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Yale Researchers Find Genetic Link Between Heart Disease and Brain Aneurysms

By Guest PostNovember 25, 2011Health, ScienceAli Ozturk, aneurysms, atherosclerosis, blood vessels, brain, bursting blood vessels, cardiovascular disorders, constriction of blood vessels, DNA, elasticity, endothelin receptor, genes, genetic risk factors, heart disease, hypertension, intracranial aneurysms, Katsuhito Yasuno, Kaya Bilguvar, mehmet bakircioglu, murat gunel, Richard Lifton, Shrikant Mane, variant of gene, vasospasm, vessel spasm, vessel tone

Yale School of Medicine researchers have discovered that a variant of a gene linked to heart disease also increases the risk of deadly aneurysms of blood vessels in the brain. The discovery of this link raises hopes for new treatments for intracranial aneurysms, which affect more than a half million people worldwide annually.

“Existing drugs already target this common pathway and, in the future, could help treat or prevent aneurysms in people who are at risk,” said Murat Gunel, professor of neurosurgery, genetics and neurobiology and senior author of the study, published the week of Nov. 21 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (more…)

Scientists Identify Microbes Responsible for Consuming Natural Gas in Deepwater Horizon Spill

By Guest PostOctober 7, 2011Environmentapril spill, bacteria, cold loving bacteria, colwellia, cycloclasticus, david valentine, deepwater horizon oil spill, DNA, ecological history, ethane, geological past, gulf of mexico, methane, microbe, molly redmond, national science foundation, natural gas, oceanography, oceanospirillales, petroleum hydrocarbons, propane, psychrophilic, sequencing dna, spill, submerged plume, surface oil slicks, ucsb, university of california at santa barbara, water temperature

*Water temperature played key role*

In the results of a new study, scientists explain how they used DNA to identify microbes present in the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill–and the particular microbes responsible for consuming natural gas immediately after the spill.

Water temperature played a key role in the way bacteria reacted to the spill, the researchers found. (more…)

UCLA Study Shows Cell-Penetrating Peptides for Drug Delivery Act Like A Swiss Army Knife

By Guest PostOctober 6, 2011Health, Sciencebiomaterials, cell penetrating peptides, cells, cellular transfer, chemical molecules, cpps, cytoskeletons of cells, daniel kamei, DNA, drug carrier designs, endocytosis, endocytotic event, general recipe, gerard wong, hiv tat peptide, membrane, molecular cargoes, molecules, nano sized particles, normal peptides, swiss army knife, therapeutic agents, timothy deming

Cell-penetrating peptides, such as the HIV TAT peptide, are able to enter cells using a number of mechanisms, from direct entry to endocytosis, a process by which cells internalize molecules by engulfing them.

Further, these cell-penetrating peptides, or CPPs, can facilitate the cellular transfer of various molecular cargoes, from small chemical molecules to nano-sized particles and large fragments of DNA. Because of this ability, CPPs hold great potential as in vitro and in vivo delivery vehicles for use in research and for the targeted delivery of therapeutics to individual cells. (more…)

Life Scientists Use Novel Technique to Produce Genetic Map for African Americans

By Guest PostJuly 23, 2011Scienceafrican american, african american dna, african ancestry, african and european ancestry, african caribbeans, ancestry, bioinformatics, biological process, cag, chicago asthma genetics, chromosome, collaborative study on the genetics of asthma, csga, daniel wegmann, david reich, discover genes, disease mapping, DNA, european populations, european rate, genestar, genetic diseases in african americans, genetic map, genetic network of arteriopathy, genetic research on asthma in the africa diaspora, genetic study of atheroscleoris risk, genoa, genome, graad, high resolution genetic maps, john novembre, journal nature genetics, nelson freimer, recombination, saarp, scales of the genome, searle foundation, severe asthma research program, simon myers, snp typing for association with multiple phenotypes from existing epidemiological data, stampeed, ucla life scientists

UCLA life scientists and colleagues have produced one of the first high-resolution genetic maps for African American populations. A genetic map reveals the precise locations across the genome where DNA from a person’s father and mother have been stitched together through a biological process called “recombination.” This process results in new genetic combinations that are then passed on to the person’s children.

The new map will help disease geneticists working to map genetic diseases in African Americans because it provides a more accurate understanding of recombination rates among that population, said the senior author of the research, John Novembre, a UCLA assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and of bioinformatics. The map could help scientists learn the roots of these diseases and discover genes that play a key role in them. (more…)

Getting a Tighter Grip on Cell Division

By Guest PostNovember 25, 2010Sciencebungo akiyoshi, cell, cell division, chinese handcuff, chromosomes, DNA, genetic information, kinetochore, microtubule, sue biggins

*Molecular “machine” responsible for pulling chromosome copies apart is isolated and seen in action outside the cell*

The dance of cell division is carefully choreographed and has little room for error. Paired genetic information is lined up in the middle of the cell in the form of chromosomes. The chromosomes must then be carefully pulled apart so that the resulting daughter cells each have an identical copy of the mother cell’s DNA. (more…)

UCLA Researchers Identify Molecular Program for Brain Repair Following Stroke

By Guest PostNovember 13, 20101 commentHealth, Scienceadult brain, atrx, axons, brain, brain stroke, carmichael, cells, DNA, drug, gene, giovanni coppola, healing process, molecular cascade, mouse, neurons, peri infarct tissue, s thomas carmichael, stroke

Mouse Stroke. An MRI of a mouse brain after stroke. The mouse section has been stained to show cell bodies. Image credit: University of California

A stroke wreaks havoc in the brain, destroying its cells and the connections between them. Depending on its severity and location, a stroke can impact someone’s life forever, affecting motor activity, speech, memories, and more.

The brain makes an attempt to rally by itself, sprouting a few new connections, called axons, that reconnect some areas of the brain. But the process is weak, and the older the brain, the poorer the repair. Still, understanding the cascade of molecular events that drive even this weak attempt could lead to developing drugs to boost and accelerate this healing process.

Now researchers at UCLA have achieved a promising first step. Reporting in the current online edition of the journal Nature Neuroscience, senior author Dr. S. Thomas Carmichael, a UCLA associate professor of neurology, and colleagues have, for the first time, identified in the mouse the molecular cascade that drives the process of reconnection or sprouting in the adult brain after stroke. (more…)

Researchers Find ‘Goldilocks’ of DNA Self-Assembly

By Guest PostOctober 28, 2010Scienceabhishek singh, assembly technology, DNA, dna assisted self assembly, dna self assembling, dna self assembly, dna strands, genetic coding, genetic sequence, goldilocks, length, materials, north carolina state university, stacy snyder, university of melbourne, yara yingling

This image is a simulation snapshot of the molecular dynamics of DNA strands. Image credit: North Carolina State University

Researchers from North Carolina State University have found a way to optimize the development of DNA self-assembling materials, which hold promise for technologies ranging from drug delivery to molecular sensors. The key to the advance is the discovery of the “Goldilocks” length for DNA strands used in self-assembly – not too long, not too short, but just right.

DNA strands contain genetic coding that will form bonds with another strand that contains a unique sequence of complementary genes. By coating a material with a specific DNA layer, that material will then seek out and bond with its complementary counterpart. This concept, known as DNA-assisted self-assembly, creates significant opportunities in the biomedical and materials science fields, because it may allow the creation of self-assembling materials with a variety of applications.

But, while DNA self-assembly technology is not a new concept, it has historically faced some significant stumbling blocks. One of these obstacles has been that DNA segments that are too short often failed to self-assemble, while segments that are too long often led to the creation of deformed materials. This hurdle can lead to basic manufacturing problems, as well as significant changes in the properties of the material itself. (more…)

Scientists identify key enzyme in microbial immune system

By Guest PostSeptember 10, 20102 commentsSciencearchaea, bacteria, berkeley lab, Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repea, crispr, crrna molecule, csy4 enzyme, DNA, doudna group, genetic element, jennifer doudna, microbes, movie, nucleic acid, nucleic acid-based immune system, plasmids, rachel haurwitz, terminator

Imagine a war in which you are vastly outnumbered by an enemy that is utterly relentless – attacking you is all it does. The intro to another Terminator movie? No, just another day for microbes such as bacteria and archaea, which face a never-ending onslaught from viruses and invading strands of nucleic acid known as plasmids.

(more…)

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