news archive genetic news - March 5, 2009

March 5, 2009

your information resource in human molecular genetics

-	Caffeine Protects From UV Damage The mechanism by which caffeine may protect the skin against the damage of UV exposure is revealed in a study.
-	Antibodies That Neutralize Multiple Flu Strains Researchers have engineered human antibodies that protect animals against lethal doses of multiple strains of influenza virus.
-	Where Decisions Are Made Scientists have discovered that the process involved in decision making occurs in different areas of the brain's frontal lobe, depending on whether the decision is abstract or more concrete.
-	Childhood Abuse Permanently Modifies Stress Genes Early childhood abuse in humans can change the expression of a gene that is important for responding to stress.
-	Managing Iron Overload A growth factor involved in inducing bone formation has an unsuspected role in iron metabolism.
-	HIV Sweetly Slips By Scientists have discovered that the sugar surface of HIV looks like a normal biological complex.
-	Jump-Starting Cancer-Gene Discovery A 'jumping gene' has been harnessed to identify the genes most commonly impaired in liver tumors
-	Microbicide Curbs Virus Transmission In Monkeys A widely used antimicrobial compound can protect monkeys from infection with an HIV-like virus.
-	Solving The Mystery Of Nicotine Addiction Nicotine's ability to selectively activate its receptors in the brain, but not muscle, is explained in a study.
-	'Piggybac' To Pluripotency Researchers have induced pluripotency in human cells for the first time without using viral methods to deliver the reprogramming factors.
-	Unexpected Prion Link In Alzheimer's Disease Amyloid-beta, a protein well known for its role in Alzheimer's disease, may yield its damaging effects on neurons by binding to the cellular prion protein (PrPC).
-	The Changing Face Of HIV HIV is adapting to key elements of the human immune response.
-	How Your Genes Can Make You Fat A study reveals how having one gene linked with obesity could be making you fat.