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human genome

Where the fat’s at

In real estate, location is everything. The same might be said of lipids — those crucial cellular fats and oils that serve as building blocks for cells and as key energy sources for the body.
In a paper published in the September issue of…

DNA folding, protein activities much more complex than expected

New molecular technologies are exposing unexpectedly high levels of DNA folding and complex protein-rich assemblages within the nucleus of cells that researchers say seriously challenge the textbook models. “What we are seeing suggests that there may be machinery, not yet identified, that controls the folding and the movements of enzymes that turn genes on and off,” noted one expert at the recent meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Gene targeting technique extended to stem cells

The technique that helped revolutionize modern biology by making the mouse a crucible of genetic manipulation and a window to human disease has been extended to human embryonic stem (ES) cells. In a study published today (Feb. 10) in the online editions of the journal Nature Biotechnology, a team of scientists from UW-Madison reports that it has developed methods for recombining segments of DNA within stem cells.

Scientists find first active ‘jumping genes’ in rice

Researchers studying rice genomes have identified the species’ first active DNA transposons, or “jumping genes.” The scientists also discovered the first active “miniature inverted-repeat transposable element,” or “MITE,” of any organism. Rice (Oryza sativa), an important food crop worldwide, has the smallest genome size of all cereals at 430 million base pairs of DNA. About 40 percent of the rice genome comprises repetitive DNA that does not code for proteins and thus has no obvious function for the plant. Much of this repetitive sequence appears to be transposons similar to MITEs. But like most genomes studied to date, including the human genome, the function of this highly repeated so-called “junk DNA” has been a mystery. The discovery of active transposons in rice provides startling new insights into how genomes change and what role transposons may play in the process.

European scholars support altering human gene line

An international conference of European scholars and scientists, with funding from the government of Flanders, goes on record supporting research leading toward safe and effective human germ line genetic modification, saying that it does not violate human rights, including any “so-called right to be born with a human genome that has not been modified by artificial means.”

Gene linked to depression in women

Researchers in Pittsburgh have made significant progress in identifying the first susceptibility gene for clinical depression, the second leading cause of disability worldwide, providing an important step toward changing the way doctors diagnose and treat major depression that affects nearly 10 percent of the population. Research results show significant evidence for linkage of unipolar mood disorders to a specific region of chromosome 2q33-35 in women.

Geneticists Find Location of Major Gene in ADHD; Also Linked to Autism

Researchers in Los Angeles have localized a region on chromosome 16 that is likely to contain a risk gene for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, the most prevalent childhood-onset psychiatric disorder. The scientists say their finding suggest that the suspected risk gene may contribute as much as 30 percent of the underlying genetic cause of ADHD and may also be involved in a separate childhood onset disorder, autism.