Genetic diversity can be measured in a number of ways by looking at the number of different variants in a gene in a population for instance
S. polyrhiza turns out to have one of the smallest known plant genomes at about 158 million base pairs and fewer than 20000 protein-encoding genes.
The most surprising find was insight into the molecular basis for genes involved in maturation--a forever-young lifestyle said senior author Joachim Messing director of the Waksman Institute of Microbiology at Rutgers University.
S. polyrhiza had fewer genes to promote and more genes to repress the switch from juvenile to mature growth.
Because of the reduction in neoteny there is an arrest in development and differentiation of organs. So this arrest allowed us to uncover regulatory networks that are required for differentiation
which genes were preserved over time and which were not. Many of the genes responsible for cellulose and lignin production in land dwelling plants were missing
and there were fewer copies of those that were present. Genes for another compound related to cell walls called expansins which are involved with cell wall
and root growth were reduced also. Genes for starch production on the other hand were retained and are used probably for creating starch-filled turions specialized buds produced by aquatic plants for overwintering enabling them sink to the bottom of ponds
and revive in warmer weather. Moreover despite the reduced number of total genes S. polyrhiza has more copies of genes for enzymes involved in nitrogen absorption and metabolism than in other plants.
This is probably linked to the plant's ability to utilize excess nitrogen in contaminated waters.
Understanding which genes produce which traits will allow researchers to create new varieties of duckweed with enhanced biofuel traits such as increased reduction of cellulose or increased starch or even higher lipid production.
The team analyzed a dataset with more than 80000 gene sequences representing the global diversity of the Influenza a virus
What we're finding is that the avian virus has an extremely shallow history in most genes not much older than the invention of the telephone Worobey explained.
According to Worobey the newly generated evolutionary trees show a global replacement of the genes in the avian flu virus coinciding closely with the horse flu outbreak
Ever since the influenza pandemic of 1918 it has not been possible to narrow down even to a hemisphere the geographic origins of any of the genes of the pandemic virus. Our study changes that Worobey said.
Instead the genetic diversity across the whole avian virus gene pool in domestic and wild birds often appears to trace back to earlier outbreaks of the virus in domestic birds Worobey explained.
In contrast a male benefit from ensuring that only his sperm is used to fertilize the female's eggs thereby passing only his genes on to the next generation.
In a recent issue of Nature the researchers reported on a particular gene sequence that allows Bacteroidetes to carry out this function.
They show that about 92 per cent of the population harbors bacteria with a variant of the gene sequence according to a survey of public genome data from 250 adult humans.
The team used the latest gene identification techniques to compare the genes of healthy and infected female Holstein-friesians.
Differences between cattle in their genes is not the only factor in determining whether the animal will get bovine TB or not;
When applied Meja initiates a process of gene activity affiliated with the biosynthesis of glucosinolates (GS)
However during this process Meja also signals a network of genes that lead to plant decay by inducing the release of ethylene Juvik explained.
#Wasps use ancient aggression genes to create social groupsaggression-causing genes appeared early in animal evolution
If these mean genes keep their roles in different animals and in different contexts then perhaps model organisms--such as bees and mice--can provide insights into the biological basis of aggression in all animals including humans the researchers said.
This is one of the first investigations to utilize large datasets consisting of thousands of different genes to ask
whether there are shared genes relating to similar forms of behavior across a very wide range of animals said Amy Toth assistant professor of ecology evolution and organismal biology Iowa State.
and mice and found a few genes that are associated consistently with aggression. This suggests that even after hundreds of millions of years of evolution some genes may retain their ancestral roles in similar forms of behavior like aggression.
The team investigated the expression of aggression genes in the brains and ovaries of paper wasps--Polistes metricus.
Specifically they looked at wasps belonging to different castes including dominant colony-founding queens subordinate colony-founding queens established queens dominant workers and subordinate workers.
We found that in wasps which are primitively social insects aggression genes control the establishment of an individual's dominance over a group said Christina Grozinger professor of entomology and director of the Center for Pollinator Research Penn State.
In contrast in honey bees which are advanced social insects aggression genes control altruistic defensive behavior--for example
In solitary species like fruit flies and mice the same set of aggression genes controls fighting between males over territory.
So the same genes are involved in aggression across species but are now being used in different ways by different organisms.
because they share some of the same genes that regulate aggression behaviors even if those behaviors are now quite different.
In addition to learning that aggression genes are shared among organisms the team also found that these genes are extremely sensitive to the external environment.
We found that the most important influence on expression of genes in the brains of paper wasps was external factors such as the season
Everyone agrees that both nature--including genes and physiology--and nurture--including diet environment and social interactions--contribute to the likelihood that an individual will behave in a certain way
But our results show that the external environment plays a much greater role in regulating expression of genes in the brain
which they will manipulate the expression of single genes to see how they affect behavior.
if we ramp up expression of one of the genes involved in aggression Toth said.
This type of question allows us to go beyond correlation between the gene and the behavior and address causation.
Does the gene of interest actually cause aggressive behavior? Grozinger added If there are hyper-aggressive wasps
Funded by the Grains Research & development Corporation Professor Oliver and his team in conjunction with independent research provider Kalyx Australia have demonstrated that by taking away disease-sensitivity genes from the wheat germplasm
They compared cultivars with disease-sensitivity genes to cultivars that lacked these particular genes and were able to show that the cultivars lacking the gene showed no yield loss and in some instances increased yields in the presence of disease.
From this the team were able to conclude if a sensitivity gene was eliminated there would be associated minimal risks
and it would be a safe and straightforward strategy for improving disease resistance. Professor Oliver said this research had never been done before as direct mapping for disease resistance had led not to useful molecular markers.
and relatively susceptible parents before doing the QTL (quantitative disease-resistance gene) mapping. But as disease resistance is multifactorial due to the several effector reactions the QTL mapping was always a bit fuzzy
and distribution over hosts involved investigating 484'18s rrna genes'the fragments of RNA responsible for protein synthesis.'Our most important discovery is that ciliates are extremely diverse'says evolution biologist Johannes Hackstein.'
APEC may also provide a reservoir for virulence genes that may be acquired by human strains. Many types of bacteria produce extracellular surface fibers like ECP enabling them to adhere to one another as well as to various surfaces.
The new research demonstrates--for the first time--the prevalence of ecpa a gene coding for a major structural subunit of ECP in a majority APEC sequences examined.
Deletion of ECP-related genes was shown to reduce biofilm production. Finally the study attempted to evaluate APEC virulence in baby chicks using strains with deleted ECP genes.
Results show a reduction in virulence. In fact the potential for colonization among the ECP deletion strains was reduced particularly in the bloodstream.
although the gene of ECP was found in a large number of APEC these bacteria express this gene differently
Elucidating how the expression of some genes is turned on or off by different factors will help us understand how these bacteria cause disease.
To demonstrate the utility of the protocol Avanesyan successfully amplified the DNA of a noncoding region of a plant chloroplast gene
and director of movement disorders at UCLA. Bronstein said the team also found that people with a common genetic variant of the ALDH2 gene are particularly sensitive to the effects of ALDH-inhibiting pesticides
Then the researchers found that those participants in the epidemiologic study with a genetic variant in the ALDH gene were increased at risk of Parkinson's when exposed to these pesticides.
and the Institute of Molecular biology of CSIC both in Barcelona and Dolf Weijers at the University of Wageningen in The netherlands unravels the mystery behind how the plant hormones called auxins activate multiple vital plant functions through various gene
or represses a specific group of genes. Some plants have more than 20 distinct auxin-regulated transcription factors.
and control the expression of numerous plant genes in function of the task to be undertaken that is to say cell growth flowering root initiation leaf growth etc.
The resolution of five 3d structures has revealed why a given transcription factor is capable of activating a single set of genes
because we have revealed the ultimate effect of a hormone that controls plant development on DNA that is to say on genes. says Miquel Coll. Story Source:
#Single gene separates queen from workersscientists have identified how a single gene in honey bees separates the queens from the workers.
A team of scientists from Michigan State university and Wayne State university unraveled the gene's inner workings
The gene which is responsible for leg and wing development plays a crucial role in the evolution of bees'ability to carry pollen.
This gene is critical in making the hind legs of workers distinct so they have the physical features necessary to carry pollen said Zachary Huang MSU entomologist.
Other studies have shed some light on this gene's role in this realm but our team examined in great detail how the modifications take place.
The gene in question is Ultrabithorax or Ubx. Specifically the gene allows workers to develop a smooth spot on their hind legs that hosts their pollen baskets.
On another part of their legs the gene promotes the formation of 11 neatly spaced bristles a section known as the pollen comb.
The gene also promotes the development of a pollen press a protrusion also found on hind legs that helps pack
and transport pollen back to the hive. While workers have these distinct features queens do not.
and silencing Ubx the target gene. This made the pollen baskets specialized leg features used to collect
because the gene is expressed more highly in hind legs compared to front and mid legs. Besides honey bees which aren't native to North america there are more than 300 species of other bees in Michigan alone.
They also tested samples of local foods for the presence of C. perfringens and the toxin gene.
and 2. 7%were positive for the epsilon toxin gene. Linden says these findings are important
Patients with a version of Apoe gene (Apoe4) which greatly increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's
and high blood levels of DDE exhibited even more severe cognitive impairment than the patients without the risk gene.
and how the chemical compound interacts with the Apoe4 gene Richardson says. Although the exact cause of Alzheimer's disease--with five million Americans suffering now and millions more expected to fall prey with the graying of the Baby boom Generation--is known not scientists believe that late-onset Alzheimer's may be linked to a combination of genetic environmental and lifestyle factors.
There are 21550 protein coding genes found in total. Researchers compared buffalo genome with other mammals'such as cattle horse panda pig
As children get older the lactase gene is disabled gradually which means that no lactase is formed
This newly discovered sequence of genes enables Bacteroides ovatus to chop up xyloglucan a major type of dietary fibre found in many vegetables--from lettuce leaves to tomato fruits.
About 92 per cent of the population harbours bacteria with a variant of the gene sequence according to the researchers'survey of public genome data from 250 adult humans.
They contain two copies of each chromosome. Male honey bees known as drones on the other hand are haploid
and contain only one chromosome set. The haploid susceptibility hypothesis predicts that haploid males are more prone to disease compared to their diploid female counterparts
because dominant genes on one chromosome copy have the op-portunity to mask mutated genes on the other copy in diploid organisms.
A major criticism of GMOS Pepper notes focuses on cases where genes from other species â#even bacterial ones â#have been added to an organism to achieve a desired trait.
For instance the agricultural giant Monsanto adds a gene to cotton that makes it resistant to Roundupâ
and the weed killer to farmers. â#oewhat weâ##re doing is a little differentâ#Pepper said. â#oeweâ##re not actually adding in a gene from another species. Rather weâ##re knocking down the effect of one
of the genes thatâ##s already in the plant. â#Like human and animal eyes plants also have photoreceptors that pick up information about the environment.
and a short-fiber plant then zeroed in on a region of the genome that sat directly on top of one the phytochrome genes.
#or interfere with expression of that gene Pepper said. â#oethis was pure basic science seeking to understand the biological function of a geneâ#Pepper said. â#oeand sure enough the phytochrome â#knock-downâ##plants had all these phenotypic
Its inhabitants are ants of the genus Pseudomyrmex. The ants depend completely on their host plants for nectar
#Ramularia and the 4 Rsthe gene that has provided spring barley with resistance to powdery mildew for over 30 years increases susceptibility to newly-important disease Ramularia leaf spot.
Since 1980 the mlo gene has transformed mildew from the most important disease of barley to an occasional nuisance in wetter areas of the UK.
However the research also paves the way for barley lines to be bred that are resistant to both diseases by selecting for multiple genes.
It has struck us that plant breeding relying on the successful use of a single major resistance gene can increase susceptibility to another disease said R&d breeder Peter Werner from KWS UK.
They then observed a strong induction of the expression of genes and enzymes responsible for the synthesis of glucose in the intestine.
Infertility caused by a single gene This practice is fraught with risk however: If the genetic make-up of any animal contains an unidentified defect this characteristic will be passed on to future generations.
TUM researchers have discovered now that a mutation in the TMEM95 gene on cattle chromosome 19 makes bulls effectively infertile with a success rate for insemination of less than 2 percent.
i e. they are homozygous for the defective gene. It is only in this case that the animals should be excluded from breeding.
The TMEM95 gene encodes a protein on the surface of the sperm heads. The protein probably mediates the binding process between the sperm and egg cells.
and quality but also improve animal health by identifying pathogenic gene variants and ensuring that they are passed not on to future animals.
For those with a family history of certain cancers information about our genes can offer choices in dealing with our genetic destiny.
A woman who carries the BRCA breast cancer gene for example who has watched families members die at an early age may choose preventive mastectomy rather than risk extremely high odds of developing the same illness.
For other cancers such as colorectal cancer the presence of a gene may signal the need for increased vigilance with more frequent screenings to catch any abnormality early.
The bacterial genus Burkholderia for example includes dangerous disease-causing pathogens--one species has even been listed as a potential bioterrorist agent
These species the scientists discovered lack those genes that make other Burkholderia species harmful agents of infection.
They found a strong distinction between genes in these beneficial strains and in pathogenic strains.
They searched for genes typically involved in infection--for attaching to and invading cells or for secreting toxins.
Unlike their dangerous cousins the four symbiotic Burkholderia species did not have associated genes with the virulence systems found in the pathogenic species. Burkholderia were discovered first as plant pathogens in 1949 by Walter Burkholder who identified them as the agent causing
The team used DNA analysis specifically the nifh gene that is characteristic of diazotrophs to measure the communities in the samples.
Often scientists study biodiversity at all levels--from genes to entire ecosystems. Currently researchers at the University of Missouri are employing genotyping to study movement patterns of African forest elephants in protected and unprotected regions of Gabon to better understand how human occupation of these areas might affect elephants on the African continent.
The newly-described genus and species of flower was named Micropetasos burmensis. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Oregon State university.
and fertility is affected partially by a deletion of a simple gene sequence. The presence and effects of this mutation have recently been discovered by scientists from Aarhus University University of Liã ge MTT Agrifood Research Finland in collaboration with the Danish Agricultural Advisory Service and the Nordic Cattle Genetic Evaluation.
We have discovered a deletion encompassing four genes as the causative variant and shown that the deletion is a recessive embryonically lethal mutation explains Goutam Sahana.
and pass the genes on to their calf for the calf to be affected. The bulls carrying the deletion can be identified routinely in on-going genomic selection program
The reason that the deleted gene sequence causing embryo mortality has become relatively widespread is that it has such as strong positive effect on milk yield.
This is at least the seventh example in livestock of an allele that is deleterious in the homozygous state being maintained at high frequency in the populations because of the selective advantage it confers to heterozygotes.
UC Davis scientists created the transgenic goats by transferring human genes for breast milk enzymes and proteins into goat embryos.
A group of Australian engineers had figured out how to silence the gene for PPO in potatoes.
They isolated four key genes involved in the production of natural sex pheromones of two moths:
Genes that code for pheromone biosynthesis were injected into the tobacco plant Nicotiana benthamiana via bacteria cultures (pictured.
By doing so, the team got the tobacco plants to express genes for moth pheromone production.
I had a chance to debate this topic a bit with Gene Bodenheimer, senior vice president of product lifecycle logistics for Genco ATC
 The term refers to the variety of life On earth at all its levels, from genes to ecosystems,
Venter says algae should be engineered with a suicide gene to shut down if they escape. Mayfield says he's not losing sleep over it.
Å Weve now discovered that a gene from balsam fir is much more efficient at producing such natural compounds,
and IBM supplied the computing power with its Blue Gene supercomputer. Meanwhile the USDA-ARS Subtropical Horticulture Research Station in Miami and researchers from UC Davis, Clemson, Indiana University, the Hudsonalpha Institute for Biotechnology and Washington state University participated.
and extraordinary genome structure enable the rapid evolution of genes. That ability helps the pathogen to outsmart its plant hosts.
The findings reveal the pathogen's unusual strategy to support the rapid evolution of critical genes, known as effector genes,
On the other hand, some effector genes can also trigger plants'immune responses--making them prime targets for combating P. infestans infection.
and death of genes that are key to plant infection. As a result, these critical genes may be gained
and lost so rapidly that the hosts simply can't keep up. Further study should yield a deeper understanding of plant infection
The team tweaked the protein-producing genes, not to alter the sequence of the human protein,
RNA molecules that kill parasites by disrupting the way their genes are expressed, Technology Review explains.
Aquabounty is the only animal biotechnology company in the United states trying to gain approval for a gene-altered animal to enter the human food chain.
if the United states can't approve a gene-altered animal for consumption, U s. industries will lose out to nations that will.
that trips this gorge-and-grow gene. It matures twice as fast as Atlantic salmon, can grow year round,
an abnormality in the chromosomes that stop female fish from reproducing. plans to sterilize embryos in Canada before shipping them to Panama,
delivering the news like an unexpected pregnancy test the crop developed genes that are resistant Monsanto's Roundup or Bayer's Liberty Link herbicide.
but some argue that it's impossible to stop gene pollution from happening. In fact, canola can mate'with 40 different weed species around the world.
But a gene found in an ancient plant, a fern, might lead to solutions to sponge the toxin from contaminated areas.
They've isolated the gene (ACR3) that codes for a membrane protein within the ferns'vacuoles.
Potentially you could take these genes and put them in any organism that could suck the arsenic out of the Soil banks said.
Salt said rice plants could be modified with the gene to store arsenic in the roots of plants-instead of rice grains-in contaminated paddies.
and other ferns already have a single copy of the gene. Flowering species (from more recent branches of plant evolution) appear not to have ACR3 at all.
The animals have been modified genetically to switch off natural genes with instructions to create particular organs. Stem cells from other animals are introduced then to replace the missing instructions with organ growth from different pig species. For example
Some 95 percent of beets grown in the U s. carry the Monsanto bacterial gene that resists the herbicide glyphosate, present in Roundup Ready.
The crops contain a bacterial gene that allows them to withstand spraying with Roundup or its generic equivalents, known as glyphosate.
The environmental groups and others had said that the foreign gene might spread to organic or conventional nongenetically engineered crops,
It's just a marker to show that we can take a gene that was not originally present in the animal
but the experiments herald the technique's success in future goals of introducing beneficial genes into animals
Senior author Gene Nusbaum of Harvard described its ability to change as exquisite. Fay Wray thought the same thing of King kong. Something else about the potato blight.
like specific genes, from their findings. He said that while Mars would gain from larger supplies and potentially lower prices for cocoa,
and studying just four genes involved in making flavonoids. oeafter we sequenced the genome, he said,
oewe got all the genes in a couple of days. Dr. Guiltinan said there had initially been efforts to do one genome project,
This challenges undergraduates to spend a summer building an organism from a oekit provided by a gene bank called the Registry of Standard Biological Parts.
As Jason Kelly, the cofounder of a gene-synthesis firm called Ginkgo Bioworks, observes, there is no equivalent of an electrical engineer's diagram to help unravel
I argue herein that aging can be slowed dramatically by fine-tuning your longevity genes. Indeed, scientific research carried out in the last 20 years has shown that lifespan can be modulated readily by a variety of genetic or dietary strategies.
Aging is linked to altered expression in more than a hundred genes; We employed artificial intelligence algorithms combined with animal longevity assays to screen for wide-spectrum herbal extracts that extend lifespan;
We succeeded in doubling animal lifespan using a novel class of nutrigenomic supplements that modulate genes involved in both aging and age-related disease.
but the impacts of this decline can differ with the individual genes and environment. The net result of aging in an animal population is a progressive increase in all-cause mortality and morbidity.
Thus, according to Medawar hypothesis, aging is caused indirectly by the declining forces of natural selection to select the best fitness genes for the aged animal as reproductive capacity declines.
wherein a gene may promote fitness in young fertile animals (and thus be selected for) but become a liability late in life leading to a subsequent decline in fitness.
Genescient has shown that several hundred genes have altered an expression in the Methuselah flies. In late 2010, Genescient sequenced the DNA of the wild type
and again found that more than a hundred genes appear to be altered in the long-lived Methuselah flies.
which predicts that aging leads to poorly functioning organisms as natural selection for optimal gene function wanes with age.
If there are hundreds of genes that function poorly as we age, then one possible anti-aging strategy is to utilize wide-spectrum nutraceuticals to modify gene expression to a state consistent with greater longevity.
as some of the youthful gene expression is inconsistent with longevity (e g. genes promoting rapid growth that can lead to cancer.
To affect as many longevity genes as possible I focused on complementary herbal extracts that have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory,
and metabolic potential (known factors in driving aging) along with a positive effect on longevity genes and a proven history of use in traditional herbal medicine to treat a wide spectrum of diseases.
or Western medicine based on its long term traditional use and data indicating that the herbal extract can target multiple longevity genes identified by Genescient or by other research groups.
and inhibit mtor (a major longevity gene shown by extensive government studies to extend lifespan in mice).
or all of the longevity genes targeted by resveratrol, but has far greater stability and efficacy.
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