Editor’s Selections: Denaturing proteins in the cold, antibiotic resistance in genetically modified plants, and the diagnostic power of whole genome sequencing
March 26th, 2010 Editor's Selections 12 Comments
Vincent Racaniello selects several notable posts each week from molecular and cellular biology and virology. He blogs at virology blog.
- Proteins denature when they are too hot or too cold. But at low temperatures, proteins do not completely unfold – residual structure persists. Furthermore, unfolded ensembles of one protein generated by heat or cold may not resemble each other.
- Are antibiotic marker genes used to select genetically engineered crops a risk to human health? Probably not, because soil and gut bacteria already contain a variety of antibiotic resistance genes, and transfer of genes from a plant to a bacterium is unlikely.
- A scientist with Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy, who has studied the disease his entire career, had his genome sequenced. The results identified causative alleles in SH3TC2, the SH3 domain and tetratricopeptide repeats 2 gene.
I’ll be back next Friday with more selections.
