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Fruit flies unlock Methuselah's secrets
January 30, 2003New research published in Genome Biology investigates genes that increase the life span of fruit flies in an effort to gain a greater understanding of the ageing process. The researchers from the University of Southern California and Harvard Medical School screened 10,000 fruit fly populations that were mutated. Their results revealed that six populations of mutant flies lived 5-17% longer than normal. Furthermore, analysis of these long-lived flies showed that the extended life span was caused by the overexpression of six different genes.
The use of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster in aging research is common as these flies are short-lived in comparison to humans but carry out many of the same biological processes. The current focus of research is on genes that increase the life span of an animal because it is difficult to disentangle changes that decrease life span from those that cause disease.
Jumping genes or transposable elements are regions of DNA that are able to move around the genome of an organism. The movement of these transposable elements can cause mutations because they interrupt a gene in another part of the genome. Gary Landis, Depak Bhole and John Tower exploited this phenomenon by using a chemically controlled transposable element that acts as an accelerator of gene expression to find mutations that could make flies live longer. Crucially, they were able to turn this acceleration on an off by feeding the flies a specific chemical and to look at the effects of the mutations in adult flies.
Their experiments revealed six fly populations that lived 5-17% longer than normal flies. Characterisation of these mutant flies showed increased expression of a different gene for each population. Interestingly the overexpressed genes were involved in a variety of fundamental cellular processes, which raises the possibility that similar effects are produced in higher organisms or even humans. The authors, however, are cautious about the implications of their findings
"Further experiments will be required to confirm the role of these genes in life-span regulation, and to determine their interactions with each other and in known or novel life-span regulatory pathways."
To read the full text of this article visit:
http://genomebiology.com/mkt/1001/2003/4/2/R8
BioMed Central Limited
Their experiments revealed six fly populations that lived 5-17% longer than normal flies. Characterisation of these mutant flies showed increased expression of a different gene for each population. Interestingly the overexpressed genes were involved in a variety of fundamental cellular processes, which raises the possibility that similar effects are produced in higher organisms or even humans. The authors, however, are cautious about the implications of their findings
"Further experiments will be required to confirm the role of these genes in life-span regulation, and to determine their interactions with each other and in known or novel life-span regulatory pathways."
To read the full text of this article visit:
http://genomebiology.com/mkt/1001/2003/4/2/R8
BioMed Central Limited
Genome Current Events and Genome News RSSMetabolic reactions: Less is more in single-celled organisms
A Northwestern University study has found a surprising similarity among four quite different organisms. The simplest organism, a bacterium called H. pylori, uses the same number of biochemical reactions (around 300) as yeast, the largest, most complex organism of the group, when optimizing growth.
Model unravels rules that govern how genes are switched on and off
For years, scientists have struggled to decipher the genetic instruction book that details where and when the 20,000 genes in a human cell will be turned on or off. Different genes operate in each cell type at different times, and this careful orchestration is what ultimately distinguishes a brain cell from a liver or skin cell.
Researchers solve piece of large-scale gene silencing mystery
A team led by Craig Pikaard, Ph.D., Washington University in St. Louis professor of biology in Arts & Sciences, has made a breakthrough in understanding the phenomenon of nucleolar dominance, the silencing of an entire parental set of ribosomal RNA genes in a hybrid plant or animal.
Plants display 'molecular amnesia'
Plant researchers from McGill University and the University of California, Berkeley, have announced a major breakthrough in a developmental process called epigenetics. They have demonstrated for the first time the reversal of what is called epigenetic silencing in plants.
Research in twins defines shared features of the human gut microbial communities: variations linked to obesity
Trillions of microbes make their home in the gut, where they help to break down and extract energy and nutrients from the food we eat. Yet, scientists have understood little about how this distinctive mix of microbes varies from one individual to the next.
Tool Helps Identify Gene Function in Soybeans, Could Lead to Better Crop Performance, say MU Researchers
In the race for bioengineered crops, sequencing the genome could be considered the first leg in a multi-leg relay.
Ice beetles impacted by climate change
In the summer of 1968, Dave Kavanaugh set off on a hike that would change the course of his life. As a second-year medical student at the University of Colorado, he had joined a climbing club with a few members of the biophysics department, and the group had set their sights on Gray's Peak-the ninth highest mountain in Colorado.
Stanford blood scanner detects even faint indicators of cancer
A team led by Stanford researchers has developed a prototype blood scanner that can find cancer markers in the bloodstream in early stages of the disease, potentially allowing for earlier treatment and dramatically improved chances of survival.
CSHL scientists discover a new way in which epigenetic information is inherited
Hereditary information flows from parents to offspring not just through DNA but also through the millions of proteins and other molecules that cling to it.
Solar-Powered Sea Slugs Live Like Plants
The lowly sea slug, "Elysia chlorotica," may not seem like the most exciting of creatures, but don't be fooled: it behaves like a plant and is solar-powered, says a Texas A&M University biologist who has been studying these tiny creatures for the past decade and, along with collaborators from several universities, has identified a possible cause of their ability to behave like plants.
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