news archive genetic news - March 21, 2007

March 21, 2007

your information resource in human molecular genetics

-	Whole Genome Association Reveals Schizophrenia Gene A genetic basis for schizophrenia found on both the X and Y chromosomes, is presented.
-	A Potential Therapeutic Agent For Retinoblastoma A natural agent derived from the bark of the South-American lapacho tree inhibits growth and induces cell death in human retinoblastoma cell lines.
-	Novel Pathway For Antibiotics-induced Cell Death Scientists have identified unforeseen mechanisms by which quinolones - a family of broad-spectrum antibiotics among the most widely prescribed - induce bacterial cell death.
-	Green Tea May Help To Fight Lung Cancer A possible mechanism for green tea's anticancer activities is reported.
-	Laying Sleeping Sickness To Rest The parasite that leads to sleeping sickness can be lulled to sleep itself using a newly discovered pathway.
-	Jumonji Family Removing The Mark Two papers identify a sought-after regulator of 'marks' on the chromatin that are associated with whether the genes are switched on or off.
-	How Stress Causes Anxiety In Adolescent Mice Stress may cause anxiety in adolescents due to an atypical response to a neurosteroid.
-	A Cheap Alternative For Large Scale RNA Interference Screens A cost-effective resource for RNA interference (RNAi) that allows the effective reduction of gene expression is presented.
-	Bacteria-mediated Immune System Paralysis How the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, a leading cause of hospital-related infections, disables the immune system is described.
-	Understanding Cancer Spread A signalling pathway that enhances the formation of metastases in a mouse model of prostate cancer has been identified.
-	Cancer Genomes Probed Biologists have sequenced over 500 protein kinase genes found in 210 diverse human cancers and identified over 1,000 different mutations.
-	Transcription Factor SIX5 Is Mutated In Patients With Branchio-Oto-Renal Syndrome Study identified heterozygous mutations in the second member of the SIX family of proteins, unc-39 (SIX5), as a novel cause of Branchio-oto-renal syndrome.
-	Most Rare Missense Alleles Are Deleterious In Humans Results imply that mutation-selection balance may be a feasible evolutionary mechanism underlying some common diseases.
-	Kalirin Gene: A Novel Candidate Gene For Coronary Artery Disease Data suggest the importance of the KALRN gene and the Rho GTPase–signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of Coronary Artery Disease.
-	Gene Therapy Progress And Prospects: Ultrasound For Gene Transfer Ultrasound exposure in the presence of microbubbles (MCB) increases plasmid transfection efficiency in vitro by several orders of magnitude.
-	Sotos Syndrome The NSD1 mutational spectrum has been defined, the phenotype of Sotos syndrome clarified and diagnostic and management guidelines developed.
-	Evidence Of A Spinal Motor Neuron Neurotrophic Factor Pleiotrophin, or heparin binding neurotrophic factor, promotes regeneration of peripheral nerve axons after sciatic nerve transaction.