Clipmarks | pokkets's 'gene' clips

'Old-boy's club holding back innovation

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 08:42:24 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: We all now have access to a vast amount of research and data on the net. a Few people would have absolutely no hope, but the networks being created on the web, are places where anyone can comment, or include findings, so the pieces can start coming together more quickly. It isn't what we know that is important. it's what we do with the knowledge

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Anna Salleh

Science needs to break free of its power-brokers and embrace a participatory web-based culture to boost innovation, says one expert.

John Wilbanks, of Science Commons - a project of Creative Commons - says the plethora of machine-generated data, that characterises today's scientific activity, needs the power of open networks to make sense of it properly.

"The value of any individual piece of knowledge is about the value of any individual piece of lego," Wilbanks said in a keynote address to the Open Access and Research Conference held in Brisbane last week.

"It's not that much until you put it together with other legos."

He says the ability to connect knowledge brings scientific revolutions. For example Watson and Crick's breakthrough on the structure of DNA involved them reading all the scientific papers on nucleotide bonding and encoding it in the form of a physical model, says Wilbanks.

"For example, we have 45,000 papers about one protein or one gene," says Wilbanks.

Eighty million years without sex

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 15:02:04 GMT

clipped by: invictus

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Asexual organisms are usually short-lived

The mystery of how an animal has survived for 80 million years without sex has been solved by UK scientists.

A Cambridge team says the creature owes its existence to a genetic quirk that offers some recompense for its prolonged celibacy.

Many asexual organisms have died out because they cannot adapt to changes in the natural world.

But an evolutionary trick allows this pond-dweller to survive when conditions change, researchers report in Science.

There could be some benefit to millions of years without sex after all

Dr Alan Tunnacliffe, University of Cambridge

The animal is a tiny invertebrate known as a bdelloid rotifer. It lives in freshwater pools. If deprived of water, it survives in a desiccated state until water becomes available again.

The secret to this novel survival mechanism lies in a twist of asexual reproduction, whereby the animal is able to make two separate proteins from two different copies of a key gene.

Tags: biology, genetics, sex, science

Researchers regrow crucial inner ear cells

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:14:40 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: One of the most common causes of hearing loss, is constant exposure to loud noise, which can literally snap the hairs off the base. The more exposure, the more hairs snap off, and of course now we are beginning to see the effects of the 'ipod syndrome' where the volume is maxed out. Like standing next to speakers that are turned up to 11. (You might need to know about the band Spinal Tap)
There is no doubt that prevention is better than cure, but some people wont listen. Until they reach the point where they can't listen.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

US researchers have used gene therapy to regrow the tiny hairs in the inner ear of mice, which they say might lead to new ways of restoring hearing loss in humans.

Dr John Brigande and colleagues at Oregon Health and Science University report their findings in today's issue of Nature.

Sensory hair cells inside the cochlea, the auditory portion of the inner ear, convert sound waves into electrical impulses that are delivered to the brain.

The loss of these minute hairs, or the nerves that control them, is the most common cause of hearing impairment and so-called nerve deafness.

In most cases, damaged hair cells do not regrow in mature humans.

"Our work shows that it is possible to produce functional auditory hair cells in the mammalian cochlea.

it remains to be determined whether gene transfer into a deaf mouse will lead to the production of healthy cells that enable hearing

we have made an important step toward defining an approach that may lead to therapeutic intervention for hearing loss."

Gene test could 'prevent' heart disease

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:11:43 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: I believe genetic testing should be an option, not a requirement. That may be a good principle for adults, but the call is for testing to be done on 'at risk' children under 10. I'd be surprised if they could find anyone in the world that wasn't subject to some genetic risk or another. Still, a DNA Database is as good as a chip, or an ID card, and much better than a finger print...but I'm a cynic..or perhaps an optimist with experience.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Anna Salleh

News analysis Australian health authorities could prevent costly heart disease cases with a nationwide genetic screening program, suggest some experts.

To what extent will knowing our genetic predisposition to preventable diseases change our behaviour?

But others caution safeguards are needed, and such tests may not be the quick fix for heart disease.

Three Australian experts this week called for more support to screen families with familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) - a defective gene that prevents liver cells from taking up cholesterol from the blood.

UK authorities may soon recommend at-risk children under the age of 10 years be screened for the FH gene.

"[The UK proposals] represent an approach we would like to see in Australia," says Dr David Sullivan, president of the Australian Atherosclerosis Society, who spoke at a forum organised by the Australian Science Media Centre

a genetic test could help identify FH early so people could take action to prevent heart disease

Scientists identify childhood cancer gene

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 09:19:41 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: They are beginning to find genes that are believed to be involved in a number of types of cancer. The study of these genes may not only tell us how they work, but why they are there, and how they are related to some essential, and regular metabolic functions, what exactly can turn a regular/benign cell cancerous, so potential sufferers can be Identified early.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Researchers in the US have identified the gene mutation that may be the cause of a deadly form of childhood cancer, opening the way to genetic tests for high-risk families.

The same wayward gene has been previously linked to lymphoma and lung cancer in adults, so afflicted children could benefit from experimental drugs designed to suppress its activity, according to the study which appears in Nature.

"This very important discovery not only helps us understand the genetic roots of this terrible disease, but also has led to dramatically new ideas for curative therapy," says lead researcher Dr John Maris, head of the Center for Childhood Cancer Research at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Neuroblastoma attacks the nervous system. While fairly rare, it accounts for 7% of all childhood cancers, and 15% of non-adult cancer deaths

Because there are already drugs in development that target the same gene in adult cancers, we can soon begin testing those drugs in children with neuroblastoma

'Flexi-bee' could pre-empt varroa mite.

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:22:35 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: Of course there is the honey, but there is also the critical role bees play in pollination, particularly crop fertilization. The loss of honey bee populations has the potential to have a devastating effect in many crops that at the moment we take for granted.
There are two suggestions. One is to prevent the mite laying by altering a chemical released by the bees. The other disrupts the life cycle of the mite. It doesn't have to be either/or, both approaches need to be tried, in addition to further suggestions.
The main thing we have to worry about taking into account our record of 'fixing' problems in nature (we don't seem to be that good at it)
Is that our efforts don't further endanger the bee populations
At the moment however, if we do nothing we will lose the bees.
There is the possibility, that bees will develop their own resistance to the mite naturally. Selective breeding may be an option.
I would be more inclined to listen to a beekeeper than a geneticist,.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Anna Salleh

A honey bee with a varroa mite on its back - the mites cause death and disease in bee colonies

Dr Max Whitten

at CSIRO, says Australia is expected any day to succumb to the varroa mite, which is implicated in the devastating Colony Collapse Disorder that has decimated US hives.

Varroa sucks the "blood" of the bee and makes it more susceptible to disease.

He says we should engineer a bee, which has a gene for resistance to varroa

The concept is to take a gene whose product will prevent the mite from completing its life cycle

some bees, even those of the same species

are naturally resistant to varroa

Professor Ben Oldroyd from the University of Sydney says

it relies on the unlikely situation in which resistance relies on a single gene.

it might be better to do this a different way

scientsts believe that the varroa mite lays eggs on bees in response to a chemical signal from the bees.

it would be useful to identify this chemical signal and then knock out the gene responsible for it.

Pill may put women off 'Mr Right's' scent

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 05:22:58 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: In the last few years there have been great discoveries regarding the role of scent or pheromones, in sexual or physical attraction. We are only just beginning to learn how important they are.
They recorded a difference in preferences, but the preferences tested were limited to genetic potential. They can't be sure how this factor extends to other elements of a relationship.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Contraceptive pills may disrupt women's innate ability to sniff out a genetically compatible partner, say UK researchers.

A team led by Dr Craig Roberts at the University of Newcastle reports its findings online ahead of print publication in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Previous studies suggest that women are instinctively attracted, via their sense of smell, to men who have a dissimilar genetic makeup.

This is possibly because an overly similar gene profile can result in difficulty trying to conceive a child, an increased risk of miscarriage and a weaker immune system.

"The results showed that the preferences of women who began using the contraceptive pill shifted toward men with genetically similar odours," says Roberts.

they are not sure if the change in preference related to pill use is sufficiently strong to influence partner choice.

But,

their findings suggest the pill could induce women to pick 'Mr Wrong'.

Expert concerned by DIY genetic tests

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 01:28:12 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: While DIY gene tests may have their place, often they can only highlight a factor, or give a likelihood rather than a certainty. I would think they would also tend to be used by people who expected to find problems. It being hard for their view of the results to be either objective, or subject to comparison with other possibilities and cases.
I have trouble imagining a better test than family history, and the fact remains, that despite any number of tests our genes wont change.(Yet?)
An interesting thing I heard which is somewhat related particularly with the statistics regarding the likelihood of cancer from any number of sources, is that by the age of 85 50% of people will have had some form of cancer. (One of the side effects of living for another generation.) I can't be sure of the accuracy of the figure, but it makes me feel more comfortable about smoking. At least if I'm going to get cancer, I can get it doing something I enjoy.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Alex Wilde

In an age where people are increasingly encouraged to take more responsibility for their health, some professionals are becoming increasingly concerned about the proliferation of do-it-yourself genetic tests.

In recent years, the rapid growth of start-up biotech companies has seen more than 1000 DNA tests marketed directly to the public - many via the Internet.

For between US$400 and US$1000 it is possible to choose from an array of genetic tests that vendors claim will provide information about diet, lifestyle or propensity for waxy ears, through to predisposition to conditions such as cancer, heart disease or mental illness - without needing to see a doctor.

HGAC Chair Professor Ron Trent of the University of Sydney warns that genetic tests are extremely hard to interpret and if they are obtained by bypassing the medical system, they could do more harm than good.

"Often you need someone, a professional, to really sit there with you and explain to you what the test results mean,

New gene clues to schziphrenia risk

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 05:38:47 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: Schizophrenics have the best dreams, and the worst nightmares.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Three large studies have unveiled flaws in several chromosomes that highlight an inherited vulnerability to schizophrenia.

The study looked at the DNA of thousands of people with and without schizophrenia

Although some describe this as a milestone in the development of genetic tests for the condition, others say the main contribution of the findings will be towards developing new treatments.

Among people with schizophrenia, certain genetic mutations are more common in key locations of the genetic code compared to otherwise healthy counterparts, according to three studies published online today ahead of print publication in the journal Nature.

The studies examined the genomes of thousands of people with schizophrenia and a large number of "controls" for comparison.

Scientists have long suspected that genes play a far more important role in the disease than environmental factors.

They also confirmed earlier work that pointed the finger at an area on Chromosome 22.

Malaria resistance gene ups HIV risk

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:46:01 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: More than two thirds of the world's 33 million people infected with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa
This variant may help explain why.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Will Dunham

A gene variant that emerged thousands of years ago to protect Africans from malaria may raise their vulnerability to HIV infection, but help them live longer once infected, researchers say.

People with the version of the gene have a 40% higher risk of becoming infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) write US and British researchers in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.

In Africa, the gene variant may account for 11% of HIV infections

Sexual behaviour and other social factors cannot completely explain why more than two-thirds of the world's 33 million people infected with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa

So genes may be playing a pivotal role.

The gene in question controls a protein on the surface of red blood cells.

even as it elevates a person's susceptibility to HIV infection, having this version of the gene seems to slow the progression of AIDS. Those with the variant who have been infected with HIV live roughly two years longer than people who do not have it

Gene Editing Could Make Anyone Immune to AIDS

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:31:20 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: blog.wired.com

Some people have a mutation that makes them amazingly resistant to HIV -- and now, scientists may have found a way to give that immunity to anyone.

Viruses enter cells and take them over, but to get inside, they need a handhold. HIV pulls itself in by grabbing onto a protein called CCR5, which decorates the surface of T-cells, which are one of the two major types of white blood cells and play an important role in helping the body fight infections. Back in the 1990's, researchers took interest in a handful of promiscuous gay men who were able to engage in sexual relations with their HIV-positive partners with impunity. Most of them had a mutation that kept their cells from producing normal CCR5 protein.

Armed with that knowledge, scientists have developed several tactics to block the production of CCR5 or perturb its shape so that the HIV virus can't grab onto it during the first step of its hijacking attempt

Tags: dna, hiv, immunity, viruses

Zebra's Stripes, Butterfly's Wings: How Do Biological Patterns Emerge?

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 17:08:30 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: Previous work identified a specific signal necessary for getting these fly egg cells to move; the problem is that this signal is “graded.” Like drops of ink spreading out on wet paper, this signal travels in between surrounding cells, gradually fading away as it moves outwards. But clear lines are required for pattern formation — there is no grey area between a zebra’s black and white stripes, between heart and liver cells and, in this case, between migrating cells and those that stay put.

How are graded signals converted to a clear move or stay signal? By examining flies containing mutations in different genes, the researchers discovered that one gene in particular, called apontic, is important for converting a graded signal.

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

A zebra’s stripes, a seashell’s spirals, a butterfly’s wings: these are all examples of patterns in nature.

The formation of patterns is a puzzle for mathematicians and biologists alike.

How does the delicate design of a butterfly’s wings come from a single fertilized egg?

How does pattern emerge out of no pattern?

“Pattern formation is a classic problem in embryology,” says Denise Montell, Ph.D., a professor of biological chemistry at Hopkins. “At some point, cells in an embryo must separate into those that will become heart cells, liver cells, blood cells and so on. Although this has been studied for years, there is still a lot we don’t understand.”

As an example of pattern formation, the researchers studied the process of how about six cells in the fruit fly distinguish themselves from neighboring cells and move from one location in the ovary to another during egg development.

Tags: biology, development, embryology, biological patterns

In the Art of a DNA Graph, the Colors of Uniqueness

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:37:07 GMT

clipped by: einbar

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

In the Art of a DNA Graph, the Colors of Uniqueness

Being biologists and doctors, red is our blood, red is our fluid

All people have in common more than 99 percent of our gene sequences. Yet the type of sequence variation portrayed here, caused by a single altered nucleotide, accounts for most of the genetic differences among humans.

The colors show the DNA type inherited from a father, mother or both parents. Red signals a “genetic mosaic” of the parents, with different sequence variants from each. Black and white rectangles show that a person inherited the same sequence variant from both parents.

“We wanted to synthesize variability into a clear pattern,” said Dr. Ruaño, who is president of Genomas Inc., which is developing genomics-based tools for diagnosis and drug prescription. “The eye is the most important pattern recognition instrument that humans have.”

Spink gene reveals prostate cancer

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:45:42 GMT

clipped by: pokkets

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Researchers believe they have found a compound produced by aggressive prostate tumours that could be used to develop a new urine test.

Scott Tomlins and colleagues at the University of Michigan Health System, published their finding in the journal Cancer Cell.

The finding could also help doctors know which patients need the most careful monitoring after surgery or radiation therapy to destroy the tumour.

The researchers looked at 1800 different prostate tumours to try to identify the unique signature of an aggressive type of prostate cancer, which is found in about 10% of cases.

They found that a gene called serine peptidase inhibitor, Kazal type 1 (SPINK1) was over-expressed, or overactive, in about 44% of cases of prostate cancer.

Tumours come back after surgery in somewhere between 25% and 40% of men, they said.

The presence of SPINK1 in urine could lead to the development of a urine test to detect prostate tumours.

Queen bees took time to play the field

Fri, 30 May 2008 03:01:01 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: They suggest that while worker bees are sterile, and cannot breed themselves, helping the queen allows their genes to be passed on, while at the queen having multiple partners can widen the gene pool.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Anna Salleh

Queen bees only became polygamous once they were confident - evolutionarily speaking - that their offspring would be taken care of by the hive, say UK and Australian researchers.

Polygamous honey bee queens, like the one shown in the middle here, are a relatively recent evolutionary development

Behavioural ecologist Associate Professor Madeleine Beekman of the University of Sydney and colleagues report their findings today's issue of the journal Science.

The researchers compared the mating behaviour of 267 species of bees, wasps and ants that live together in highly co-operative societies.

They found that in older species, females were always monogamous and that species with polygamous females, such queen honey bees, evolved relatively recently.

The findings add weight to one explanation for a long-standing evolutionary paradox - why do some individuals of a species altruistically look after someone else's offspring?