news archive September 2007

• Scientists Suggest New Pathway Causing Cell Death in Dementia
  A cascade of events begins with a mutation in the gene progranulin (PGRN) located on chromosome 17 has been shown to cause cell death in dementia.
  
• NIH-Funded Scientists Solve Genetic Code of Parasitic Worm that Causes Elephantiasis
  The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 40 million people around the world are seriously incapacitated and disfigured by elephantiasis. The "B. malayi" genome reveals dozens of potential new targets for drugs or vaccines.
  
• New Publication Helps African Americans "Make the Kidney Connection"
  National Kidney Disease Education Program Creates New Brochure for African Americans at Risk for Kidney Disease
  
• Scientists Identify Cause of Job's Syndrome
  Job's syndrome makes the immune system extremely sensitive to invading microbes. Sequencing STAT3 in patients revealed that mutations in the gene cause Job's syndrome.
  

• Serotonin And The Brain
  Serotonin is used faster in the winter by people suffering from seasonal depression when compared with a control group.
  
• The Political Brain
  People with a more liberal outlook may have a greater sensitivity to cues signalling the need to change a habitual response.
  
• Many Targets -- One Tube
  Paper presents a strategy to increase the number of targets that are amplified in one PCR reaction.
  
• Delicate And Dynamic Immunological Equilibrium
  Immune cells patrolling the microbe-rich intestine are able to 'tolerate' harmless microorganisms, while attacking and eliminating potentially dangerous pathogens.
  
• Dialling Up Damage Responders
  Certain cells of the immune system more readily tolerate damage to their genes than do other cells.
  
• Stem Cells Have Nervous Impulses
  Blood stem cells become activated in response to signals released by nerve cells.
  
• Muscle Metabolism And Human Evolution
  A variant of a gene associated with elite athletic performance has been subject to strong, recent positive selection in humans.
  
• Diet Shapes The Human Genome
  Human populations that have high starch diets have an increase in the number of copies of a gene whose product breaks down starch.
  
• Watching Protein-Cutting Enzymes In Action
  The activity of proteases -- enzymes that cut other proteins and are important in diseases such as AIDS and cancer -- can be imaged in living animals with 'smart probes.'
  
• A Rose By Any Other Gene
  Genetic variation in just one single odorant receptor can affect an individual's experience of smells, as well as their sensitivity to them.
  
• SYNERGY Sheds Light On Gene Evolution
  A new method that maps the detailed evolutionary history of gene duplication and loss is revealed.
  
• Clue To HIV Vaccine Success
  Scientists report that the protective effect of a neutralizing human antibody is not only due to the antibody's neutralizing activity, but also to antiviral responses due to the antibody's ability to bind to Fc receptors on effector cells.
  

• Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Genetic Testing: A Two Year Follow-Up Study in Patients with Asthma, Diabetes Mellitus and Cardiovascular Disease
  The finding that more perceived social genetic knowledge results in more reluctance can be considered an indicator for the necessity of social debates on genetic testing.
  
• What do Patients Prefer?: Informed Consent Models for Genetic Carrier Testing
  Eight high-literacy focus groups were conducted to assess the knowledge and preferences of pregnant patients and their male partners
  
• Psychological Follow-up of Presymptomatic Genetic Testing for Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 2 (SCA2) in Cuba
  In a prospective study, psychological instruments were used to evaluate depression, anxiety and family functioning (1) before testing and (2) one year after disclosure of the test result.
  
• Neurofibromatosis Type 1 in Genetic Counseling Practice: Recommendations of the NSGC
  The objective of this document is to provide recommendations for the genetic counseling of patients and families undergoing evaluation for neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) or who have received a diagnosis of NF1.
  

• Evidence of the Regenerative Capacity of Pancreatic ß Cells In Diabetic Mice
  Mice recover from experimentally induced diabetes via enhanced ß-cell proliferation that is inhibited by commonly used immune suppressants.
  

• Coming Together: tDNAs, RNA pol III and chromatid cohesion
  Familiar players facilitate mitotic chromosomal segregation
  
• Genetics of Imatinib Resistance in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
  Drug sensitivity is modulated by tumor's microenvironment
  

• Do these genes make me look fat?
  Researchers say a single 'skinny gene' regulates fat deposition and points the way to therapies for obesity and diabetes
  

• HIV Treatment Changes Body Shape
  The emerging side effects of HIV treatment and their implications for patients are reviewed (Free article).
  
• New Drug To Treat Schizophrenia
  A clinical trial describes a drug that works effectively in people with schizophrenia by targeting glutamate-mediated neurotransmission.
  
• Stop That Itch!
  Immune cells in the skin secrete a chemical that limits the inflammatory response to poison ivy and sunburn.
  
• Restraining Allergic Responses
  A cellular process crucial for preventing allergy is presented in a paper published online.
  
• The Genetics Of Human Height
  A variant in a gene called HMGA2 is associated with differences in adult and childhood height in the general population.
  
• A Three-In-One Approach To Cancer Vaccines
  A single chemical structure that incorporates three vaccine components could prove powerful in treating cancer.
  
• Development And Disease Focus
  The September 2007 issue of Nature Cell Biology focuses on Development and Disease, and includes a series of six FREE articles highlighting how development gone awry can cause disease.
  
• Adult Stem Cell With Muscle
  A ready source of muscle progenitor cells might be useful for treating diseases that involve muscle atrophy, such as muscular dystrophy.
  
• Human Embryonic Stem Cells Do A Heart Good
  Heart attacks may respond to treatment with cells derived from human embryonic stem (ES) cells.
  
• Prion Structure Unfolds
  Researchers have discovered how structural changes between different prion strains can influence their infectivity and change the phenotypes they cause.
  
• MicroRNA Involved In Embryonic Patterning
  MicroRNAs, small single-stranded RNA molecules that help regulate gene expression, may have an important role in embryonic patterning.
  
• Type 2 Diabetes All In The Mind?
  The brain may have a previously unrecognized role in type 2 diabetes.
  
• New Method Sets Stem Cells Apart
  Researchers have devised a way to distinguish between two similar, yet vitally different, proliferative cell types found in the developing brain.
  
• Mouse Model Of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
  An unusually anxious, compulsively overgrooming mouse is presented as a possible model for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
  

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