Tag: Genetics
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Home genetic tests: how accurate are they?
Researchers at Ambry Genetics Corp analyzed how accurate direct-to-consumer genetic tests are in highlighting specific genetic variants. They found test raw data was incorrectly reported and could not be verified by further diagnostic laboratory tests in around 40% of the cases. These findings based on a small sample of 49 patients are reported in journal…
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Researchers find possible link between autism and nuclear receptor protein LXRβ
Research by University of Houston scientists discovered a possible link between nuclear receptor protein LXRβ (Liver X receptor Beta) and autism spectrum disorder. They found that nuclear receptor LXRβ deletion causes poor development of dentate gyrus, a part of brain’s hippocampus. The dentate gyrus, or DG, is responsible for emotion and memory and is known…
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Research shows key role of FoxO proteins in osteoarthritis development
Research from scientists at The Scripps Research Institute explains why the risk of osteoarthritis increases as we age and offers a potential avenue for developing new treatments. The study’s findings suggest that FOXO proteins are responsible for the maintenance of healthy cells in the cartilage of our joints. The results are published in journal Science…
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Animal study finds MeXis gene protective against coronary artery disease
UCLA scientists have identified a gene called MeXis that may play a protective role in preventing heart disease. Their findings suggests that this gene acts within macrophages inside clogged arteries to help remove excess cholesterol from blood vessels by controlling cholesterol pump protein expression. Research is published in the journal Nature Medicine. MeXis is an…
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New cellular data recording technology utilizing CRISPR
Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have modified bacterial immune system of human gut microbe Escherichia coli, enabling the bacteria to not only record their interactions with the environment but also time-stamp the events. They have turned bacteria into a microscopic data recorder, creating groundwork for a new class of technologies that could use bacterial…
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National Institutes of Health to expand ENCODE project
The National Institutes of Health plans to expand its Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) Project, a genomics resource used by many scientists to study human health and disease. Funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of NIH, the ENCODE Project is generating a catalog of all the genes and regulatory elements the…
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Research in mice shows molecular mechanism underlying Oxycodone addiction
RGS9-2, a key signaling protein in the brain known to play a critical role in the development of addiction-related behaviors, acts as a positive modulator of oxycodone reward in both pain-free and chronic pain states, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.…
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Concussion and Alzheimer’s disease link
New research has found concussions accelerate Alzheimer’s disease-related brain atrophy and cognitive decline in people who are at genetic risk for the condition. The findings, which appear in the journal Brain, show promise for detecting the influence of concussion on neurodegeneration. Brain. Ashton University Moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury is one of the strongest environmental risk…
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Similar epigenetic mark found in brain cells of different types of autism disorder
UCLA scientists and their colleagues have found evidence that an abnormal pattern of brain cells is common in people with different types of autism disorders. The abnormal pattern discovered in the study, reported in journal Cell, concerns a certain type of “epigenetic mark,” a chemical modification that occurs frequently on chromosomes and helps regulate the…
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