news archive genetic news - November 29, 2005

November 29, 2005

your information resource in human molecular genetics

-	Alzheimer's Vaccine Reviewed A controversial vaccine that was the subject of a halted trial to prevent cognitive decline in Alzheimer's patients could have the potential to be reformulated to eliminate its toxicity while retaining the benefits.
-	A Silent Killer Scientists suggest a mechanism that may selectively silence the electrical activity of dopamine producing neurons.
-	Remote-Controlled Gene Delivery Synthetic gene-delivery system has great implications for the development of targeted gene therapy based on non-viral systems.
-	Visualizing Suppression Of Autoimmune Disease Scientists have devised a way to view how autoimmunity is averted.
-	Perfect Fit For Immune Recognition Mice lacking a particular enzyme exhibit abnormal immune responses, resulting from a less than perfect fit of protein bits displayed to immune cells.
-	Activating Smoothened Scientists report on the protein target of a small molecule known to induce stem cell differentiation.
-	Polycystic Kidney Disease Unravelled New results unravel how two mutated genes operate in causing abnormal cell proliferation in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).
-	DISC1, Neuronal Development And Schizophrenia A change in the function of a protein in the cerebral cortex may contribute to the subtle neuronal defects observed in the brains of patients with schizophrenia.
-	siRNA-Based Microbicide Stops Herpes Scientists have developed a microbicide that protects mice against the lethal genital herpesvirus (HSV-2).
-	Molecular Diagnosis Of Human Cancer Type By Gene Expression Profiles And Independent Component Analysis Scientists have devised a novel pattern recognition procedure based on independent component analysis (ICA).
-	Analysis Of Four Neuroligin Genes As Candidates For Autism Researchers conclude that neuroligin mutations most probably represent rare causes of autism.
-	Mutation Analysis Of The WFS1 Gene In Seven Danish Wolfram Syndrome Families; Four New Mutations Identified Four new mutations have been identified in the WFS1 gene associated with autosomal recessive (AR) wolfram syndrome (WS).
-	The Phenotype Of Second And Third Toe Syndactyly Maps To Chromosome 3p21.31 The authors propose to group the type I syndactyly condition into four subtypes, which are all autosomal dominantly inherited.
-	Novel And De Novo Mutations Of The IRF6 Gene Detected In Patients With Van Der Woude Or Popliteal Pterygium Syndrome Scientists report 10 mutations in Van der Woude (VWS) and popliteal pterygium syndrome (PPS) genes.
-	Mutation Spectrum Leading To An Attenuated Phenotype In Dystrophinopathies Study characterizes mRNA changes associated with five novel point mutations giving rise to a Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) phenotype.