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Genome Engineering
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- February 14, 2012
- 06:00 AM
- 416 views
The fly: A genomics Rosetta stone?
by Suzanne Elvidge in Genome Engineering
Fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) have long been part of the genomics researcher’s toolbox – the basic genetic systems in a fruit fly are common to all organisms, it is small, breeds quickly and its genetics are well known. The Freeze 1.0 release of the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP) will provide a new level of information for genomics researchers – this genotype-phenotype resource contains the genome structure and variation in a population of 192 fruit flies wit........ Read more »
Mackay, T., Richards, S., Stone, E., Barbadilla, A., Ayroles, J., Zhu, D., Casillas, S., Han, Y., Magwire, M., Cridland, J.... (2012) The Drosophila melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel. Nature, 482(7384), 173-178. DOI: 10.1038/nature10811
- February 6, 2012
- 06:00 AM
- 507 views
Chemotherapy consequences for mouse genomes
by Suzanne Elvidge in Genome Engineering
Cancer is serious, and needs seriously effective drugs, but some cancer chemotherapies can cause genetic changes that can be passed on to the next generation. However, according to some research published in PNAS, it’s also possible that this next generation may end up with unstable DNA that is prone to even more mutations long after treatment, which is worrying for children of people who have survived cancer.... Read more »
Glen, C., & Dubrova, Y. (2012) Exposure to anticancer drugs can result in transgenerational genomic instability in mice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1119396109
- February 3, 2012
- 02:05 AM
- 734 views
A gene for trauma
by Suzanne Elvidge in Genome Engineering
Why do some people go through some really traumatic experiences and emerge unscathed, and others end up traumatised? It might be down to coping strategies, but genes might influence it too, according to research from Rutgers University.... Read more »
Martel, G., Hevi, C., Wong, A., Zushida, K., Uchida, S., & Shumyatsky, G. (2012) Murine GRPR and Stathmin Control in Opposite Directions both Cued Fear Extinction and Neural Activities of the Amygdala and Prefrontal Cortex. PLoS ONE, 7(2). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030942
- January 30, 2012
- 02:05 AM
- 820 views
Mutations linked to aggressive childhood brain tumours
by Suzanne Elvidge in Genome Engineering
Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a rare and lethal childhood brain cancer, and researchers taking part in the Pediatric Cancer Genome Project (PCGP) have found a link with a gene not previously connected with cancer, in a paper published in Nature Genetics.... Read more »
Wu, G., Broniscer, A., McEachron, T., Lu, C., Paugh, B., Becksfort, J., Qu, C., Ding, L., Huether, R., Parker, M.... (2012) Somatic histone H3 alterations in pediatric diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas and non-brainstem glioblastomas. Nature Genetics. DOI: 10.1038/ng.1102
- January 27, 2012
- 02:02 AM
- 664 views
Genes and criminality
by Suzanne Elvidge in Genome Engineering
We’ve heard that there might be a link between genes and creativity and genes and psychopathy – might there also be a link between genes and criminality?... Read more »
BARNES, J., BEAVER, K., & BOUTWELL, B. (2011) EXAMINING THE GENETIC UNDERPINNINGS TO MOFFITT'S DEVELOPMENTAL TAXONOMY: A BEHAVIORAL GENETIC ANALYSIS*. Criminology, 49(4), 923-954. DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-9125.2011.00243.x
- January 24, 2012
- 06:00 AM
- 702 views
The link between creativity and mental illness
by Suzanne Elvidge in Genome Engineering
Vincent van Gogh, Virginia Woolf, Linda Hamilton and Ludwig van Beethoven all had (or may have had) bipolar disorder. Eugene O’Neill suffered from depression, as did Brooke Shields after the birth of her baby. The link between creativity and mental illness has long been reported on an anecdotal basis, and a study reported in the British Journal of Psychiatry does seem to support this connection.... Read more »
Kyaga, S., Lichtenstein, P., Boman, M., Hultman, C., Langstrom, N., & Landen, M. (2011) Creativity and mental disorder: family study of 300 000 people with severe mental disorder. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 199(5), 373-379. DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.110.085316
- January 23, 2012
- 06:00 AM
- 567 views
Biofuels from the sea
by Suzanne Elvidge in Genome Engineering
Biofuels have been controversial – they use land, water, fertiliser and other resources that could better be used in growing food. So what’s the solution – perhaps farmed seaweed and a genetically engineered bacterium?... Read more »
Wargacki, A., Leonard, E., Win, M., Regitsky, D., Santos, C., Kim, P., Cooper, S., Raisner, R., Herman, A., Sivitz, A.... (2012) An Engineered Microbial Platform for Direct Biofuel Production from Brown Macroalgae. Science, 335(6066), 308-313. DOI: 10.1126/science.1214547
- January 20, 2012
- 06:00 AM
- 600 views
Giving up smoking might be in your genes – but do you want to be tested?
by Suzanne Elvidge in Genome Engineering
It’s still January and it’s the time of year for resolutions and fresh starts. For some, it’s giving up smoking – but will your genetics affect how easy (or hard) it is?... Read more »
Quaak, M., Smerecnik, C., van Schooten, F., de Vries, H., & van Schayck, C. (2012) Knowledge, attitudes and preferences regarding genetic testing for smoking cessation. A cross-sectional survey among Dutch smokers. BMJ Open, 2(1). DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2011-000321
- January 17, 2012
- 06:00 AM
- 751 views
Extinct isn’t always extinct – the giant tortoise still lives
by Suzanne Elvidge in Genome Engineering
Chelonoidis elephantopus, one of the species of Galápagos tortoises that helped Charles Darwin chisel out his theory of evolution, was thought to have become extinct not long after Charles Darwin’s 1835 voyage to the Galápagos Islands. But according to genetic research published in Current Biology, it may live on.... Read more »
Garrick, R., Benavides, E., Russello, M., Gibbs, J., Poulakakis, N., Dion, K., Hyseni, C., Kajdacsi, B., Márquez, L., Bahan, S.... (2012) Genetic rediscovery of an ‘extinct’ Galápagos giant tortoise species. Current Biology, 22(1). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2011.12.004
- January 16, 2012
- 01:11 PM
- 773 views
A single gene and a single base behind infant epilepsy
by Suzanne Elvidge in Genome Engineering
Benign familial infantile epilepsy (BFIE) is a rare form of epilepsy that runs in families, and Australian researchers have found that a change to a single base in a single gene may be behind this disorder.... Read more »
Heron, S., Grinton, B., Kivity, S., Afawi, Z., Zuberi, S., Hughes, J., Pridmore, C., Hodgson, B., Iona, X., Sadleir, L.... (2012) PRRT2 Mutations Cause Benign Familial Infantile Epilepsy and Infantile Convulsions with Choreoathetosis Syndrome. The American Journal of Human Genetics, 90(1), 152-160. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2011.12.003
Chen, W., Lin, Y., Xiong, Z., Wei, W., Ni, W., Tan, G., Guo, S., He, J., Chen, Y., Zhang, Q.... (2011) Exome sequencing identifies truncating mutations in PRRT2 that cause paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia. Nature Genetics, 43(12), 1252-1255. DOI: 10.1038/ng.1008
- January 13, 2012
- 06:00 AM
- 686 views
First prostate cancer mutation
by Suzanne Elvidge in Genome Engineering
Prostate cancer usually is seen in men over 50, and is slow-growing and often symptom-free. However, the form that runs in families can start earlier, and researchers believe that they might have found the mutation behind this, the first major mutation associated with prostate cancer.... Read more »
Ewing, C., Ray, A., Lange, E., Zuhlke, K., Robbins, C., Tembe, W., Wiley, K., Isaacs, S., Johng, D., Wang, Y.... (2012) Germline Mutations in HOXB13 and Prostate-Cancer Risk . New England Journal of Medicine, 366(2), 141-149. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1110000
- January 9, 2012
- 06:00 AM
- 683 views
Supercentenarian genomes give a few clues to extreme human longevity
by Suzanne Elvidge in Genome Engineering
Around one in five million people in the developed world live to be more than 110, known as supercentenarians, and there appears to be a genetic link to their survival. In research published in Frontiers in Genetics, researchers from Boston University Schools of Public Health and Medicine and Boston Medical Center have sequenced the genome of two supercentarians aged more than 114 years.... Read more »
Sebastiani, P., Riva, A., Montano, M., Pham, P., Torkamani, A., Scherba, E., Benson, G., Milton, J., Baldwin, C., Andersen, S.... (2012) Whole Genome Sequences of a Male and Female Supercentenarian, Ages Greater than 114 Years. Frontiers in Genetics. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2011.00090
- January 5, 2012
- 06:00 AM
- 778 views
Doing what a spider can: Engineering silkworms
by Suzanne Elvidge in Genome Engineering
Spider-Man was able to spin silk after being bitten by a radioactive spider. Now silkworms can spin spider silk after being engineered to carry genes coding for spider silk proteins.... Read more »
Teule, F., Miao, Y., Sohn, B., Kim, Y., Hull, J., Fraser, M., Lewis, R., & Jarvis, D. (2012) Silkworms transformed with chimeric silkworm/spider silk genes spin composite silk fibers with improved mechanical properties. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1109420109
- December 28, 2011
- 06:00 AM
- 689 views
First three-dimensional map of the human genome
by Suzanne Elvidge in Genome Engineering
Researchers at the University of California have created the first three-dimensional map of the human genome. The team at USC describes the genomic DNA strand as being ‘so long that if a nucleus were the size of a soccer ball, the strand of DNA inside it could be unraveled to stretch more than 30 miles long.’ The research was published online in Nature on Christmas Day.... Read more »
Kalhor, R., Tjong, H., Jayathilaka, N., Alber, F., & Chen, L. (2011) Genome architectures revealed by tethered chromosome conformation capture and population-based modeling. Nature Biotechnology. DOI: 10.1038/nbt.2057
- December 15, 2011
- 11:45 PM
- 3,294 views
Yaaaawwwwwnnnn – is it genetic?
by Suzanne Elvidge in Genome Engineering
Yawning is contagious, especially around the dinner table after a particularly large Christmas lunch. I’m even yawning just thinking about it. Yawns seem to be particularly easily passed around the family – so is it genetic?... Read more »
Norscia, I., & Palagi, E. (2011) Yawn Contagion and Empathy in Homo sapiens. PLoS ONE, 6(12). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028472
Campbell, M., & de Waal, F. (2011) Ingroup-Outgroup Bias in Contagious Yawning by Chimpanzees Supports Link to Empathy. PLoS ONE, 6(4). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0018283
Helt, M., Eigsti, I., Snyder, P., & Fein, D. (2010) Contagious Yawning in Autistic and Typical Development. Child Development, 81(5), 1620-1631. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01495.x
Joly-Mascheroni, R., Senju, A., & Shepherd, A. (2008) Dogs catch human yawns. Biology Letters, 4(5), 446-448. DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2008.0333
- December 13, 2011
- 06:00 AM
- 3,277 views
A magic bullet for haemophilia B
by Suzanne Elvidge in Genome Engineering
Haemophilia B is an inherited bleeding disorder caused by a mutation to the gene for factor IX, a blood clotting factor. It is X-linked and recessive, so it generally affects males but can be carried silently by females and passed onto their male offspring. Haemophilia B can be life-threatening, shortens lifespan, and makes daily life complicated. Researchers at University College London and St Jude Children’s Research Hospital have created a gene therapy and shown it to be effective in ea........ Read more »
Nathwani, A., Tuddenham, E., Rangarajan, S., Rosales, C., McIntosh, J., Linch, D., Chowdary, P., Riddell, A., Pie, A., Harrington, C.... (2011) Adenovirus-Associated Virus Vector–Mediated Gene Transfer in Hemophilia B. New England Journal of Medicine, 2147483647. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1108046
BIGGS R, DOUGLAS AS, MACFARLANE RG, DACIE JV, PITNEY WR, & MERSKEY. (1952) Christmas disease: a condition previously mistaken for haemophilia. British medical journal, 2(4799), 1378-82. PMID: 12997790
- December 12, 2011
- 05:39 AM
- 2,935 views
Gene provides link between multiple sclerosis and vitamin D
by Suzanne Elvidge in Genome Engineering
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disease where the protective coverings of the nerves (myelin sheaths) are damaged, causing damage to the nerves below. MS has been linked with vitamin D, and in a study published in Annals of Neurology, researchers have found a rare gene variant that leads people to have lower levels of vitamin D in their bodies.... Read more »
Ramagopalan, S., Dyment, D., Cader, M., Morrison, K., Disanto, G., Morahan, J., Berlanga-Taylor, A., Handel, A., De Luca, G., Sadovnick, A.... (2011) Rare variants in the CYP27B1 gene associated with multiple sclerosis. Annals of Neurology. DOI: 10.1002/ana.22678
Hayes CE, Cantorna MT, & DeLuca HF. (1997) Vitamin D and multiple sclerosis. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine (New York, N.Y.), 216(1), 21-7. PMID: 9316607
Ramagopalan SV, Maugeri NJ, Handunnetthi L, Lincoln MR, Orton SM, Dyment DA, Deluca GC, Herrera BM, Chao MJ, Sadovnick AD.... (2009) Expression of the multiple sclerosis-associated MHC class II Allele HLA-DRB1*1501 is regulated by vitamin D. PLoS genetics, 5(2). PMID: 19197344
- December 8, 2011
- 06:00 AM
- 687 views
Building the ADHD story
by Suzanne Elvidge in Genome Engineering
Controversial as the ADHD diagnosis has historically been, there is growing evidence to back it, at least in a subgroup of cases. Back in October 2010 we reported on missing and duplicated DNA (copy number variants or CNVs) that were linked with ADHD. Complex disorders like ADHD are never likely to be based on single genes – they are always going to be more complicated than that – and researchers in the US have found more CNVs, in four genes that could be associated with ADHD.... Read more »
Elia, J., Glessner, J., Wang, K., Takahashi, N., Shtir, C., Hadley, D., Sleiman, P., Zhang, H., Kim, C., Robison, R.... (2011) Genome-wide copy number variation study associates metabotropic glutamate receptor gene networks with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Nature Genetics. DOI: 10.1038/ng.1013
- December 6, 2011
- 06:00 AM
- 768 views
I can feel it in my telomeres…
by Suzanne Elvidge in Genome Engineering
Do you ever stand up, wince, and say ‘it’s my age’? What about not being able to stay awake after the News at Ten, and saying ‘I’m getting old’? Maybe it’s your telomeres. A study using data from the Longitudinal Study of Aging Danish Twins showed that twins with longer telomeres (chromosome ends) felt the aging process less.... Read more »
Bendix, L., Gade, M., Staun, P., Kimura, M., Jeune, B., Hjelmborg, J., Aviv, A., & Christensen, K. (2011) Leukocyte telomere length and physical ability among Danish Twins age 70 . Mechanisms of Ageing and Development. DOI: 10.1016/j.mad.2011.10.003
- December 5, 2011
- 06:00 AM
- 815 views
Making gene therapy better
by Suzanne Elvidge in Genome Engineering
Gene therapy has been touted as the brave new world of therapeutics for many years. While it hasn’t changed the world in perhaps the way we thought it would in the early days, gene therapies are gradually making their way through the clinic, and steps are being made to make them safer and more effective and efficient. Research published in the FASEB Journal has combined two types of site-specific recombinases to guide exactly where new genetic material is inserted into a cell’s DNA.... Read more »
Turan, S., & Bode, J. (2011) Site-specific recombinases: from tag-and-target- to tag-and-exchange-based genomic modifications. The FASEB Journal, 25(12), 4088-4107. DOI: 10.1096/fj.11-186940
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