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Scientists develop chickens that cannot spread bird flu

Fri, 01/14/2011 - 13:08 by Anter Prakash Singh

Researchers from England have claimed success in creating genetically modified chickens which do not spread bird flu.

Gene identified as spinal cord organizer

Thu, 09/09/2010 - 12:12 by Rakhi

New York -- The discovery of a single gene that organizes motor neurons in the spinal cord could lead to treatments for spinal injuries and diseases, U.S. researchers say.

Scientists at New York University, in an article in the journal Neuron, say the "master organizer" is a member of the Hox family of genes, best known for controlling the overall pattern of body development.

Humans have 39 such genes and 21 have been identified as coordinating motor neurons in the spinal cord.

In human, as in all mammals, hundreds of motor neurons are needed to control the variety of muscle cells used to coordinate movement.

Genetically modified salmon to be marketed

Mon, 07/12/2010 - 10:11 by Rakhi

Boston -- A Massachusetts company says it's close to getting federal approval to put genetically modified salmon on the market.

AquaBounty says it intends to market an "advanced hybrid" of a fast-growing Atlantic salmon that has been genetically altered with help from a Pacific Chinook salmon, McClatchy Newspapers reported Sunday.

AquaBounty's fish don't grow bigger than normal Atlantic salmon, but they grow faster.

The company achieves results by adding a growth hormone gene from the Chinook salmon along with an on-switch gene from the ocean pout, a distant relative of the salmon, to a normal Atlantic salmon's roughly 40,000 genes, McClatchy says.

Researchers identify gene responsible for Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome

Thu, 03/11/2010 - 15:19 by Neha Gupta

In a notable study, scientists claim to have identified the gene mutations associated with Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome, an inherited disorder hampering the touch sensation of limbs, hands and feet.

Gene that controls heart beat discovered

Tue, 01/12/2010 - 02:18 by harsheeb

London -- Discovery of a gene that regulates heart beat could lead to new treatments for cardiac rhythm disturbances, British researchers said.

Researchers at Imperial College London say the gene SCN10A controls electric signals to the heart.

Damage or mutations to the gene increase the risk of heart disease and disturbances such as ventricular fibrillation, which can cause the heart to stop beating, The Telegraph reported Monday.

Learning more about SCN10A and its variations will help scientists understand how the body's heartbeat is controlled and why some people are more susceptible to heart problems than others, said John Chambers, the study's lead author. Chambers likened genetic variation to the two sides of a coin:

Dog gene for OCD could aid humans

Tue, 01/05/2010 - 07:50 by harsheeb

Cambridge -- Discovery of a gene linked to compulsive behavior in dogs could lead to better understanding of the disorder in humans, scientists in Massachusetts said.

Scientists at the Broad Institute in Cambridge studied the DNA of 92 Doberman pinschers that displayed compulsive behavior and found a common link in a gene called Cadherin 2, The Boston Globe reported Monday, noting Cadherin 2 recently was linked to autism in humans.

The dog findings will be used to study the Cadherin 2 gene in more than 300 people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, OCD, and about 400 of their relatives, said Dr. Dennis Murphy, a researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health.

Newly discovered gene helps set body clock

Thu, 11/05/2009 - 00:18 by harsheeb

London -- British scientists say they have identified a gene that's critical in the fruit fly for synchronizing its temperature cycle with that of its environment.

The scientists, led by Ralf Stanewsky of Queen Mary University of London, said "clock cells" in the brain must be synchronized each day with cycles in the environment to prevent the clocks from running too fast or too slow.

The researchers demonstrated circadian clock cells in the brains of fruit flies that were separated from the body failed to synchronize with environmental temperature cycles. In contrast, the scientists found clock cells can readily synchronize with light-dark cycles even when the brain has no connection to the fly's body.

Gene may give insight into lung cancer

Mon, 04/20/2009 - 11:21 by Salinder Kumar

Cincinnati -- Researchers at the University of Cincinnati say they have identified a gene that may help recognize who has a greater risk of developing lung cancer.

Cancer biologist and research team head Marshall Anderson said the gene, dubbed RGS17, may serve as a warning sign for people at an enhanced risk for developing the potentially deadly disease, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Saturday.

"A proven genetic test could help us identify people at risk before the disease progresses," Anderson said of his group's discovery.

The genetics finding could significantly help young smokers who possess the gene as they would likely be at a higher risk of lung cancer if they continued smoking, Anderson added.

Doubling gene produces giant corn biomass

Thu, 03/05/2009 - 07:06 by Rakhi Kaptiyal

Champaign, Ill. -- A U.S. geneticist says doubling a certain gene in corn produces giant biomass that yields corn that makes good silage and also can be a good energy crop.

University of Illinois plant geneticist Stephen Moose said the gene -- Glossy 15 -- was originally described for its role in giving corn seedlings a waxy coating that acts like a sun screen for the young plant. Since subsequent studies showed the main function of Glossy15 is to slow shoot maturation, Moose said he wondered what would happen if they doubled the gene.

"What happens is that you get bigger plants, possibly because they're more sensitive to the longer days of summer," he said. "We put a corn gene back in the corn and increased its activity. So, it makes the plant slow down and gets much bigger at the end of the season."