 |
|
Cracking the genetic code for control of gene expression
January 13, 2006Molecular biologists, developmental biologists and computer scientists at the Universtity of Helsinki, Finland, came together to advance towards cracking the code for how gene expression is controlled. The results of this work are published in Cell, in January 2006.
A genome milestone was reached in 2001 when sequencing of the human genome was completed. This has been followed by complete chemical read-outs of DNA sequence for several species, for example mouse, dog, cow and chicken, in the recent years. But without a code or 'grammar' to reveal the message behind the sequence, the genomic DNA is merely a list of millions and millions of base pairs, A's, C's, G's and T's one after the other.
Based on the universal code by which DNA encodes amino acids, we can make sense of the constantly increasing amout of DNA sequence data as far as it encodes proteins. This code was solved in 1966 and it has allowed researchers to find new genes and estimate the total number of genes in the human genome. However, coding sequence covers only about 1.2% of the human genome. New codes and grammatical rules need to be resolved in order to understand the remaining 98.8% of the genome.
It is evident that genes are expressed in tightly controlled spatial and temporal patterns but we do not know the code by which the expression is regulated. In this post-genomic era, the next big goal is to decipher the genetic code of regulation of gene expression.
At the University of Helsinki the researchers have been interested in sequences which regulate gene expression. The research group, led by professor Jussi Taipale, Ph.D, has defined the binding specificities of several transcription factors. Transcription factors are DNA-binding proteins which are required to activate gene expression. In collaboration biologists and computer scientists designed a software called EEL (enhancer element locator) which searches genomic sequence for regions where many transcription factors bind DNA side by side. Finding the same region with high frequency of transcription factors in several species indicates that the DNA element regulates gene expression. The researchers showed that the predicted regulatory elements direct organ-specific expression of a marker gene in transgenic mice. Novel experimental and computational methods enabled genome-wide analysis of regulatory elements in several species.
Studying the control of gene expression is a growing area of research at the moment, likely owing to its fundamental importance to many biological processes. The findings of the Finnish scientists have implications to the study of cancer, evolution, development biology and many other areas of biology. The work revealed a potential mechanism explaining why many different genes are linked to cancer.
University of Helsinki
It is evident that genes are expressed in tightly controlled spatial and temporal patterns but we do not know the code by which the expression is regulated. In this post-genomic era, the next big goal is to decipher the genetic code of regulation of gene expression.
At the University of Helsinki the researchers have been interested in sequences which regulate gene expression. The research group, led by professor Jussi Taipale, Ph.D, has defined the binding specificities of several transcription factors. Transcription factors are DNA-binding proteins which are required to activate gene expression. In collaboration biologists and computer scientists designed a software called EEL (enhancer element locator) which searches genomic sequence for regions where many transcription factors bind DNA side by side. Finding the same region with high frequency of transcription factors in several species indicates that the DNA element regulates gene expression. The researchers showed that the predicted regulatory elements direct organ-specific expression of a marker gene in transgenic mice. Novel experimental and computational methods enabled genome-wide analysis of regulatory elements in several species.
Studying the control of gene expression is a growing area of research at the moment, likely owing to its fundamental importance to many biological processes. The findings of the Finnish scientists have implications to the study of cancer, evolution, development biology and many other areas of biology. The work revealed a potential mechanism explaining why many different genes are linked to cancer.
University of Helsinki
Gene Expression Current Events and Gene Expression News RSSIt's a gas: New discovery may lead to heartier, high-yielding plants
In a research report published in the November 2009 issue of the journal GENETICS, scientists show how a family of genes (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase, or ACS genes) are responsible for production of ethylene.
New research into the mechanisms of gene regulation
A team led by Penn State's Ross Hardison, T. Ming Chu Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has taken a large step toward unraveling how regulatory proteins control the production of gene products during development and growth.
The Protein Srebp2 Drives Cholesterol Formation in Prion-Infected Neuronal Cells Which May Promote Prion-Dependent Diseases
The regulating protein Srebp2 drives cholesterol formation, which prions need for their propagation, in prion-infected neuronal cells.
Study reveals why certain drug combinations backfire
Combination drug therapy has become a staple for treating many infections. For instance, doctors treat extensively drug resistant forms of tuberculosis with one drug that breaks down the pathogen's protective barriers and opens the door for another to deliver the deathblow.
Penn Study Provides First Clear Idea of How Rare Bone Disease Progresses
An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, is taking the first step in developing a treatment for a rare genetic disorder called fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), in which the body's skeletal muscles and soft connective tissue turns to bone, immobilizing patients over a lifetime with a second skeleton.
Why can't chimps speak?
If humans are genetically related to chimps, why did our brains develop the innate ability for language and speech while theirs did not?
Treatment to improve degenerating muscle gains strength
A study appearing in Science Translational Medicine puts scientists one step closer to clinical trials to test a gene delivery strategy to improve muscle mass and function in patients with certain degenerative muscle disorders.
BUSM researchers show dieters can experience neurobiological similarities of drug addicts
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have shown that intermittent access to foods rich in fat and sugar induces changes in the brain which are comparable to those observed in drug dependence.
FDA approved leukemia drugs shows promise in ovarian cancer cells
The drug Sprycel, approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, significantly inhibited the growth and invasiveness of ovarian cancer cells and also promoted their death, a study by researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found.
Deciphering the regulatory code
Embryonic development is like a well-organised building project, with the embryo's DNA serving as the blueprint from which all construction details are derived.
More Gene Expression Current Events and Gene Expression News Articles
 |
Regulation of Gene Expression by Gary H. Perdew (Author), Jack P. Vanden Heuvel (Author), Jeffrey M. Peters (Author) Regulation of Gene Expression: Molecular Mechanisms presents a comprehensive overview of methods and approaches for characterizing mechanisms of gene regulation. The text is appropriate both as a graduate textbook and a standard laboratory reference and provides the essential groundwork for an advanced understanding of the various mechanisms that may result in altered activity of a specific cell protein. Each of three sections explores mechanisms of gene regulation and expression, and presents methods and protocols for achieving specific experimental goals. Part I focuses on approaches for studying control of mRNA expression and determining target genes for a given transcription copy. Part II outlines the methods for determining how proteins can regulate each other by mediating... |
 |
Gene Expression and Regulation by Jun Ma (Author) This book offers a comprehensive look into the science of gene expression and regulation. Focusing on topics such as actions of nuclear receptors, RNA processing, and DNA methylation and imprinting, "Gene Expression and Regulation" is edited by a leading biologist and includes contributions by experts in the field. Presented in the following five sections, this book covers a full spectrum of topics: The History; The Machinery; The Regulators; The Genome; and Special Topics. The Machinery section covers the transcriptional apparatus and general transcription factors. The Regulators section examines selected gene-specific transcription factors important to regulating gene expression. The Genome section covers issues relevant to the behavior of the genome in relation to gene regulation. The... |
 |
The Psychobiology of Gene Expression by Ernest L. Rossi (Author) Outlines the relationship between genes and human experience. The understandings of gene expression emerging from the Human Genome Project are setting the stage for a profound expansion of our understanding of life. We are just now beginning to learn how the brain, body, and genes interact in everyday life. Here, Ernest Rossi introduces the new science of psychosocial genomics and explores how it will profoundly change our understanding of the pathways of communication among mind, body, and spirit. |
 |
Gene Regulation (BIOS Advanced Text) by David Latchman (Author) Gene regulation is an essential process in the development and maintenance of a healthy body, and as such is a central focus in both basic science and medical research. Gene Regulation, Fifth Edition, provides the student with a clear, up-to-date description of gene regulation in eukaryotes, distilling the vast and complex primary literature into a concise overview. For this fifth edition, in addition to extensive updating of existing material, sections on large-scale methodologies have been expanded, and a new section included on regulation by small interfering RNAs. More detail has been added on the role of multi-protein complexes in transcriptional activation and the discussion of the regulation of transcription factor activity by specific modifications to include acetylation... |
 |
Statistical Analysis of Gene Expression Microarray Data by Terry Speed (Editor) Although less than a decade old, the field of microarray data analysis is now thriving and growing at a remarkable pace. Biologists, geneticists, and computer scientists as well as statisticians all need an accessible, systematic treatment of the techniques used for analyzing the vast amounts of data generated by large-scale gene expression studies. And there is arguably no group better qualified to do so than the authors of this book.Statistical Analysis of Gene Expression Microarray Data promises to become the definitive basic reference in the field. Under the editorship of Terry Speed, some of the world's most pre-eminent authorities have joined forces to present the tools, features, and problems associated with the analysis of genetic microarray data. These include::"Model-based... |
 |
Gene Expression by Seed Media Group A scientific blog interested in evolutionary biology, with a particular focus on evolutionary, population and quantitative genetics. Kindle blogs are fully downloaded onto your Kindle so you can read them even when you're not wirelessly connected. And unlike RSS readers which often only provide headlines, blogs on Kindle contain full text content and images, and are updated wirelessly throughout the day. |
 |
Microarray: Gene Expression Analysis by Virendra Gomase (Author) Microarray is an authoritative work whose goal is to illuminate the crucial role of research methodology in the life sciences. Microarray book will adopt an inclusive editorial approach, encompassing fundamental and blue-sky science and have more immediate medical or commercial applications. The scope and structure of the work will reflect the multidimensional character of drug design, focusing in particular on the fundamental science of biological structures and systems, the use of chemical and biological techniques to elucidate that science, and the applications of this knowledge in areas as diverse as drug discovery. This book contains practical examples, theoretical approaches, a large number of examples and references. Complete theory related to drug design has been covered for the... |
 |
Cap-analysis Gene Expression (Cage): Genome-scale Promoter Identification and Association With Expression Profile and Regulatory Networks by Piero Carninci (Author) The output of eukaryotic genomes is much more complex than expected. Genes produce different variants of RNAs from multiple promoters. One of the ultimate targets of biological analysis is to establish a relationship between the messenger RNAs that are transcribed from the genome and the genomic regions that control their expression - the promoters - in order to decipher the networks that regulate gene expression and the transcription factors that act as master regulators of transcriptional control. Novel technologies have recently appeared that allow deciphering of transcriptional network, based on the identification of the starting site of gene transcription, with the simultaneous measurement of expression level and identification of the promoter elements.These tagging technologies... |
|
Techniques in Genetic Engineering 5: Expression of Cloned Genes [VHS] Starring: Tim Harris | |
 |
Celestial Plea by Gene Newton |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |