Genome is the total genetic content contained in a haploid set of chromosomes in eukaryotes, in a single chromosome in bacteria, or in the DNA or RNA of viruses.
Violence puts wear and tear on kids’ DNA — Exposure to Violence During Childhood is Associated with Telomere Erosion from 5 to 10 Years of Age – Children who have experienced violence might really be older than their years. The DNA of 10-year-olds who experienced violence in their young lives has been found to show wear and tear normally associated with aging, a Duke University study has found.
Mayo Clinic launches whole genome breast cancer study – The Breast Cancer Genome Guided Therapy Study (BEAUTY Project) will help physicians tailor chemotherapy to breast cancer patients based on their individual genomes and the genomes of their tumors.
Mutations in 3 genes linked to autism spectrum disorders – Mutations in three new genes have been linked to autism, according to new studies including one with investigators at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. All three studies include lead investigators of the Autism Sequencing Consortium (ASC).
The path to personalized cancer treatment — Researchers identify genetic markers of drug sensitivity in cancer cells – Recently researchers have profiled genetic changes in cancer with drug sensitivity in order to develop a personalised approach to cancer treatments. They uncovered hundreds of associations between mutations in cancer genes and sensitivity to anticancer drugs.
Reversing Alzheimer’s gene ‘blockade’ can restore memory, other cognitive functions — Neuroscientists show that HDAC2 enzyme could be a good target for new drugs – MIT neuroscientists have shown that an enzyme overproduced in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients creates a blockade that shuts off genes necessary to form new memories. Furthermore, by inhibiting that enzyme in mice, the researchers were able to reverse Alzheimer’s symptoms.
Drug-proof ‘pig MRSA’ makes leap from livestock to humans — Pig-to-Human ‘Superbug’ May Be Due to Animal Antibiotics – A strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria that humans contract from livestock was originally a human strain, but it developed resistance to antibiotics once it was picked up by farm animals. The findings illustrate a very close link between antibiotic use on the farm and potentially lethal human infections.
New gene study of ADHD points to defects in brain signaling pathways — Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia research suggests that interventions at the glutamate transmission level might treat ADHD disorder – Pediatric researchers analyzing genetic influences in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have found alterations in specific genes involved in important brain signaling pathways.
CSHL team finds evidence for the genetic basis of autism — Models of autism show that gene copy number controls brain structure and behavior – Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have discovered that one of the most common genetic alterations in autism — deletion of a 27-gene cluster on chromosome 16 — causes autism-like features.
Lead researcher, Dr Manuel Ferreira from QIMR said the findings suggest that a drug currently used to treat rheumatoid arthritis may be effective to treat asthma. – Asthma sufferers now can be treated with a drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, revealed by researchers in a new study.
National asthma genetics consortium releases first results — Discovers new asthma gene in African-Americans, replicates 4 others – A novel gene is discovered associated with the asthma disease in African-Americans and African-Caribbeans. The polymorphism, located in a gene called PYHIN1, was not present in European-Americans and may be the first asthma susceptibility gene variant specific to populations of African descent.
