Genetics - GEG Tech top picks

Harvard Medical School researchers have mapped the interaction partners for proteins encoded by more than 5,800 genes, representing over a quarter of the human genome, according to a new study published online in Nature on May 17.

Octopus, squid, and cuttlefish are famous for engaging in complex behavior, from unlocking an aquarium tank and escaping to instantaneous skin camouflage to hide from predators. A new study suggests their evolutionary path to neural sophistication includes a novel mechanism: Prolific RNA editing at the expense of evolution in their genomic DNA.

Freiburg plant biologist Prof. Dr. Thomas Laux and his research group have published an article in the journal Developmental Cell presenting initial findings on how shoot stem cells in plants form during embryogenesis, the process of embryonic development. Pluripotent stem cells can develop into any type of cell in an organism. In contrast to animals, plants can form completely new organs from their stem cells throughout their lives, which in the case of several species of trees may span a thousand years or more. Stem cell research promises to solve key problems in medicine and plant breeding. However, whereas the function of stem cells for the regeneration of tissue or for growth has been studied in detail, much less is known so far about how stem cells form in the course of embryonic development.

The first half of the video illustrates how transcription works. We see DNA transcribed to RNA and learn that some parts of the RNA, the introns, get cut out of the final protein blueprint before it's delivered to the ribosomal protein factories. This is when hnRNP A2/B1 makes its debut: apparently it's important for determining which bits of RNA are discarded. Next we see a ribosome churning out a protein one amino acid at a time.

Before RNA copies of genes can program the synthesis of proteins, the non-coding regions are removed by the spliceosome. Munich researchers report that distinct conformations of a member of this molecular complex play a vital role in the process.

While the number of coding genes (those that produce proteins) in the human species has been consistently dwindling in recent years - the figures have fallen to fewer than 20,000-, it has been claimed that the dimension of the proteome, the element that executes the instructions in the genome, could be larger. This diversity of proteins has become one of the main sources of complexity in mammals, including the human species. 

A study of the Alfonso Valencia's group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) published in the journal Trends in Biochemical Sciences, conclued that while there are many alternative variants of RNAs from a single gene, only a few genes (246, slightly more than 1 per cent of the human genome) presented clear evidence of producing more than one protein.

About one-third of all genes in the mammalian genome are essential for life. An international, multi-institutional research collaboration identified, for the first time, mutant traits in the mouse for 52 human disease genes, which significantly contributes to the understanding of the genetic bases for some human diseases, including cardiovascular defects, spina bifida, and metabolic disorders, among many others.

Here, the authors set out to combat both productive and latent herpesvirus infections by exploiting the CRISPR/Cas9 system to target viral genetic elements important for virus fitness Their studies indicate that the CRISPR/Cas9 system can be effectively targeted to herpesvirus genomes as a potent prophylactic and therapeutic anti-viral strategy that may be used to impair viral replication and clear latent virus infection.

It took nearly a half trillion tries before researchers at The University of Texas at Austin witnessed a rare event and perhaps solved an evolutionary puzzle about how introns, noncoding sequences of DNA located within genes, multiply in a genome. The results, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, address fundamental questions about the evolution of new species and could expand our understanding of gene expression and the causes of diseases such as cancer.

About one in five men over age 80 lose the Y chromosome from their blood cells, and this condition has now been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers said.

New research by University of Exeter academics shows that genetic diversity helps to reduce the spread of diseases by limiting parasite evolution.

It’s the stuff of science fiction, though there’s nothing fiction about it: Researchers have discovered a multitude of previously unidentified microorganisms possess a genetic element that enables them to self-mutate.

The study, involving researchers from ICREA in Barcelona, revealed chimps (pictured) interbred with their cousins just like humans and Neanderthals did in the past, leaving a lasting genetic legacy.

With the help of two young patients with a unique neurological disorder, an initial study by scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests that a gene called PIEZO2 controls specific aspects of human touch and proprioception, a “sixth sense” describing awareness of one’s body in space. Mutations in the gene caused the two to have movement and balance problems and the loss of some forms of touch. Despite their difficulties, they both appeared to cope with these challenges by relying heavily on vision and other senses.

Ashley Winslow, Roy Perlis, David Hinds and colleagues report the identification of 15 genetic loci associated with risk of major depressive disorder in individuals of European descent. They find that several loci are also associated with risk of other psychiatric traits, including schizophrenia and neuroticism.

Here the authors discuss the biological significance of Type II CRISPR–Cas elements, including the tracrRNA, crRNA, Cas9, and protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM), and look at the native function of these elements to understand how they can be engineered, enhanced, and optimized for genome editing applications.

A study shows that that at least one aspect of life continues: Genes remain turned on days after animals die. Researchers may be able to parlay this postmortem activity into better ways of preserving donated organs for transplantation and more accurate methods of determining when murder victims were killed.

An international team led by investigators at Decode Genetics-Amgen has identified a rare, non-coding deletion in the asialoglycoprotein receptor gene ASGR1 that appears to protect against coronary artery disease in individuals of European ancestry.