The genes are composed of DNA and are carried on the chromosomes. Genes direct the production of all the molecules that form the structures that of a cell. Genes determine the inherited characteristics that distinguish one individual from another. Each human has an estimated 90,000 genes.
High anthocyanins content tomatoes, produced by European researchers, may be able to extend lifespan in cancer-prone mice; the finding by the FLORA European Project published in the journal Nature Biotechnology. – Scientists have expressed genes from snapdragon in tomatoes to grow purple tomatoes high in health-protecting anthocyanins.
Scientists find new genes linked to lung cancer. Discovery opens door to individualized treatment strategies. – Working as part of a multi-institutional collaboration, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have assembled the most complete catalog to date of the genetic changes underlying the most common form of lung cancer.
Yale researchers tie genes, lower reward response to weight gain and obesity. – The brains of obese people seem to respond to a tasty treat with less vigor than the brains of their leaner peers, suggesting obese people may overeat to compensate for a reduced reward response, according to a new brain imaging and genetics study conducted by researchers at Yale University, The John B. Pierce Laboratory, the University of Texas and Oregon Research Institute.
DNA could reveal your surname; Research by University of Leicester has implications for forensics as well as genealogy. – Scientists at the world-leading Department of Genetics at the University of Leicester ? where the revolutionary technique of genetic fingerprinting was invented by Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys – are developing techniques which may one day allow police to work out someone’s surname from the DNA alone.
Breast stem cell fate is regulated by notch. Errant expression leads to uncontrolled breast ductal cell growth. – A normal developmental protein that sometimes goes awry has been implicated in breast cancer. This discovery indicates the mechanism by which inappropriate expression of the Notch pathway may contribute to breast cancer.
Researchers looked at a UK sample of patients with AMD and controls, and screened 32 genes potentially involved in the condition. Results suggest an association with the SERPING1 gene. – A new genetic association is established with the eye condition age-related macular degeneration (AMD), revealed by researchers.
23andMe – Personal Genetics Leader to Focus on Building DNA-based Community For Women Impacted by Breast Cancer. – 23andMe, Inc., the industry leader in personal genetics, announced that it is embarking on a world-wide effort to assemble the largest cohort of women whose lives have been impacted by breast cancer and to build an infrastructure, based on genetics, that will accelerate consumer-based research of the disease.
Three genes are associated with increased risk of higher levels of uric acid in the blood, which can lead to gout. – Researchers have identified two new genes ? and confirmed the role of a third gene ? associated with increased risk of higher levels of uric acid in the blood, which can lead to gout, a common, painful form of arthritis.
JAMA study a first to connect obesity, genetics and colon cancer risk. Gene variation associated with decreased risk of colorectal cancer. – A new study reveals the first-ever genetic link between obesity and colon cancer risk, a finding that could lead to greater accuracy in testing for the disease, said a researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
Researchers revealed that having a family history of cancerous brain tumors puts you at a higher risk of developing the same kind of brain tumor. – People with a family history of cancerous brain tumors appear to be at higher risk of developing the same kind of tumors compared to people with no such family history, according to a study published in the September 23, 2008, issue of Neurology?, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
