using small-volume samples could therefore help save millions of lives. Such a technique could also pave the way for widespread analysis of the spatial and temporal patterns of gene activity involving microRNAs, which are believed to play a critical role in the development and operation of organisms. |
| August 31, 2011 |
| NHGRI funds development of revolutionary DNA sequencing technologies |
| Researchers today received more than $14 million in grants to develop DNA sequencing technologies that will rapidly sequence a person's genome for $1000 or less. The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health, awarded the grants to enable the everyday use of DNA sequencing technologies by biomedical researchers and health care providers. |
| August 22, 2011 |
| NIH investigators find link between DNA damage and immune response |
| Researchers offer the first evidence that DNA damage can lead to the regulation of inflammatory responses, the body's reaction to injury. The proteins involved in the regulation help protect the body from infection. |
| April 1, 2011 |
| NIST Researchers Discover Method to Purify Armchair Carbon Nanotubes Using DNA |
| National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers described in their new paper the method of purifying the "armchair" type of carbon nanotubes using individual DNA strands. |
| August 5, 2011 |
| Non-independent mutations present new path to evolutionary success |
| Mutations of DNA that lead to one base being replaced by another don't have to happen as single, independent events in humans and other eukaryotes, a group of Indiana University Bloomington biologists has learned after surveying several creatures' genomes. |
| June 2, 2011 |
| Noted science historian Elof Carlson traces how the idea of mutation has changed in 6 generations |
| Today, most scientists use the term "mutation" to describe a change in an individual gene -- more precisely a minute alteration of its DNA. But the term has also achieved a powerful presence in popular culture, to describe a process by which individuals gain exceptional, often malign, characteristics. |
| June 8, 2011 |
| Novel DNA Fabrication Method to Produce Innovative Nanostructures |
| Duke University researchers have developed a reusable DNA chip that can be used as a template to reproduce a large number of DNA building blocks, paving the way to produce preferred DNA strands rapidly and economically. The scientists have utilized the chip to synthesize DNA strands, which were then used for the fabrication of innovative nanostructures. |
| November 3, 2011 |
| Novel DNA-sensing pathway in immune response to malaria |
| Until very recently, it was unclear why infection with malaria causes fever and, under severe circumstances, an infectious death. Although the parasite has an abundance of potentially toxic molecules, no one knew which ones were responsible for the inflammatory syndrome associated with disease. Now, a new study identifies a novel DNA-sensing mechanism that plays a role in the innate immune response to the parasite that causes malaria. The findings, published online August 4th by Cell Press in the journal Immunity, provide new insight into how the immune system detects malaria and may have broad implications for treatment of multiple infectious diseases. |
| August 4, 2011 |
| O |
| Oldest known DNA fragment is over a billion years old |
| There's one tiny fragment of DNA that pretty much all vertebrates and invertebrates share. It's the only piece of DNA known to be a billion years old -- and it still has a role to play in shaping our genes. |
| September 19, 2011 |
| One electron could be key to furture drugs that repair sunburn |
| Researchers who have been working for nearly a decade to piece together the process by which an enzyme repairs sun-damaged DNA have finally witnessed the entire process in full detail in the laboratory. |
| July 25, 2011 |
| Online Video Game Helps to Solve Genetic Origins of Diseases |
| Over the past year our genetic understanding of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes and cancer has been accelerated by thousands of video gamers thanks to an online flash game called Phylo. P |
| December 12, 2011 |
| Oragene Dx DNA Collection Device Gets FDA Clearance |
| DNA Genotek, a subsidiary of OraSure Technologies, received FDA clearance to market the Oragene Dx saliva DNA collection device. According to the company this is the first 510(k) approval for a DNA collection and stabilization device. |
| December 9, 2011 |
| Origami: Not just for paper anymore |
| While the primary job of DNA in cells is to carry genetic information from one generation to the next, some scientists also see the highly stable and programmable molecule as an ideal building material for nanoscale structures that could be used to deliver drugs, act as biosensors, perform artificial photosynthesis and more. |
| April 27, 2011 |
| Our brains are made of the same stuff, despite DNA differences |
| Gene expression databases reveal "consistent molecular architecture" |
| October 27, 2011 |
| Oxford Nanopore Announces Licence Agreement With Harvard University for Graphene DNA Sequencing |
| Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd ("Oxford Nanopore") today announced an exclusive agreement with Harvard University's Office of Technology Development ("Harvard") for the development of graphene for DNA sequencing. Graphene is a robust, single atom thick 'honeycomb' lattice of carbon with high electrical conductivity. These properties make it an ideal material for high resolution, nanopore-based sequencing of single DNA molecules. |
| March 11, 2011 |
| Oxford Nanopore to Develop Graphene DNA sequencing for Harvard University |
| Oxford Nanopore Technologies has signed a contract with the Office of Technology Development at Harvard University to design a graphene that will be used for DNA sequencing. The grapheme characteristics render it suitable for high resolution, sequencing based on nanopores of individual DNA atoms. |
| March 15, 2011 |
| Oxidative DNA damage repair |
| Oxidative stress damages DNA. Researchers in the Vetsuisse Faculty have now decoded the mechanism that repairs DNA damaged in this way. This repair mechanism could lead to less invasive approaches in cancer therapy and contribute to the development of new tests for the early diagnosis of cancer. |
| December 27, 2011 |
| P |
| Particle Trap Paves Way for Personalized Medicine |
| Sequencing DNA base pairs -- the individual molecules that make up DNA -- is key for medical researchers working toward personalized medicine. Being able to isolate, study and sequence these DNA molecules would allow scientists to tailor diagnostic testing, therapies and treatments based on each patient's individual genetic makeup. |
| May 23, 2011 |
| Pharmacogenetics testing offers way to reduce deaths from drug toxicity |
| On average, a drug on the market works effectively for only 50% of the people who take it. Would you want to prevent a potential adverse drug effect or even toxicity through a simple test? It's not science fiction, but a reality. Pharmacogenetics (PGx) is the study of an individual's variation in DNA sequence related to drug response. The goal is to select the right drug at the right dose, and to avoid adverse drug reactions or ineffective treatment. |
| April 11, 2011 |
| PhotoMedex introduces DNA Damage Control sunscreens |
| PhotoMedex, Inc. a leading supplier of advanced, clinical skincare and medical laser products, today introduced DNA Damage Control, the breakthrough treatment sunscreens that feature advanced photoprotection with DNA repair technology. |
| May 5, 2011 |
| PK's ForceRobot System Produces High Volume Single Molecule Force Spectroscopy Results at the U of Nebraska |
| JPK Instruments, a world-leading manufacturer of nanoanalytic instrumentation for research in life sciences and soft matter, reports on the work from the Pharmaceutical Sciences Department of the Medical School at the University of Nebraska. The Department has selected the JPK ForceRobot® 300 system to extend their studies applying atomic force microscopy, AFM, in the measurement of single molecule force spectroscopy. |
| June 7, 2011 |
| Placing landmarks on the genome map |
| Supercomputers and next-generation gene sequencers allow researchers to explore DNA and heredity. |
| June 2, 2011 |
| Police can now use DNA evidence to predict your eye color |
| We all know that DNA evidence can make or break a forensic investigation, but it's not uncommon for police to encounter DNA at a crime scene that doesn't match with entries in any DNA databases. But what if police didn't need any databases to track down a suspect? |
| December 13, 2011 |
| Population Genetics Reveals Shared Ancestries: DNA Links Modern Europeans, Middle Easterners to Sub-Saharan Africans |
| More than just a tool for predicting health, modern genetics is upending long-held assumptions about who we are. A new study by Harvard researchers casts new light on the intermingling and migration of European, Middle Eastern and African and populations since ancient times. |
| May 24, 2011 |
| Pre-pregnancy DNA tests for genetic conditions approved |
| Genetic tests for conditions that can be passed on to future generations should be more widely available before pregnancy, says the government's advisory body on genetics. |
| April 6, 2011 |
| Precision With Stem Cells a Step Forward for Treating Multiple Sclerosis, Other Diseases |
| Scientists have improved upon their own previous world-best efforts to pluck out just the right stem cells to address the brain problem at the core of multiple sclerosis and a large number of rare, fatal children's diseases. |
| October 13, 2011 |
| Private companies own your DNA -- again |
| Many scientists cheered last year when a federal judge ruled that human genes couldn't be patented. The case involved Myriad Genetics, which holds the patent rights on two genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, that are associated with increased risks for breast and ovarian cancer. Thanks to these patents, you can't look these genes in your own body without paying a fee to Myriad. Sounds ridiculous, right? Well, that was the state of gene patents until last May, when judge Robert Sweet ruled that the Myriad's patents were invalid. |
| August 1, 2011 |
| Protein associated with childhood cancer alters the structure of DNA, leading to cancer |
| UNC scientists have demonstrated for the first time how a critical gene associated with a type of childhood cancer alters the way DNA is packaged in cells and leads to cancer. Their laboratory discovery could result in the development of a targeted therapy to treat Ewing Sarcoma, a malignant bone and soft tissue tumor of children and young adults. |
| November 18, 2011 |
| Protein Found That Improves DNA Repair Under Stress |
| Cells in the human body are constantly being exposed to stress from environmental chemicals or errors in routine cellular processes. While stress can cause damage, it can also provide the stimulus for undoing the damage. New research by a team of scientists at the University of Rochester has unveiled an important new mechanism that allows cells to recognize when they are under stress and prime the DNA repair machinery to respond to the threat of damage. Their findings are published in the current issue of Science. |
| June 16, 2011 |
| Proteins caught 'in action' in intact cells using new electron microscopy technique |
| Proteins are literally the movers and the shakers of the intracellular world. If DNA is the film director, then they are the actors. And much can be learned about cell function -- and dysfunction -- by watching proteins on the move. |
| November 1, 2011 |
| Proteins Enable Essential Enzyme to Maintain Its Grip On DNA |
| Scientists have identified a family of proteins that close a critical gap in an enzyme that is essential to all life, allowing the enzyme to maintain its grip on DNA and start the activation of genes. |
| July 21, 2011 |
| Psychologists discover a gene's link to optimism, self-esteem |
| UCLA life scientists have identified for the first time a particlular gene's link to optimism, self-esteem and "mastery," the belief that one has control over one's own life -- three critical psychological resources for coping well with stress and depression. |
| September 14, 2011 |
| R |
| Radical Theory Explains the Origin, Evolution, and Nature of Life, Challenges Conventional Wisdom |
| Earth is alive, asserts a revolutionary scientific theory of life emerging from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The trans-disciplinary theory demonstrates that purportedly inanimate, non-living objects -- for example, planets, water, proteins, and DNA -- are animate, that is, alive. With its broad explanatory power, applicable to all areas of science and medicine, this novel paradigm aims to catalyze a veritable renaissance. |
| January 26, 2012 |
| Race and the personalized medicine debate |
| Federal examiners have rejected patents for genetic screening tests because the applicants did not explore their effectiveness for different races, adding to the debate about whether race has scientific validity in modern DNA-based medicine. Some geneticists, sociologists and bioethicists argue that "black," "white," "Asian" and "Hispanic" are antiquated categories that threaten to revive prejudices. Others, however, say that meaningful DNA variations can track racial lines and that ignoring them could deny many benefits of "personalized medicine," which aims to develop tests and treatments tailored to a person's genetic makeup. |
| August 2, 2011 |
| Rare Genetic Variants Most Likely to Influence Disease |
| New genomic analyses suggest that the most common genetic variants in the human genome aren't the ones most likely causing disease. Rare genetic variants, the type found most often in functional areas of human DNA, are more often linked to disease, genetic experts at Duke University Medical Center report. |
| March 31, 2011 |
| Replication of arsenic life experiment not successful so far |
| One of the most vocal and ardent critics of the so-called 'arsenic life' experiment which was published in December 2010 was biologist Rosie Redfield from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. The science paper by NASA astrobiologist Felisa Wolfe-Simon and her team reported that a type of bacteria in Mono Lake in California can live and grow almost entirely on arsenic, a poison, and incorporates it into its DNA. Redfield called the paper "lots of flim-flam, but very little reliable information." Her opinion was quickly seconded by many other biologists/bloggers. |
| August 11, 2011 |
| Research Shows Health Inequalities Imprinted on DNA |
| New research from the University of Glasgow shows that the health of the city's most deprived residents could be impaired before they are even born. |
| January 24, 2012 |
| Researcher Achieves Breakthrough in DNA Analysis using Nanoparticles |
| The time consuming process of performing DNA analysis has been reduced to a matter of minutes, thanks to the research headed by Donald K Roper, an associate professor of chemical engineering at the University of Arkansas. |
| October 07, 2011 |
| Researcher identifies genetic mutation responsible for adermatoglyphia |
| Like DNA, fingerprints are unique to each person or set of identical twins. That makes them a valuable identification tool for everything from crime detection to international travel. But what happens when the tips of our fingers are missing those distinctive patterns of ridges? |
| September 19, 2011 |
| Researchers build the most complex biochemical circuit ever created from scratch |
| In many ways, life is like a computer. An organism's genome is the software that tells the cellular and molecular machinery--the hardware--what to do. But instead of electronic circuitry, life relies on biochemical circuitry--complex networks of reactions and pathways that enable organisms to function. Now, researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have built the most complex biochemical circuit ever created from scratch, made with DNA-based devices in a test tube that are analogous to the electronic transistors on a computer chip. |
| June 2, 2011 |
| Researchers Characterize 'Epigenetic Fingerprints' of 1,628 People |
| Until a decade, it was believed that differences between people were due solely to the existence of genetic changes, which are alterations in the sequence of our genes. Discoveries made during the last 10 years show that beings with the same genetics, such as human twins and cloned animals, may have different characteristics and disease due to epigenetic changes. |
| June 2, 2011 |
| Researchers construct RNA nanoparticles to safely deliver long-lasting therapy to cells |
| Nanotechnology researchers have known for years that RNA, the cousin of DNA, is a promising tool for nanotherapy, in which therapeutic agents can be delivered inside the body via nanoparticles. But the difficulties of producing long-lasting, therapeutic RNA that remains stable and non-toxic while entering targeted cells have posed challenges for their progress. |
| April 21, 2011 |
| Researchers decipher protein structure of key molecule in DNA transcription system |
| Scientists have deciphered the structure of an essential part of Mediator, a complex molecular machine that plays a vital role in regulating the transcription of DNA. |
| July 3, 2011 |
| Researchers demonstrate new DNA detection technique |
| A team of researchers from the University of Notre Dame have demonstrated a novel DNA detection method that could prove suitable for many real-world applications. |
| December 17, 2011 |
| Researchers Develop Antennas by Coating Nanoparticles with DNA Sequences |
| Researchers at the University of Toronto have produced advanced nanomaterials that are capable of managing and directing the energy trapped from light and their results are recorded in an upcoming issue of Nature Nanotechnology. |
| July 12, 2011 |
| Researchers develop new technology to screen and analyze genetic mutations |
| A single change to even one of the thousands of DNA codes that make up each gene in the human genome can result in severe diseases such as cancer, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy or Huntington's Disease. A similarly minor change in the DNA of a virus or bacteria can give rise to drug resistant strains that are difficult for physicians to treat with standard drug therapies. For these reasons, scientists have long sought ways to study the effects genetic mutations can have on an organism but have been hampered in these efforts by an inability to easily and efficiently produce and analyze the thousands of potential changes possible in even one small gene. |
| April 7, 2011 |
| Researchers develop systematic approach for accurate DNA sequence reconstruction |
| Researchers at the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) have, for the very first time, developed a computational tool that comes with a guarantee on its reliability when reconstructing the DNA sequence of organisms, thus enabling a more streamlined process for reconstructing and studying genomic sequences. |
| December 5, 2011 |
| Researchers discover 13 new regions of genome associated with timing of menopause |
| An international team of researchers has discovered 13 new regions of the genome associated with the timing of menopause. These genes shed light on the biological pathways involved in reproductive lifespan and will provide insights into conditions connected to menopause, such as breast cancer and heart disease. |
| January 23, 2012 |
| Researchers discover a new biochemical pathway to producing ribose |
| A researcher from the University of Toronto Faculty Of Medicine's Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research is part of an international team which has discovered a new metabolic pathway for the production of ribose, a key component of RNA and DNA, providing new insight into the fundamental pathways that organisms utilize to grow and divide. |
| June 13, 2011 |
| Researchers extend genetic code of an entire animal |
| Researchers Sebastian Greiss and Jason Chin of the Medical Research Council's Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, have succeeded in manipulating the DNA of a nematode such that a 21st protein was created and subsequently naturally replicated throughout the entire worm. The result, which the two describe in their paper in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, is the first ever animal with artificial information embedded in its genetic code. |
| August 15, 2011 |
| Researchers fabricate DNA strands on a reusable chip, fold them into novel nanostructures |
| In the emerging field of synthetic biology, engineers use biological building blocks, such as snippets of DNA, to construct novel technologies. One of the key challenges in the field is finding a way to quickly and economically synthesize the desired DNA strands. Now scientists from Duke University have fabricated a reusable DNA chip that may help address this problem by acting as a template from which multiple batches of DNA building blocks can be photocopied. The researchers have used the device to create strands of DNA which they then folded into unique nanoscale structures. |
| October 31, 2011 |
| Researchers identify DNA region linked to depression |
| Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and King's College London have independently identified DNA on chromosome 3 that appears to be related to depression. |
| May 16, 2011 |
| Researchers identify gene variant in Proteus syndrome |
| A team of researchers has identified the genetic mutation that causes Proteus syndrome, a rare disorder in which tissue and bone grows massively out of proportion. The discovery, which has implications for potential drug therapies and even cancer, appears in the July 27, 2011, early online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. The team was led by researchers at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health. |
| July 27, 2011 |
| Researchers identify unusual genomic architecture linked with very severe forms of disease |
| When cells divide normally, DNA gets copied perfectly and distributed among the daughter cells with an even hand. Occasionally though, DNA breaks during division and is rearranged, resulting in duplications or deletions of important parts of the blueprint. |
| October 03, 2011 |
| Researchers Produce Viable Bacterium in Which One of Four DNA Bases Is Replaced by Synthetic Analog |
| An international team made up of researchers from the Institut für Biologie, the CEA, the CNRS, the University of Evry, the Katholieke Universiteit and Heurisko (United States) has achieved a world-first by producing a viable bacterium in which one of the four DNA bases has been replaced by a synthetic analog compound. The advantage of the new bacterium is that it would eventually be dependent on this compound, which does not exist in nature, and would therefore be unable to compete or exchange genetic material with natural organisms. |
| August 25, 2011 |
| Researchers outline method for DNA computation in new book |
| Researchers at New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences have outlined a method for storing programs inside DNA that simplifies nanocomputing--computation at the molecular level. Co-authored by Jessie Chang and Dennis Shasha, Stored Clocked Programs Inside DNA: A Simplifying Framework for Nanocomputing (Morgan and Claypool) describes how to build millions of DNA programs from which instructions can be peeled away one at a time from each program in synchrony. |
| May 16, 2011 |
| Researchers suspend, image single DNA molecules |
| Studying chemical modifications in the chromosomes of cells is akin to searching for changes in coiled spaghetti. Scientists at Cornell have figured out how to stretch out tangled strands of DNA from chromosomes, line them up and tag them to reflect different levels of modification -- which could lead to insights into how these chemical processes affect human health. |
| October 31, 2011 |
| Researchers turn photons into work using DNA |
| By using light to change the elasticity of a DNA molecule, scientists have designed a molecular motor that can turn light into mechanical work. Unlike most previously reported molecular motors, the proposed setup involves an atomic force microscope, which acts as an interface with the outside world and enables the work to be extracted. |
| March 10, 2011 |
| Researchers Use DNA Linkers to Assemble Nanostructures |
| Researchers at the Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering, University of Arkansas have established that controlling DNA linkers to assemble nanostructures could lead to the development of new materials that can be used in a broad variety of applications such as tissue engineering and electronics. |
| September 23, 2011 |
| Rethinking equilibrium: In nature, large energy fluctuations may rile even 'relaxed' systems |
| An international research team led by the University at Buffalo has shown that large energy fluctuations can rile even a "relaxed" system, raising questions about how energy might travel through structures ranging from the ocean to DNA. |
| October 31, 2011 |
| RHEI receives Chinese SFDA acceptance letter for MuGard |
| Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company leveraging its proprietary drug-delivery platforms to develop treatments in areas of oncology, diabetes, and RNAi, announced that its MuGard partner in China, RHEI Pharmaceuticals has received the acceptance letter from the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) of China acknowledging all necessary documentation for the MuGard has been submitted and accepted. Together with its marketing partner Jian An, RHEI Pharmaceuticals completed the required process required to satisfy all requirements to receive marketing approval in China and its other South East Asian territories. RHEI has advised Access of the next steps the SFDA will take to grant approval in its territories and anticipates receiving marketing approval in the second half of this year. |
| June 17, 2011 |
| RNA nanoparticles safely deliver long-lasting therapy to cells |
| Nanotechnology researchers have known for years that RNA, the cousin of DNA, is a promising tool for nanotherapy, but the difficulties of producing long-lasting, therapeutic RNA that remains stable and non-toxic while entering targeted cells have posed challenges for their progress. Now, in two papers published in the journal Molecular Therapy ("Assembly of Therapeutic pRNA-siRNA Nanoparticles Using Bipartite Approach" and "Pharmacological Characterization of Chemically Synthesized Monomeric phi29 pRNA Nanoparticles for Systemic Delivery"), a team of investigators led by Peixuan Guo, co-principal investigator of the University of Cincinnati Cancer Nanotechnology Platform Partnership, details their method for producing RNA nanoparticles and testing their safety in the delivery of therapeutics to targeted cells. |
| May 20, 2011 |
| RNA Nanoparticles to Deliver Medication to Targeted Cells |
| A University of Cincinnati (UC) research team led by biomedical engineering professor Peixuan Guo, has recently released two articles in the online journal, Molecular Therapy, describing how he has developed large RNA nanoparticles. He has also tested their safety in transporting medication to targeted cells. |
| May 6, 2011 |
| RNA reactor could have served as a precursor of life |
| Nobody knows quite how life originated on Earth, but most scientists agree that living cells did not abruptly appear from nonliving cells in a single step. Instead, there were probably a series of pre-cellular life forms that arose from nonliving chemicals and eventually led to a living cell, one that could undergo metabolism and reproduce. One of the most well-known theories of pre-cellular life is the RNA world theory, which proposes that life based on RNA predates current life, which is based on DNA, RNA, and proteins. But recently, scientists have been wondering what may have preceded RNA. In a new study, a team of scientists from Germany has suggested that the ability to self-replicate may have first emerged in the form of an RNA reactor, which they show can transmit information. |
| July 11, 2011 |
| Roche and Arizona Technology Partner to License Nanopore DNA Sequencing System |
| Swiss company, Roche and Arizona Technology Enterprises, Arizona State University's exclusive organisation for transfer of technology and management of intellectual property, have signed an agreement to license the development of a low-cost, nanopore DNA sequencer with a single molecule and make it available for commercial usage. |
| October 13, 2011 |
| Roche Licenses Nanopore Sequencing Technologies from Arizona State and Columbia Universities for Rapid, Affordable DNA Sequencing |
| Roche and Arizona Technology Enterprises (AzTE) announced today an agreement to license several technologies developed by Dr. Stuart Lindsay at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University and Dr. Colin Nuckolls of the Columbia University Nanoscience Center for the development of a revolutionary DNA sequencing system. The licensed technologies include specialized approaches for DNA base sensing and reading and build on an ongoing collaboration between Roche's sequencing center of excellence, 454 Life Sciences, and IBM to develop and commercialize a single-molecule, nanopore DNA sequencer with the capacity to rapidly decode an individual's complete genome for well below $1000. |
| October 11, 2011 |
| S |
| Safeguarding Genome Integrity Through Extraordinary DNA Repair |
| DNA is under constant attack, from internal factors like free radicals and external ones like ionizing radiation. About 10 double-strand breaks -- the kind that snap both backbones of the double helix -- occur every time a human cell divides. To prevent not only gene mutations but broken chromosomes and chromosomal abnormalities known to cause cancer, infertility, and other diseases in humans, prompt, precise DNA repair is essential. |
| April 19, 2011 |
| Sangamo announces presentations of ZFP Therapeutics data at ASGCT 2011 |
| Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. announced today that data from clinical, preclinical and research-stage programs focused on the development of zinc finger DNA-binding protein (ZFP) Therapeutics® were described in twenty presentations given by Sangamo scientists and collaborators at the 14th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT). The meeting was held in Seattle from May 18-21, 2011. |
| May 23, 2011 |
| Scientists Analyze Fetal Genes Using Standardized NanoArray PCR Technology |
| Scientists have displayed the viability of focused gene expression analysis of target fetal genes present in amniotic fluid by applying Standardized NanoArray PCR (SNAP) technology. |
| August 10, 2011 |
| Scientists are one step closer to a revolution in DNA sequencing |
| following the development in a Harvard lab of a tiny device designed to read the minute electrical changes produced when DNA strands are passed through tiny holes -- called nanopores -- in an electrically charged membrane. |
| January 6, 2012 |
| Scientists complete first mapping of molecule found in human embryonic stem cells |
| Stem cell researchers at UCLA have generated the first genome-wide mapping of a DNA modification called 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) in embryonic stem cells, and discovered that it is predominantly found in genes that are turned on, or active. |
| July 21, 2011 |
| Scientists discover new bases of DNA |
| For decades, scientists have known that DNA consists of four basic units -- adenine, guanine, thymine and cytosine. Those four bases have been taught in science textbooks and have formed the basis of the growing knowledge regarding how genes code for life. Yet in recent history, scientists have expanded that list from four to six. |
| July 22, 2011 |
| Scientists discover 'fickle' DNA changes in brain |
| Johns Hopkins scientists investigating chemical modifications across the genomes of adult mice have discovered that DNA modifications in non-dividing brain cells, thought to be inherently stable, instead underwent large-scale dynamic changes as a result of stimulated brain activity. |
| September 30, 2011 |
| Scientists discover the proteins that control development of varicose veins |
| A new discovery published in the October 2011 print issue of The FASEB Journal explains for the first time what kicks off the process that causes varicose veins. In the article, researchers from Germany describe a single protein that binds to DNA to control gene function (called "transcription factor AP-1") and the subsequent production of a newly discovered set of proteins that significantly affect the development of varicose veins. |
| September 29, 2011 |
| Scientists find a key to maintaining our DNA |
| DNA contains all of the genetic instructions that make us who we are, and maintaining the integrity of our DNA over the course of a lifetime is a critical, yet complex part of the aging process. In an important, albeit early step forward, scientists have discovered how DNA maintenance is regulated, opening the door to interventions that may enhance the body's natural preservation of genetic information. |
| March 18, 2011 |
| Scientists find link between master gene and neurodegenerative disorders |
| Garbage comes in all shapes and sizes. Cells, the body's functional units of life, also produce 'garbage' - debris and dysfunctional elements the body must get rid of. Failure to dispose of this garbage could trigger various neurodegenerative disorders in adult life, including Parkinson's disease, and rare genetic diseases in children. The latter diseases are called lysosomal storage disorders and include Fabry and Batten diseases. |
| June 24, 2011 |
| Scientists have determined just how stretchy DNA is |
| All over your body, lengths of DNA are constantly being bent, wrapped, rent apart, and sealed back together. Scientists have long assumed that the dynamic nature of DNA would also imply that it possesses some degree of "stretchiness," but efforts to determine the stretching force constant of our biological blueprint have turned up incredibly varied results. |
| September 9, 2011 |
| Scientists identify protein that improves DNA repair under stress |
| Cells in the human body are constantly being exposed to stress from environmental chemicals or errors in routine cellular processes. While stress can cause damage, it can also provide the stimulus for undoing the damage. New research by a team of scientists at the University of Rochester has unveiled an important new mechanism that allows cells to recognize when they are under stress and prime the DNA repair machinery to respond to the threat of damage. Their findings are published in the current issue of Science. |
| June 16, 2011 |
| Scientists identify seventh and eighth bases of DNA |
| For decades, scientists have known that DNA consists of four basic units -- adenine, guanine, thymine and cytosine. Those four bases have been taught in science textbooks and have formed the basis of the growing knowledge regarding how genes code for life. Yet in recent history, scientists have expanded that list from four to six. |
| July 21, 2011 |
| Scientists Observe Single Gene Activity in Living Cells in Detail for First Time |
| Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have for the first time observed the activity of a single gene in living cells. In an unprecedented study, published in the April 22 online edition of Science, Einstein scientists were able to follow, in real time, the process of gene transcription, which occurs when a gene converts its DNA information into molecules of messenger RNA (mRNA) that go on to make the protein coded by the gene. |
| April 21, 2011 |
| Scientists override errant form of genetic signaling for first time |
| In a new study published today in the journal Nature, scientists discovered an entirely new way to change the genetic code. The findings, though early, are significant because they may ultimately help researchers alter the course of devastating genetic disorders, such as cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy and many forms of cancer. |
| June 15, 2011 |
| Scientists present evidence for groundbreaking evolution theory |
| The popular belief among scientists that certain sequences of DNA are relatively unimportant in the evolutionary process has been turned on its head by two Murdoch University researchers. |
| July 14, 2011 |
| Scientists sequenced DNA of oldest woman in hopes to unlock long life secrets |
| Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper became the world's oldest person in May of 2004 at the age of 115 but dies only a few months later. But contrary to what you would expect Andel-Schipper was as sharp as a whip right up until her death. |
| October 17, 2011 |
| Scientists show how BRCA1 cancer gene mutations harm breast cells |
| Working with human breast cells, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have shown how the inactivation of a single copy of the breast cancer gene BRCA1 leaves breast cells vulnerable to cancer by reducing their ability to repair DNA damage, causing genetic instability. |
| December 14, 2011 |
| Scientists show how cells accurately inherit information that is not contained in their genes |
| All 10 trillion cells in the adult human body are genetically identical, but develop into distinct cell types, such as muscle cells, skin cells or neurons, by activating some genes while inhibiting others. Remarkably, each specialized cell maintains a memory of their individual identity by remembering which genes should be kept on or off, even when making copies of themselves. |
| December 12, 2011 |
| Scientists to sequence DNA of cystic fibrosis superbug |
| Scientists at the University of Liverpool are using the latest DNA sequencing technology to understand the diversity of a bacterium that causes severe lung infection in cystic fibrosis patients. |
| February 22, 2011 |
| Scientists use DNA technique to distinguish sardines from mackerel |
| Being able to distinguish sardines from horse mackerel has just got a little easier. Researchers in Spain used forensic mitochondrial DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) species identification techniques to genetically differentiate between the fish, regardless if they are processed or canned. This latest technique will help experts to better monitor the exploitation of fish resources. This study was supported in part by a European Fisheries Fund (EFF) grant. The EFF contributes to the realisation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) objectives, which seek the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources. |
| June 17, 2011 |
| Sensitive label-free DNA sensing based on metal/fluorophore interactions |
| With two recent studies, imec scientists contribute to the field of label-free DNA sensing. The measurement technique they have refined is based on the fact that metallic films and nanoparticles absorb the light of nearby light-emitting fluorophores. In one study, the quenching and enhancement of the emitted light was studied and quantified with a wide range of gold nanoparticles and DNA hairpin probes. In a second study and using similar probes, the technique was used to demonstrate a functional label-free genosensor. |
| April 18, 2011 |
| Sequencing of 500 genomes brings personalized medicine closer |
| The genomes of 500 people with a range of diseases -- including cancer, immunological disorders, and rare inherited diseases -- are to be sequenced in full detail thanks to a new collaboration between the University of Oxford and Illumina, a leading manufacturer of sequencing systems. |
| August 4, 2011 |
| Sequencing of cod genome reveals unique immune system characteristic |
| Researchers working out of Norway's University of Oslo have discovered through sequencing the genome of the Atlantic cod that the fish doesn't have a gene critical to the immune system in most other vertebrae. The missing gene is one that codes for proteins called MHC II, CD4, and invariant chain. These proteins that reside on the outside of cells are responsible for noticing when bacteria or viruses land and then for calling CD4+ T cells to alert B cells which then start to crank out antibodies. The team has published its results in Nature. |
| August 11, 2011 |
| Short spiral-shaped proteins can efficiently deliver DNA segments to cells |
| Clinical gene therapy may be one step closer, thanks to a new twist on an old class of molecules. |
| December 16, 2011 |
| Some plants duplicate their DNA to overcome adversity |
| Whatever does not kill a plant may actually make it stronger. After being partially eaten by grazing animals, for example, some plants grow bigger and faster and reproduce more successfully than they otherwise would. In a new study, researchers report that one secret to these plants' post-traumatic triumph lies in their ability to duplicate their chromosomes -- again and again -- without undergoing cell division. |
| August 1, 2011 |
| Something old, something new: Evolution and the structural divergence of duplicate genes |
| Gene duplications are arguably the driving force of organismal evolution -- and if they survive, such duplicate genes will diverge in both regulatory and coding genomic regions. Coding divergences, in turn, can be caused by nucleotide substitutions or exon-intron structural changes. Scientists have had limited knowledge in the latter case until recently investigated structural divergences during the evolution of duplicate and nonduplicate genes. |
| January 31, 2012 |
| St. Jude Children's Research Hospital launches data website for genome project |
| St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has launched a freely available website for published research results from the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital – Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project (PCGP). The PCGP is the largest effort to date aimed at sequencing the entire genomes of both normal and cancer cells from pediatric cancer patients, comparing differences in the DNA to identify genetic mistakes that lead to childhood cancers. |
| January 11, 2012 |
| Student publishes case for faster, less expensive DNA analysis |
| A Washington State University student's undergraduate research is challenging a widely held assumption on the best way to analyze old DNA in anthropological and forensic investigations. |
| June 27, 2011 |
| Study gives clue as to how notes are played on the genetic piano |
| Japanese and U.S. scientists in the young field of epigenetics Thursday reported a rationale as to how specific genes are silenced and others are not. Because this effect can be reversed, it may be possible to devise therapies for cancer and other diseases using this information. |
| May 12, 2011 |
| Study suggests methylation and gene sequence co-evolve in human-chimp evolutionary divergence |
| Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) and the University of Southern California (USC) today published the first quantitative evidence supporting the notion that the genome-wide "bookmarking" of DNA with methyl molecules -- a process called methylation -- and the underlying DNA sequences corresponding with these marks, have co-evolved in a kind of molecular slow-dance over the 6 million years since humans and chimps diverged from a common ancestor. |
| September 15, 2011 |
| Study traces possible role of damaged DNA in tumor development |
| DNA provides the instruction manual for all life forms. Occasionally, instructions are not carried out properly, and bad messages are sent leading to the creation of mutant proteins and possible tumor development. |
| March 4, 2011 |
| Study uncovers how DNA unfolds for transcription |
| The human genome contains some 3 billion base pairs that are tightly compacted into the nucleus of each cell. If a DNA strand were the thickness of a human hair, the entire human genome would be crammed into a space the size of a softball, but if it were unraveled and all the strands lined up, they would stretch from Ithaca, N.Y., to Boston. |
| January 17, 2012 |
| Study: Donor's DNA level in heart transplant recipient's blood can reveal organ rejection |
| Heart transplant recipients and their physicians are likely more concerned with the function of the donated organ than with the donor's DNA sequences that tag along in the new, healthy tissue. However, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have shown that an increase in the amount of the donor's DNA in the recipient's blood is one of the earliest detectable signs of organ rejection. |
| March 29, 2011 |
| Sun's 'DNA' Revealed |
| Solar nitrogen is very different from that of meteorites or Earth. A French-American team headed by the Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques (CRPG-CNRS) de Nancy reached this conclusion after analyzing samples of solar wind collected by the Genesis space mission launched by NASA in 2001. The team succeeded in determining the isotopic composition of the Sun, its "DNA," which reflects the composition of the cloud of gas and dust that gave rise to the solar system. This work, which benefited in particular from the support of CNRS, CNES and the Région Lorraine, could help to elucidate the phenomena behind the origin of the solar system. Results were published on 24 June 2011 in the journal Science and also feature on its cover. |
| July 5, 2011 |
| T |
| TACC supercomputers help researchers find deeper insight into structure and behavior of protein, DNA and RNA |
| In 1926, Theodor Svedberg won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for a novel method of separating proteins based on experiments performed on a new device he invented: the analytic ultracentrifuge. |
| November 8, 2011 |
| Targeted immune stimulation based on DNA nanotechnology |
| DNA is usually known as the genetic code for protein synthesis in all living organisms. The application of DNA as a molecular building block on the other hand, allows for the construction of sophisticated nanoscopic shapes that are built entirely from DNA. |
| December 22, 2011 |
| Team finds stable RNA nano-scaffold within virus core |
| With the discovery of a RNA nano-scaffold that remains unusually stable in the body, researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have overcome another barrier to the development of therapeutic RNA nanotechnology. |
| September 12, 2011 |
| Team investigates function of 'junk DNA' in human genes |
| Part of the answer to how and why primates differ from other mammals, and humans differ from other primates, may lie in the repetitive stretches of the genome that were once considered "junk." |
| February 28, 2011 |
| Technology to identify genes |
| King's researchers in the Division of Cancer Studies have developed new technology for the identification and validation of microRNA (miRNA) targets in research and clinical diagnostics, resulting in an exclusive licence agreement with Sigma Life Science announced today. |
| May 4, 2011 |
| Tet further revealed: Studies track protein relevant to stem cells, cancer |
| Last year, a research team at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill discovered one way the protein Tet 1 helps stem cells keep their pluripotency the unique ability to become any cell type in the body. In two new studies, the team takes a broad look at the protein's location in the mouse genome, revealing a surprising dual function and offering the first genome-wide location of the protein and its product, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine dubbed the "sixth base" of DNA. |
| March 30, 2011 |
| The difference between humans and chimps is all in the junk DNA |
| Humans and chimpanzees share up to 99% of the same DNA, which is particularly remarkable considering we don't look anything like each other. The reason behind our vast difference in appearance is all thanks to our seemingly useless so-called "junk" DNA. |
| October 25, 2011 |
| The first kangaroo genome sequence |
| Kangaroos form an important niche in the tree of life, but until now their DNA had never been sequenced. In an article newly published in BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Biology, an international consortium of researchers present the first kangaroo genome sequence -- that of the tammar wallaby species -- and find hidden in their data the gene that may well be responsible for the kangaroo's characteristic hop. |
| August 19, 2011 |
| The machinery of chromatin regulation |
| Ten years after the human genome was first published, researchers have found new clues into the machinery that influences gene function. The team focused on chromatin, the complex of non-genetic material associated with DNA that drives gene expression, and specific regulators that orchestrate chromatin activity. |
| December 23, 2011 |
| The Most Accurate Human Genetic Map to Date |
| A map created using DNA sequence from African-Americans highlights "hot spots" in the genome, which are often linked to disease. |
| July 28, 2011 |
| The newest of the new in gene therapy: 'Tag and target and exchange' |
| The report describes how scientists from Germany combined two techniques involving the use of site-specific recombinases, or enzymes that facilitate the exchange of genetic material between DNA strands, to help guide exactly where new genetic material is inserted into a cell's DNA. |
| November 30, 2011 |
| The tiny genetic tweak that gives mice super strength |
| An inhibitor in your body might be sapping your strength, taking away your endurance, making you feel cold, and giving you diabetes. When scientists eliminated it, they unlocked the key to super strength in both mice and worms. Find out what's in your body that's making you weak. |
| November 11, 2011 |
| The Turn of the Corkscrew: Structural Analysis Uncovers Mechanisms of Gene Expression |
| The diverse functions of living cells are all based on the information encoded in the structure of the hereditary material DNA. Gene expression must therefore be tightly controlled, and this task is accomplished by the binding of regulatory proteins to, and their removal from, specific DNA sequences. One class of large molecular machines known as Swi2/Snf2 remodelers plays a central role in modulating these processes. However, until now, it was not clear how Swi2/Snf2 remodelers actually work. A team led by Professor Karl-Peter Hopfner at the Gene Center at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) in Munich has clarified the structure and function of the remodeler Mot1 (Modifier of Transcription 1), which binds directly to DNA. It turns out that Mot1 acts like a molecular corkscrew that migrates along the DNA, following its helical contour. |
| July 6, 2011 |
| The world's smallest wedding rings |
| Creating artificial structures from DNA is the objective of DNA nanotechnology. This new discipline, which combines biology, physics, chemistry and material science makes use of the ability of the natural DNA-strains' capacity for self assembly. Smileys or small boxes, measuring only 10s of nanometers (10 one-billionths of a meter) were created from DNA in a drop of water. Prof Alexander Heckel and his doctoral student Thorsten Schmidt from the "Cluster of Excellence for Macromolecular Complexes" at Goethe University were able to create two rings of DNA only 18 nanometers in size, and to interlock them like two links in a chain. Such a structure is called catenan, a term derived from the Latin word catena (chain). Schmidt, who got married during the time he was working on the nano-rings, believes that they are probably the world's smallest wedding rings. |
| April 11, 2011 |
| Three periods of innovation in gene regulation occurred during the evolution of vertebrate animals: study |
| Over the past 530 million years, the vertebrate lineage branched out from a primitive jawless fish wriggling through Cambrian seas to encompass all the diverse forms of fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. Now researchers combing through the DNA sequences of vertebrate genomes have identified three distinct periods of evolutionary innovation that accompanied this remarkable diversification. |
| August 18, 2011 |
| Three Waves of Evolutionary Innovation Shaped Diversity of Vertebrates, Genome Analysis Reveals |
| Over the past 530 million years, the vertebrate lineage branched out from a primitive jawless fish wriggling through Cambrian seas to encompass all the diverse forms of fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. Now researchers combing through the DNA sequences of vertebrate genomes have identified three distinct periods of evolutionary innovation that accompanied this remarkable diversification. |
| August 18, 2011 |
| Timothy Syndrome Mutations Provide New Insights Into the Structure of L-Calcium Channel |
| The human genome encodes 243 voltage-gated ion channels. Mutations in calcium channels can cause severe inherited diseases such as migraine, night blindness, autism spectrum disorders and Timothy syndrome, which leads to severe cardiovascular disorders. Katrin Depil and Anna Stary-Weinzinger together with colleagues from the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna analyzed changes in molecular organization of calcium channels caused by Timothy syndrome mutations. Recently, they published their current research results in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. |
| July 14, 2011 |
| Toray introduce a new dimension in microarray sensitivity |
| Toray has today announced the European release of its groundbreaking 3D-Gene™ products, a range of three dimensional DNA chips for use in microarray analysis. The new microarrays utilise several unique features to enhance assay sensitivity, providing the perfect platform for working with low abundance targets such as microRNAs, or troublesome samples such as formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue specimens. |
| March 7, 2011 |
| Transcriptional elongation control takes on new dimensions |
| Life is complicated enough, so you can forgive the pioneers of DNA biology for glossing over transcriptional elongation control by RNA polymerase II, the quick and seemingly bulletproof penultimate step in the process that copies the information encoded in our DNA into protein-making instructions carried by messenger RNA. |
| December 22, 2011 |
| Traumatizing your DNA: Researcher warns that it isn't 'all in the genes' |
| When the Human Genome Project ended a decade ago, scientists thought that they'd closed the lid on all that's to be known about our genes. But what they really did was open a Pandora's Box, says theoretical evolutionary biologist Prof. Eva Jablonka of Tel Aviv University's Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas. |
| March 23, 2011 |
| Twisting molecules by brute force: A top-down approach |
| Molecules that are twisted are ubiquitous in nature, and have important consequences in biology, chemistry, physics and medicine. Some molecules have unique and technologically useful optical properties; the medicinal properties of drugs depend on the direction of the twist; and within us -- think of the double helix -- twisted DNA can interact with different proteins. |
| December 14, 2011 |
| Two Unsuspected Proteins May Hold the Key to Creating Artificial Chromosomes |
| Whitehead Institute scientists report that two proteins, once thought to have only supporting roles, are the true "stars" of the kinetochore assembly process in human cells. |
| April 28, 2011 |
| U |
| UBC Researchers Develop Lab-On-A-Chip for Enhancing Genetic Analysis |
| Researchers at University of British Columbia (UBC) have developed a silicone lab-on-a-chip to enhance genetic analysis and render it to be more rapid, cost-effective, and sensitive by enabling single cells to fit into their respective places similar to balls falling into place in a pinball machine. |
| July 28, 2011 |
| UC Riverside geneticists to study how plants adapt to a changing environment |
| Transposable elements (TEs) -- DNA sequences that move from one location in the genome to another -- are abundant in plants and animals, evolve rapidly and promote the evolution of the genome. What role they play in how plants generate the diversity needed to adapt to a changing climate is the focus of a study at the University of California, Riverside being funded by a nearly $4.8 million five-year National Science Foundation grant. |
| March 23, 2011 |
| UK cops seek boffins to build handheld DNA sniffer kit |
| The National Policing Improvement Agency wants to hear from companies that can supply Blighty's cops with mobile tech that spots DNA. |
| December 2, 2011 |
| UK scientists want human-animal tests monitored |
| British scientists say a new expert body should be formed to regulate experiments mixing animal and human DNA to make sure no medical or ethical boundaries are crossed. |
| July 22, 2011 |
| Understanding the Beginnings of Embryonic Stem Cells Helps Predict the Future |
| Scientists have shown that laboratory-grown cells express a protein called Blimp1, which represses differentiation to somatic or regular tissue cells during germ cell development. Studies of these cells show that they also express other genes associated with early germ cell specification. |
| October 13, 2011 |
| Unlisted ingredients in teas and herbal brews revealed in DNA tests by high school students |
| Take a second look at your iced or steaming tea. Guided by scientific experts, three New York City high school students using tabletop DNA technologies found several herbal brews and a few brands of tea contain ingredients unlisted on the manufacturers' package. |
| July 21, 2011 |
| Universal detector made of DNA building blocks |
| A method for detecting such diverse substances as antibiotics, narcotics and explosives - a universal detector, so to speak - has been developed by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz. The key element of this is an atomic force microscope that can be used to subject individual molecules to a tensile test. The Mainz-based researchers are therefore focussing on aptamers, which are composed of the building blocks of the genetic material DNA. If the substance researched binds to the aptamers, the force at which they tear apart changes. |
| March 29, 2011 |
| Unpicking the grammar of genes |
| The MHC on the short arm of chromosome 6 is the most gene-dense region of our DNA with around 230 genes all crammed into this stretch of our genome. |
| June 17, 2011 |
| Unraveling genomic changes in the brain |
| Scientists have known for some time that individual organisms are far more than the sum of their gene sequences. So-called epigenetic variations encompass a diverse array of chemical modifications to DNA that leave the core nucleotide sequence unchanged, but can nevertheless exert powerful effects on gene expression behavior. |
| August 8, 2011 |
| Using a mathematical model to evaluate microsatellite genotyping from low-quality DNA |
| Noninvasive sampling has been used in studies of endangered animals. It has the advantage of obtaining samples without affecting the target animals. However, the quality of DNA obtained by such methods is often poor and this can affect the reliability of the results. Therefore, how to obtain reliable results from samples obtained noninvasively is of widespread interest. Professor LI Baoguo and Guo Songtao at the Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, set out to tackle this problem. Their work, entitled "Evaluating the reliability of microsatellite genotyping from low-quality DNA templates with a polynomial distribution model", was published in the Chinese Science Bulletin.2011, Vol 56 (24). |
| September 2, 2011 |
| USPTO allows Precision's claims relating to methods of cleaving DNA |
| Precision BioSciences, Inc., a leader in the field of genome engineering, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has issued a Notice of Allowance for U.S. Patent Application 13/245,607 ("the '607 Application"). The allowed claims relate to methods of cleaving a target DNA site in a cell using an engineered meganuclease. These methods are broadly utilized as a part of Precision's DNE genome engineering technology. |
| January 30, 2012 |
| W |
| WaferGen Launches High-Throughput SmartChip Human MicroRNA Panel V2 |
| WaferGen Biosystems, Inc., a leading developer of state-of-the-art genomic analysis systems, today announced the launch of its industry-leading SmartChip Human microRNA Panel V2 for gene expression profiling on the SmartChip Real-Time PCR System. |
| March 28, 2011 |
| Water molecules characterize the structure of DNA genetic material |
| Water molecules surround the genetic material DNA in a very specific way. Scientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) have discovered that, on the one hand, the texture of this hydration shell depends on the water content and, on the other hand, actually influences the structure of the genetic substance itself. These findings are not only important in understanding the biological function of DNA; they could also be used for the construction of new DNA-based materials. |
| April 26, 2011 |
| Weill Institute researchers uncover basic cell pathway |
| Although all cells in an organism have the same DNA, cells function differently based on the genes they express. While most studies of gene expression focus on activities in the cell's nucleus, a new Cornell study finds that processes outside the nucleus -- along the cell membrane -- also play important roles in gene expression. |
| May 24, 2011 |
| What mysterious genetic material ruled the world before DNA and RNA? |
| All living organisms use DNA as the carrier of genetic material and RNA as the messenger molecule directing the expression of genes and creation of proteins. This arrangement has lasted 3.5 billion years. But what came before these life-giving molecules? |
| January 16, 2012 |
| When inflexibility is counterproductive: Mechanism of UV-induced DNA Dewar lesion revealed |
| Excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation of sunlight can result in skin damage and may even induce skin cancers. Irradiation with UV light causes mutations in the DNA, which can interfere with or even inhibit the read-out of genetic information and hence affect the cell function. |
| November 28, 2011 |
| Where no lab has gone before: Single-Molecule Electrokinetic Traps |
| To study the behavior of large protein complexes and long DNA chains in solution, researchers use so-called molecular traps. However, earlier traps have proven ineffective when working with small molecules due to the latter's high diffusion. This limitation was first addressed through single-molecule immobilization techniques such as surface attachment and laser tweezers, but there were drawbacks: the former can disrupt biochemical structures, while the latter require molecules to be attached to large beads. A later trap developed at Stanford University used computer-based image capture and processing to track a single molecule's Brownian motion, which it then cancels by applying variable voltage feedback. Now, however, Harvard University researchers have devised an Anti-Brownian ELectrokinetic (ABEL) trap that couples fluorescence microscopy to real-time electrokinetic feedback to trap any soluble fluorescence-capable molecule up to 800 times less massive than was previously possible. |
| May 25, 2011 |
| Whole-Genome sequencing simulated on supercomputers |
| The Human Genome Project paved the way for genomics, the study of an organism's genome. Personalized genomics can establish the relationship between DNA sequence variations among individuals and their health conditions and responses to drugs and treatments. To make genome sequencing a routine procedure, however, the time must be reduced to less than a day and the cost to less than $1,000 -- a feat not possible with current knowledge and technologies. |
| February 25, 2011 |
| Why There Won't Be A DNA Sequencing Land Grab |
| Let's just deal with this quickly. Immediately after Roche made its $5.7 hostile bid for Illumina, Forbes contributor David Shaywitz asked via tweet if, as has happened with companies making hepatitis C drugs, there might be a land grab for other DNA sequencing firms. This morning, Bloomberg breathlessly opined that those big deals were on the way. |
| January 27, 2012 |
| World Record for DNA Analysis |
| Up to today, researchers have been limited to running just a few DNA samples at a time, at a cost of SEK 100,000 per run. Now researchers at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm have hit upon a new method that allows 5,000 samples to be run at the same time and at the same price. This cuts the cost per sample result considerably and constitutes a world record for the number of tests run in a single DNA sequencing analysis. |
| March 8, 2011 |
| World's first 3D plasmon ruler: Taking the 3-D measure of macromolecules |
| The world's first three-dimensional plasmon rulers, capable of measuring nanometer-scale spatial changes in macrmolecular systems, have been developed by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), in collaboration with researchers at the University of Stuttgart, Germany. These 3D plasmon rulers could provide scientists with unprecedented details on such critical dynamic events in biology as the interaction of DNA with enzymes, the folding of proteins, the motion of peptides or the vibrations of cell membranes. |
| June 16, 2011 |
| V |
| Va-based food distributor using DNA to track beef |
| First came organic, then free-range, then local. Now discerning diners with a penchant for spending a premium to know where food comes from are pushing DNA-traceable meat onto restaurant menus. |
| May 25, 2011 |
| Video game players advancing genetic research |
| Thousands of video game players have helped significantly advance our understanding of the genetic basis of diseases such as Alzheimer's, diabetes and cancer over the past year. |
| December 6, 2011 |
| Y |
| Your Living Conditions as a Child May Be Detectable In Your DNA for Life |
| Findings published today in the International Journal of Epidemiology suggest that he may have been correct--socio-economic status and living standards early in life may actually cause changes to your DNA that you carry with you for life, regardless of how your living conditions change along the way. |
| October 27, 2011 |