The results which also revealed potential treatment target genes are published in the November 2013 issue of The Journal of Cancer.
Further analysis also identified several key genes which could serve as markers to follow the progress of therapy.
Previous studies had identified potential genes in L. johnsonii for producing EPS giving the researchers tools to probe how the bacteria synthesise these molecules.
Knocking out the whole cluster of EPS genes meant the bacteria produced no capsule. Further analysis of the genes by IFR Phd student Enes Dertli uncovered their potential roles in the capsule biosynthesis process
but more research is needed to fully understand the system and also how it is regulated. The structures of these two EPS molecules appear to be unique to this strain.
It is unique in the genus in being the only species essentially restricted to alpine vegetation.
Species of the genus Lepidosperma commonly known as sword-sedges mostly have flattened elongate leaves that are shaped like a double-edged sword.
The genus with more than 100 species is widespread across Australia. It is of particular ecological interest
We found a clear reduction of E coli strains possessing typical genes for extra-intestinal pathogenic E coli (Expec) says Bednorz.
because Expec typically harbor a lot of adhesion genes that promote colonization of the mucosa. Antimicrobials are thought to promote growth in industrially grown livestock
Future research will focus on identifying the genes in the small intestine that are altered by the LPAS in order to find signaling pathways that may be targets for treatment.
Researchers discovered that simple modifications to the drug furamidine have a major impact on its ability to affect specific human proteins involved in the on-off switches of certain genes.
The proteins--known as transcription factors--regulate the expression of genes in a highly coordinated and intricate manner making them attractive targets for therapeutic drugs
When expressing the same phenotype various plant species apparently fall back on the same genes in their genotype.
The mutated gene carries the cryptic name GA20OX1. Maarten Koornneef and his colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne have examined now
whether Arabidopsis plants in the wild that grow to only half the height as other members of their same species also have mutated a GA20OX1 allele as the short rice
Using genetic crossbreeding experiments they have shown that this characteristic can be traced back to a change in the GA20OX1 gene in most of the plant specimens gathered.
This gene is especially interesting in Arabidopsis as mutations only cause the semi-dwarfism and have no further negative effects on the performance of the plants
The reason for this according to Koornneef is that Arabidopsis possesses other additional genes for gibberellin biosynthesis. These genes jump in
What changes cause Arabidopsis to switch the GA20OX1 gene off in the wild? Koornneef and his colleagues have identified six different genetic causes for the semi-dwarfism.
In addition the scientists have also found mutations that alter the reading frame of the GA20OX1 gene by removing part of the gene then lengthening the gene sequence through insertion of foreign DNA a so-called transposon.
The GA20OX1 gene is therefore one of these hot spots in the plants'genome becoming repeatedly mutated
With the new discovery the scorpions from this genus found in the country go up to a total of five known species. The study was published in the open access journal Zookeys.
Euscorpius is a genus of scorpions commonly called small wood-scorpions. As their name suggest these scorpions don't impress with a large size the biggest representative being around 5 cm long.
Further studies are in progress to understand the quantity and distribution of the different species and populations of the genus Euscorpius in Turkey and their relationship with the Greek populations.
(or COS) and other antifungals and ARL1 gene inhibitor in inhibiting the growth of mold and yeast.
The chitosan or COS and a joint inhibition of some of its gene targets block the cell cycle
and won't be around to pass on their genes the next summer.''Because small birds can't reproduce without surviving the winter they have evolved a complex set of behaviours that enables them to maximise their chance of both surviving predators
#Gene responsible for hereditary cancer found to disrupt growth-regulating cellular pathwaywhitehead Institute scientists report that the gene mutated in the rare hereditary disorder known as Birt-Hogg-Dub cancer syndrome
In the case of Birt-Hogg-Dub syndrome the mutated gene prevents mtorc1 pathway activation early in the formation of tumors.
In the early 2000s scientists determined that mutations in the gene coding for FLCN caused the rare cancer Birt-Hogg-Dub syndrome
which means that a child inheriting one mutated copy of the FLCN gene will eventually develop the syndrome.
Usually diseases are described first then the responsible gene or genes are identified and then that gene's molecular function is figured out says Tsun.
And you need to know the gene's function before you can start working on drugs or therapy.
We've done that third step which is a very important discovery for these patients.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. The original article was written by Nicole Giese Rura.
#Sex determiner gene of honey bee more complicated than thoughtbee colonies consist of a queen bee lots of female worker bees and some male drones.
The gene that determines the sex of the bees is much more complex than has been assumed up until now
In these fertilized eggs the condition of the complementary sex determiner (csd) gene is of crucial significance for the creation of female workers.
The queen bee who in the course of their mating flight mate with different drones multiple times passes on to fertilized eggs a random combinations of two csd copies so-called alleles.
If these alleles are different enough they develop into a female. If the csd gene in contrast is present in the fertilized eggs in two identical versions diploid drones develop.
These are eaten however by worker bees after they hatch. Up until now it was assumed that there were up to 20 csd alleles.
In the dataset which the research team under the direction of Hasselmann collected from all over the world
however 53 csd alleles found in localities in Kenya) and worldwide at least csd 87 alleles.
Using an evolutionary model the scientists extrapolated 116--145 csd alleles. New csd alleles were created in a relatively quick period for evolution: ca. every 400000 years.
A region inside the csd gene in particular represents a hot-spot with a high evolutionary rate that together with certain amino acid mutations decisively contributes to the formation of new csd alleles in the flanking regions.
The vitality of a bee population depends on amongst other things the genetic diversity of sex determining alleles.
These new findings are therefore very important for apiculture for minimizing the danger of inbreeding and thereby the production of diploid drones.
This case represents the first record of conifer-feeding behavior in this family as well as the first specialist herbivore in the genus. Meanwhile the background match between Picea leaves
With the aid of DNA markers we now know which gene is responsible for which molecular feature.
#Surprises discovered in decoded kiwifruit genomea new study that decoded the DNA sequence of the kiwifruit has concluded that the fruit has many genetic similarities between its 39040 genes
when an extensive expansion of genes arose from an entire extra copy of the genome followed by extensive gene loss.
When genes are duplicated the extra genes can mutate to perform entirely new functions that were not previously present in the organism.
The duplication contributed to adding additional members of gene families that are involved in regulating important kiwifruit characteristics such as fruit vitamin C flavonoid
They uncovered about 8000 genes that were common among all five species. The comparison revealed important evolutionary relationships including the development genes related to fruit growth ripening nutrient metabolism and disease resistance.
A revision of the genus Paratrechinalong considered to be one of the most species-rich ant genera latest research has stripped the ant genus Paratrechina down to a single species-Paratrechina longicornis.
and is considered one of the world's worst invasive ant species. A recent review of the genus in the open access Journal of Hymenoptera Research announces the discovery of a second species P. zanjensis which presents a step forward into determining the native
Miombo is the Swahili word for the Brachystegia genus of trees which are an important tree species within miombo woodlands.
now that we know another species exist within the genus comparative studies can begin to perhaps understand the attributes that make P. longicornis such a good biological invader says Dr. John S Lapolla of Towson University USA.
and that the discovery of a new species native to Africa makes Paratrechina yet another example of an ant genus that possesses an Afro-asian distribution. explains Dr. John S. Lapolla.
The basic idea of natural selection is to pass on your genes but Hamilton pointed out in an article that revolutionized the study of social evolution that you can pass on genes by helping your relatives as well as your offspring.
Hamilton predicted that organisms ought to evolve the ability to discriminate degrees of kinship more and more finely.
Genes that made them choosy would survive to future generations because the organisms would direct help to those individuals with whom they shared the most genes.
True say evolutionary biologists David Queller Phd the Spencer T. Olin Professor of Biology in Arts
But in others such as honeybee colonies the queen mates with multiple males and so there are 17 or 20 sets of paternal genes
Lifting the veil Hamilton predicted that kin recognition might reach all the way down to genes. He said it was possible that one gene might be able to detect other organisms carrying a copy of itself.
He was right. The red fire ant for example has a gene that worker offspring can recognize
and workers with this gene kill all queens that don't have it. Genes like this one are called greenbeards
because they confer an externally visible label that allows them to spot copies of themselves
much as if every man with a certain gene dyed his beard green. But what about the mother's genes and the father's genes in an embryo?
These long have been thought to lack self-identity and to be shrouded under their own veil of ignorance the assumption being that both sets of genes work for the common good.
We now know that some genes are marked as maternal or paternal through the addition of methyl groups while they are in the egg or sperm.
As a result of marking called imprinting the veil of ignorance is lifted. Considerable evidence suggests that imprinting leads to conflict between the matrigenes
and the patrigenes in the embryo Queller said. A mouse for example can mate with more than one male
It's in the interest of the father's genes to produce large offspring that compete for maternal resources at the expense of other pups.
And it's in the interest of the mother's genes that all of her offspring survive to adulthood
Not surprisingly many of the genes that are imprinted are involved somehow in growth and metabolism. The father's trying to crank up something that causes the offspring to get more
Their further analysis also provide evidence on the ancestral status of the Indian group which holds great potential for introducing new alleles into the cultivated gene pool.
In this study researchers found that the Bt locus was delimited to a 442-kb region on chromosome 5 that harbors 67 predicted genes.
They further investigated the genomic basis of divergence among the cultivated populations for identifying genes controlling important traits.
This trait is caused by the accumulation of large amounts of Î-carotene that was reported to be controlled by a single recessive gene ore.
In this study researchers discovered a key natural variation in a Î-carotene hydroxylase gene that could be used to breed cucumber with enhanced nutritional value.
#Key genes for increasing oil content in plant leaves identifiedscientists at the U s. Department of energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have identified the key genes required for oil production and accumulation in plant leaves and other vegetative plant tissues.
Enhancing expression of these genes resulted in vastly increased oil content in leaves the most abundant sources of plant biomass-a finding that could have important implications for increasing the energy content of plant-based foods and renewable biofuel feedstocks.
The first step was to identify the genes responsible for oil production in vegetative plant tissues. Though oil isn't stored in these tissues almost all plant cells have the capacity to make oil.
but we tried to look also at different genes and enzymes said Xu. Unraveling the genesthe scientists used a series of genetic tricks to test the effects of overexpressing
or disabling genes that enable cells to make certain enzymes involved in oil production. Pumping up the factors that normally increase oil production in seeds had no effect on oil production in leaves
If you knock out (disable) the gene for an enzyme known as PDAT it doesn't affect oil synthesis in seeds
In contrast overexpressing the gene for PDAT-that is getting cells to make more of this enzyme-resulted in a 60-fold increase in leaf oil production.
if they activated the gene for oleosin along with PDAT? The result: Overexpression of the two genes together resulted in a 130-fold increase in production of leaf oil compared with control plants.
This time the oil accumulated in large clusters of tiny oleosin-coated oil droplets. Identifying the mechanismnext the scientists used radio-labeled carbon (C-14) to decipher the biochemical mechanism by which PDAT increases oil production.
Then the scientists decided to test the effects of overexpressing the newly identified oil-increasing genes (PDAT
Xu is now collaborating with Brookhaven biochemist John Shanklin to explore the potential effect of overexpressing these key genes on oil production in dedicated biomass crops such as sugarcane.
In a project which has just finished the scientists have focussed on a specific gene in pigs.
The gene SYN1 encodes the protein synapsin which is involved in communication between nerve cells. Synapsin almost exclusively occurs in nerve cells in the brain.
Parts of the gene can thus be used to control an expression of genes connected to hereditary versions of the aforementioned disorders.
The pig The SYN1 gene can with its specific expression in nerve cells be used for generation of pig models of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's.
The reason scientists bring a pig into the equation is that the pig is suited well as a model for investigating human diseases.
Before the gene was transferred from humans to pigs the scientists had to ensure that the SYN1 gene was expressed only in nerve cells.
We thus attached the relevant gene SYN1 to a gene from a jellyfish (GFP) and put it into a zebrafish in order to test the specificity of the gene explains Knud Larsen.
This is because jellyfish contain a gene that enables them to light up. This gene was transferred to the zebrafish alongside SYN1
so that the scientists could follow where in the fish activity occurred as a result of the SYN1 gene.
We could clearly see that the transparent zebrafish shone green in its nervous system as a result of the SYN1 gene from humans initiating processes in the nervous system.
We could thus conclude that SYN1 works specifically in nerve cells says Knud Larsen. The results of this investigation pave the way for the SYN1 gene being used in pig models for research into human diseases.
The pig with the human gene SYN1 can presumably also be used for research into the development of the brain and nervous system in the fetus.
I think it is interesting that the nervous system is preserved so well from an evolutionary point of view that you can observe a nerve-cell-specific expression of a pig gene in a zebrafish.
It is impressive that something that works in a pig also works in a fish says Knud Larsen.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Aarhus University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
In mammals these compounds can cause gene disruption and interfere with hormone function particularly in a developing fetus.
By fusing the genes encoding the Trxs f or m we increased the amount of recombinant protein (the albumin in this case).
Jaswinder Singh of Mcgill s Department of Plant science has identified a key gene that acts as a switch to determine how a particular plant will respond to high humidity
This switch is to be found in a key gene ARGONAUTE4 9 in the#oerna dependent DNA Methylation#pathway (Rddm.#
#oealthough in the past scientists have identified it as the pathway that regulates the way a variety of genes are expressed until now no one had made the link with PHS.#
#The Mcgill team made the discovery by using a variety of genomic and molecular tools to identify specific ARGONAUTE4 9 genes
and then compare the way that these genes are expressed in PHS resistant versus PHS susceptible varieties of wheat.#
The study#oepolymorphic homoeolog of key gene of Rddm pathway ARGONAUTE4 9 class is associated with Pre-harvest Sprouting in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)#was published just in the journal#oeplos ONE#.
and found that the children with RP carry two copies of a mutation at the dehydrodolichol diphosphate synthase (DHDDS) gene which makes the enzyme that synthesizes organic compounds called dolichols.
and found that instead of dolichol-19 the profiles from the three siblings with RP showed dolichol-18 as the dominant species. The parents who each carry one copy of the mutated DHDDS gene showed intermediate levels of dolichol-19 and higher
which genes are active and being transcribed from DNA into RNA --and genomic (DNA) data from a number of species of ants bees and wasps including bradynobaenid wasps a cuckoo wasp a spider wasp a scoliid wasp a mud dauber wasp a tiphiid wasp
The DNA from several genes of the bat parasites was sequenced at the Museum's Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics resulting in the most comprehensive evolutionary tree of life for malaria parasites of bats to date.
and safer for farm workerssince 1996 corn containing a gene that allows it to create a protein that is toxic to certain insects yet safe for human consumption has been grown in the United states
The focus thereby was on microrna--a short single-stranded RNA molecule that is now recognised as playing an important role in gene regulation.
and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has shown how temporal control of a single gene solves two problems during fruit ripening in strawberry.
When the seeds are ripe the Anr gene is turned off. This makes precursors of proanthocyanidins available for use in the production of anthocyanins the red pigments that give the mature fruit its alluring Color in their new study Thilo Fischer
Small RNAS guide gene silencing in a wide range of eukaryotic organisms. In the case of Botrytis cinerea small RNAS silence the expression of host defense genes resulting in the host plant cells being less able to resist the fungal attack.
The process is similar to how protein effectors weaken host immunity in the case of most pathogens.
RNA interference or RNAI is conserved a gene regulatory mechanism that is guided by small RNAS for silencing
(or suppressing) genes. Next Jin and colleagues plan to continue investigating if the novel mechanism they discovered also exists in other aggressive pathogens.
The newly published study--led by professor Haja Kadarmideen--is the first in the world looking at pig to human comparative genetic mapping to reveal key genes on the human genome that are known to be involved in obesity.
and eating behaviour observations on all pigs via genome wide association studies to detect eating behaviour genes--a big task equivalent to finding polar bears in a snowstorm says Kadarmideen.
This is the first study in the world looking at pig to human comparative genetic mapping to reveal key genes on the human genome (e g. on chromosomes 6 and 17) that are known to be involved in human obesity and some new genes;
and this is because they may have received different variants of eating behaviour genes which could lead to obesity.
and behavioural changes to offset the actions of these potential obesity genes concludes Kadarmideen. Story Source:
After identifying hotspots of CWR diversity globally and comparing these against the CWR species already preserved in gene banks the scientists have generated now a list of taxa in critical need of future protection.
Colin Khoury of CIAT and Wageningen University in The netherlands will discuss a recently completed inventory of CWR in the United states as well as plans for protecting these plants both in gene banks and in the wild.
The team next inserted florescence genes into each organism which caused them to glow different colors--red for speaking and green for listening.
Moreover they are involved also in gene regulation helping to down regulate the activity of certain genes.
According to the study however the life-prolonging effect is not down to gene regulation as has often been supposed in the past.
It seems that the Baoul's immune system can tolerate higher levels of the blood parasite The Baoul gene pool should be preserveda number of international research projects are attempting to breed trypanosome-tolerant cattle
The researchers used gene sequencing technology to study the transcriptome which is the collection of RNA found in the tree leaves and fruit.
The genus Progradungula to which the species studied here belongs is among the few cribellate ones in the family.
which was described already in detail by now retired arachnologist Mike gray (Australian Museum) for the only known other species of this genus P. carraensis.
#Modifying rice crops to resist herbicide prompts weedy neighbors growth spurtrice containing an overactive gene that makes it resistant to a common herbicide can pass that genetic trait to weedy rice prompting powerful growth even
This new study is a surprising example of gene flow from crops to weeds that makes weeds more vigorous even without an environmental trigger researchers say.
It s probably because the pathway regulated by this gene is so important to the plant.#
The weed-killer glyphosate sold under the brand name Roundup kills plants by inhibiting a growth-related pathway activated by the epsps gene.
Biotech companies have inserted mutated forms of a similar gene from microbes into crop plants producing#oeroundup Ready#corn
But in this study the researchers used a different method boosting activation of the native epsps gene in rice plants#a process called overexpressing#to give the plants enough strength to survive an application of herbicide.
taking the plant s own gene and ramping it up#Snow said.##oewe don t know yet
#To overexpress the native gene in rice the scientists attached a promoter to it giving the plant an extra copy of its own gene
and ensuring that the gene is activated at all times. The researchers conducted tests in rice and four strains of a relative of the same species weedy rice a noxious plant that infests rice fields around the world.
In regulated field experiments the hybrids containing the overexpressed gene produced 48 percent to 125 percent more seeds per plant than did hybrid plants with no modified genes.
if a gene gives you a lot more seeds per plant compared to controls it s likely to increase the plants fitness
because those genes would be represented at a higher percentage in future generations#Snow said. When Snow and Lu set out to study this new genetic engineering method they didn t know what to expect.#
#oewith most types of herbicide resistant genes there s no benefit to a wild plant unless the herbicide is sprayed.
She has found that genes from crop plants can persist in related weeds over many generations.
In 2002 she led a study that was the first to show that a gene artificially inserted into crop plants to fend off pests could migrate to weeds in a natural environment
This is the first study to look at all of them A previous paper had come out looking at a specific region of chromosome 6
and use the genes that we bred for in grain sorghum over the last hundred years and move them into sweet sorghum and biomass sorghum.
We think that finding those genes is going to be said critical he. Even with this complete genetic map Brown said the research is still not at the end point.
and where we've stacked the good genes. Over here we've got exotic sorghum which hasn't been improved at all yet it's where most of the genetic diversity is.
For that genetic diversity to be useful to grain sorghum we need to know where the genes are for height
or biomass sorghum researchers will need to bring in some of the genes from grain sorghum for traits like seed quality or early-season vigor.
This is the general agronomic stuff we've been breeding for not the genes for dwarfing and earliness.
Right now we're using sorghum as a model--maybe we can find sorghum genes that we can also tinker with in miscanthus
Another gene found shows that sorghum produces a huge amount of antioxidant in the outer layer of the grain.
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