Copyright 2008 Medical News Today Latest Genetics News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/genetics/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Fri, 09 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106919.php Researchers at the OU Cancer Institute have identified a new gene that causes cancer. The ground-breaking research appears Monday in Nature's cancer journal Oncogene.The gene and its protein, both called RBM3, are vital for cell division in normal cells. In cancers, low oxygen levels in the tumors cause the amount of this protein to go up dramatically. This causes cancer cells to divide uncontrollably, leading to increased tumor formation. Fri, 09 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106911.php A new study shows how genes control levels of many blood proteins implicated in disease. The findings are the result of an international collaboration between scientists at the University of Exeter, the National Institute on Aging, and the Tuscany and Florence Health Agencies. Details, published May 9th in the open-access journal Fri, 09 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106903.php When most people discover mold on their bread, they immediately throw it out. Others see a world of possibilities in the tiny fungus. A University of Missouri scientist, along with a collaborative research team, has examined a new mechanism in the reproductive cycle of a certain species of mold. This mechanism protects the organism from genetic abnormalities by "silencing" unmatched genes during meiosis (sexual reproduction). Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106792.php St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators have found that an electrically powered amplification mechanism in the cochlea of the ear is critical to the acute hearing of humans and other mammals. The findings will enable better understanding of how hearing loss can result from malfunction of this amplification machinery due to genetic mutation or overdose of drugs such as aspirin. Thu, 08 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106769.php Beauty is an advert for good genes, reports The Daily Telegraph. It says that "research conducted across cultures and species", has found that not only are symmetrical faces regarded as being more attractive, but that they also may indicate good genes, health and long life. The newspaper story is based on research which investigated whether facial symmetry is linked to how feminine or masculine a face is considered to be. Thu, 08 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106757.php Using ingenious molecular espionage, scientists have found how a single key enzyme, seemingly the Swiss army knife in HIV's toolbox, differentiates and dynamically binds both DNA and RNA as part of the virus' fierce attack on host cells. The work is described this week in the journal Nature.The enzyme, reverse transcriptase (RT), is already the target of two of the three major classes of existing anti-HIV drugs. Thu, 08 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106756.php The relationship between two genes that work in synergy to form the testicles has been uncovered by scientists working at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research. The discovery sheds light on how just a single gene difference between XX (female) and XY (male) embryos is amplified, eventually generating the dramatic differences in anatomy, physiology and behaviour between the sexes. The study results are published online in Nature. Thu, 08 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106751.php By surveying the activity of thousands of genes at several different time points, researchers at the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy have uncovered new evidence that a network of influential genes act as a kind of genetic tag team to orchestrate one of the most fundamental aspects of all life: the cell cycle. Thu, 08 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106741.php Dr. Eric Fombonne, from the Research Institute of the MUHC at the Montreal Children's Hospital, is involved in a multi-site consortium to gather DNA samples from 2,000 autism patients and their families over the next three years.The Simons Simplex Collection (SSC) is a coordinated effort to create a database of genetic and behavioral information about cases where there is only one family member with autism. Thu, 08 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106724.php How many genes are in the human genome? Which genes are commonly associated with genetic diseases? How many mobile elements, simple sequence repeats, or protein kinases are encoded by the genome? What are the largest genes and proteins? How similar are human proteins to those of mouse, yeast, or bacteria? A new handbook, A Short Guide to the Human Genome, answers these and other commonly asked questions. Thu, 08 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106664.php Retinas in newborn mice appear perfectly fine without any help from tiny bits of genetic material called microRNAs except for one thing - the retinas do not work. Thu, 08 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106662.php Lev Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCBB: LEVP.OB) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review Lev's complete response submission for Cinryze™ (C1 inhibitor), the Company's lead product candidate. Lev is seeking marketing approval for Cinryze™ for both the acute and prophylactic treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE), also known as C1 inhibitor deficiency. Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106682.php Sigma-Aldrich(TM) (Nasdaq: SIAL) and the second phase of The RNAi Consortium (TRC2) have commenced functional validation of the Consortium's collection of approximately 160,000 previously-cloned lentiviral-based shRNA vector constructs. Currently, more than 5,000 clones have been tested in the functional validation process. Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106639.php A study published in the open-access journal PLoS Onedemonstrates how environment affected the genes in brains of suicidevictims. The researchers, led by Moshe Szyfa (Department ofPharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal,Quebec), found real differences between brains of men who committedsuicide and the brains of men who did not. Wed, 07 May 2008 09:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106652.php Today, the EU Commission held a debate on the biotech crop approval process in Europe and sent out a disappointing signal when it agreed to send back three cultivation dossiers which had been positively assessed. Europe is already lagging behind worldwide competition when it comes to biotech crops: more than 40 products are awaiting EU approval. Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106623.php The genome of a newly-emerging superbug, commonly known as Steno, has just been sequenced. The results reveal an organism with a remarkable capacity for drug resistance. The research was carried out by scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute near Cambridge and the University of Bristol.Understanding the genome of this bacterium will help researchers discover how to deal with this particularly resistant organism. The paper will be published in Genome Biology. Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106613.php The Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) and Xstrata Coal have announce a significant research partnership which will improve the care of people with asthma in the Hunter and beyond.Xstrata Coal has committed $300,000 to HMRI for a three-year study to investigate a newly recognised type of asthma which accounts for 50 per cent of asthma cases. Wed, 07 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106594.php Humans and fruitflies - those pesky little creatures that are irresistibly attracted to overripe fruit - share more than a sweet tooth. Both rely on the same insulin-regulated molecular pathway to maintain their energy balance when starved for food, reports a team of researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106551.php The developing nervous system makes far more nerve cells than are needed to ensure target organs and tissues are properly connected to the nervous system. As nerves connect to target organs, they somehow compete with each other resulting in some living and some dying. Tue, 06 May 2008 17:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106549.php Researchers from Vanderbilt University have found that geneticvariation in mitochondrial DNA can affect a person's risk of developingage-related macular degeneration (AMD). The results of this first studythat analyzes the relationship between AMD and changes in themitochondrial genome are published in the open-access journal PLoSONE. Tue, 06 May 2008 11:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106380.php Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, examines the House's approval of genetic nondiscrimination legislation, debate over a measure to place a moratorium on proposed Medicaid regulations by the Bush administration and House-passed legislation concerning veterans' substance abuse treatment in this week's " Tue, 06 May 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106471.php Whole-organ maps that superimpose genetic information over the terrain of cancerous bladders chart the molecular journey from normal cell to invasive cancer, an international research team led by scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports online at the journal Laboratory Investigation, a member of the Nature Publishing Group. Tue, 06 May 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106462.php The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) has announced the establishment of the Frieda G. and Saul F. Shapira BRCA Cancer Research Program. BRCA 1 and 2 are two genes that, when mutated, dramatically increase the risk of breast, prostate, ovarian and pancreatic cancers."I am excited about the addition of this research program to UPCI," said Ronald Herberman, M.D., director of UPCI and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Cancer Centers. Tue, 06 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106429.php New advances in reproductive technology have pushed medical diagnostics to both theoretical and practical limits, according to Mark Hughes, MD, PhD, director of Genesis Genetics Institute in Detroit and director of the Applied Genomics Technology Center of Michigan, who spoke at the opening session of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' (ACOG) 56th Annual Clinical Meeting. Tue, 06 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106414.php * The search for genes associated with alcohol dependence (AD) has recently been extended to the tachykinin receptor 3 gene (TACR3), located within a broad region on chromosome 4q. * Researchers have found that seven of the nine single nucleotide polymorphisms - DNA sequence variations - in the 3' region of TACR3 have a significant association with AD as well as cocaine dependence.