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Public Release: 20-Nov-2009
 GeneticsIt's a gas: New discovery may lead to heartier, high-yielding plants In a research report in the November 2009 journal Genetics, scientists show how a family of genes (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase, or ACS genes), in the weed Arabidopsis thaliana, are responsible for production of ethylene. This gas affects many aspects of plant development, and this information, which will be applicable to other plants, lays the foundation for future genetic manipulation that could make plants disease resistant, able to survive and thrive in difficult terrain, and increase yields. Contact: Tracey DePellegrin Connelly
Public Release: 20-Nov-2009
PLoS GeneticsGenetic analysis helps dissect molecular basis of cardiovascular disease Using highly precise measurements of plasma lipoprotein concentrations determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, researchers performed genetic association analysis across the whole genome among 17,296 women of European ancestry. This large scale analysis of the effects of common genetic variation on plasma lipoprotein profile, a critical component of cardiovascular risk, identified 43 genetic loci contributing to lipoprotein metabolism. The findings are published on Nov. 20 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics. Contact: Tamsin Milewicz
Public Release: 20-Nov-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesResearchers identify role of gene in tumor development, growth and progression Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine researchers have identified a gene that may play a pivotal role in two processes that are essential for tumor development, growth and progression to metastasis. Contact: Sathya Achia Abraham
Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
Journal of Experimental MedicineUAB researchers discover antibody receptor identity, propose renaming immune-system gene In what has eluded discovery for 30 years, scientists have identified a cellular receptor for the immune system's first-response antibody immunoglobulin M (IgM). The proposed name is the Fc mu receptor gene; it describes a key region of the IgM antibody that binds this receptor and fills in a crucial gap in understanding the science behind immune deficiencies and allergy diseases, says UAB researchers. Contact: Troy Goodman
Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
ScienceNew maize map to aid plant breeding efforts A massive survey of genetic diversity in maize has produced a gene map that should pave the way to significant improvements in a plant that is a major source of food, fuel, animal feed and fiber around the world. 
National Science Foundation, US Department of Agriculture
Contact: Pat Bailey
Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
ScienceNew map of variation in maize genetics holds promise for developing new varieties A new study of maize has identified thousands of diverse genes in genetically inaccessible portions of the genome. New techniques may allow breeders and researchers to use this genetic variation to identify desirable traits and create new varieties that were not easily possible before.
National Science Foundation, US Department of Agriculture
Contact: Blaine Friedlander
Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
Plant PhysiologyMaize cell wall genes identified, giving boost to biofuel research Purdue University scientists have helped identify and group the genes thought to be responsible for cell wall development in maize, an effort that expands their ability to discover ways to produce the biomass best suited for biofuels production. Contact: Brian Wallheimer
Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
Genome ResearchNew research into the mechanisms of gene regulation A team of scientists led by Penn State's Ross Hardison has taken a large step toward unraveling how regulatory proteins control the production of gene products during development and growth. They focused specifically on the complex process of producing red blood cells (erythrocytes). These cells contain large amounts of hemoglobin, a molecule essential for transporting oxygen throughout the body. The research results could help in the development of important new therapies to combat sickle-cell disease.
National Institutes of Health, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Contact: Barbara K. Kennedy
Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
Nature GeneticsCausative gene of a rare disorder discovered by sequencing only protein-coding regions of genome More that 7,000 rare disorders in aggregate affect millions of people. Researchers have now shown that it may be possible to more quickly identify the causative gene for many of these disorders by sequencing only the protein-coding regions of the genome. This can be done on unrelated individuals, thereby avoiding the need for large families for such studies.
NIH/Eunice Kennedy Shriver Nationa Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH/National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH/National Human Genome Institute, National Institutes of Health, Washington Life Sciences Discovery Fund, others
Contact: Leila Gray
Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
PLoS ONEUnknowlingly consuming endangered tuna New DNA barcoding from the Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics at the American Museum of Natural History shows that nearly a third of the tuna plated in sushi restaurants was bluefin -- even if it was not labeled bluefin on the menu.
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Richard Lounsbery Foundation
Contact: Kristin Elise Phillips
Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
Developmental CellTechnique finds gene regulatory sites without knowledge of regulators A new statistical technique developed by researchers at the University of Illinois allows scientists to scan a genome for specific gene-regulatory regions without requiring prior knowledge of the relevant transcription factors. The technique has been experimentally validated in both the mouse genome and the fruit fly genome.
National Institutes of Health, Illinois Sociogenomics Initiative, Leukemia Research Fund, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Contact: James E. Kloeppel
Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
ScienceReference genome of maize, most important US crop, is published by team co-led by CSHL scientists A four-year, multi-institutional effort co-led by three Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory scientists culminated today in publication of a landmark series of papers in the journal Science revealing in unprecedented detail the DNA sequence of maize. Maize, or corn, as it is commonly called by North American consumers, is one of the world's most important plants and the most valuable agricultural crop grown in the United States, representing $47 billion in annual value.
National Science Foundation, US Department of Agriculture, US Department of Defense
Contact: Peter Tarr
Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
Eukaryotic CellWPI researchers take aim at hard-to-treat fungal infections Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute have developed a new model system to study fungal infections. The system can be a powerful tool for screening potential drug targets for conditions like thrush, athlete's foot and vaginal yeast infections, which affect millions of people each year but are difficult to treat with existing medications. Using the new model, the researchers also identified a gene that may be a promising target for a new anti-fungal drug. Contact: Michael Cohen
Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
ScienceScientists unlock clues for tailoring corn plant for food, energy needs Scientists have long known that the offspring of two inbred strains tend to be superior to both their parents. Now, a team of researchers including a University of Florida geneticist has discovered clues to why that might be the case for one of the most important crops in the world: corn. Contact: Brad Barbazuk
Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
Genome BiologyAncestry attracts, but love is blind People preferentially marry those with similar ancestry, but their decisions are not necessarily based on hair, eye or skin color. Research, published in BioMed Central's open-access journal Genome Biology, shows that Mexicans mate according to proportions of Native-American to European ancestry, while Puerto Ricans are more likely to settle down with someone carrying a similar mix of African and European genes. Contact: Graeme Baldwin
Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
ScienceSchizophrenia gene's role may be broader, more potent, than thought UCSF scientists studying nerve cells in fruit flies have uncovered a new function for a gene whose human equivalent may play a critical role in schizophrenia. Contact: Jennifer O'Brien
Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
PLoS GeneticsPLoS Genetics 2009 maize genome collection Maize is an important crop in many countries of the world. It is widely used for human consumption, animal feed and industrial materials. It also is considered an exemplar plant species for studying domestication, molecular evolution and genome architecture. The authors of the research presented in this special collection used the first description of the B73 maize genome to probe some of the most intriguing questions in genetics and plant biology. Contact: Tamsin Milewicz
Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
ScienceSweet corn story begins in UW-Madison lab This week, scientists are revealing the genetic instructions inside corn, one of the big three cereal crops. Corn, or maize, has one of the most complex sequences of DNA ever analyzed, says University of Wisconsin-Madison genomicist David Schwartz, who was one of more than 100 authors in the article in the journal Science. Contact: David C. Schwartz
Public Release: 19-Nov-2009
ScienceAmaizing: Corn genome decoded In recent years, scientists have decoded the DNA of humans and a menagerie of creatures but none with genes as complex as a stalk of corn, the latest genome to be unraveled. A team of scientists led by the Genome Center at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis published the completed corn genome in the Nov. 20 journal Science, an accomplishment that will speed efforts to develop better crop varieties to meet the world's growing demands for food, livestock feed and fuel.
National Science Foundation, US Department of Agriculture, US Department of Energy
Contact: Caroline Arbanas
Public Release: 18-Nov-2009
Molecular & Cellular ProteomicsBeyond genomics, biologists and engineers decode the next frontier A team of biologists and engineers has dramatically improved the speed and accuracy of measuring histones, an enigmatic set of proteins that influences almost every aspect of how cells and tissues function. The new method offers a long-sought tool for studying stem cells, cancer and other problems of fundamental importance to biology and medicine.
National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, American Society for Mass Spectrometry, US Environmental Protection Agency
Contact: Steven Schultz
Public Release: 18-Nov-2009
NatureUCR plant scientist's research spawns new discoveries showing how crops survive drought Breakthrough research done earlier this year by a UC Riverside plant cell biologist has greatly accelerated scientists' knowledge on how plants and crops can survive difficult environmental conditions like drought. In only months since the discovery, six research papers in prestigious journals such as Science and Nature have been published that build on his work, a testament to the interest among plant scientists to nail down how exactly the stress signaling pathway works in plants.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Iqbal Pittalwala
Public Release: 18-Nov-2009
PLoS ONENew research helps explain why bird flu has not caused a pandemic Bird flu viruses would have to make at least two simultaneous genetic mutations before they could be transmitted readily from human to human, according to research published today in PLoS ONE. Contact: Lucy Goodchild
Public Release: 17-Nov-2009
Archives of Internal MedicineNutrigenomics researchers replicate gene interaction with saturated fat Tufts University researchers have identified a gene-diet interaction that appears to influence body weight and have replicated their findings in three independent studies. Men and women carrying the CC genotype demonstrated higher body mass index scores and a higher incidence of obesity, but only if they consumed a diet high in saturated fat. These associations were seen in the apolipoprotein A-II gene promoter.
National Institutes of Health, US Department of Agriculture, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición
Contact: Andrea Grossman
Public Release: 17-Nov-2009
DevelopmentOn your last nerve: NC State researchers advance understanding of stem cells Researchers from North Carolina State University have identified a gene that tells embryonic stem cells in the brain when to stop producing nerve cells called neurons. The research is a significant advance in understanding the development of the nervous system, which is essential to addressing conditions such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders. Contact: Matt Shipman
Public Release: 17-Nov-2009
JAMAStudy examines challenges of diagnosing neurofibromatosis type 1–like syndrome An analysis of patients with a syndrome similar to the genetic disorder, neurofibromatosis type 1, indicates that diagnosis may be difficult because of shared clinical findings, such as certain pigmentary characteristics, according to a study in the Nov. 18 issue of JAMA. Contact: Troy Goodman
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