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A new kind of mutation could explain numerous phenotypic variations in various species
June 06, 2006The authors describe the discovery of a novel class of mutations that disrupt the function of a gene and thereby cause a specific phenotype. The mutation created the appearance of an "illegitimate" microRNA (miRNA) recognition site in a gene that did not have it in its normal form. In this study, the gene concerned is the myostatin. This gene is expressed in the skeletal muscle and the function of the derived protein is to inhibit muscular growth. The mutation discovered among sheep exposed a recognition site for two miRNAs that are highly expressed in the muscle. In "mutant" animals, these miRNAs will consequently target the myostatin gene and block its translation. The result is that the absence of myostatin provokes a muscular hypertrophy among Texel sheep.
A mechanism observed in other species as well
However, Michel Georges' team investigated further. Pursuing the study using bioinformatic approaches, the team identified polymorphisms (common mutations) among humans and mice that are likely to act in the same way as they do in the Texel breed. It appears, therefore, that this new kind of mutation, discovered while studying sheep, could contribute significantly to the phenotypic variation observed in many species — among which humans — including the hereditary predisposition to various diseases.
Researchers at ULg have thus produced a database available online that compiles all these mutations (the Patrocles database: http://www.patrocles.org). It will assist researchers around the world in discovering similar phenomena for other phenotypes including hereditary diseases.
University of Liege
Researchers at ULg have thus produced a database available online that compiles all these mutations (the Patrocles database: http://www.patrocles.org). It will assist researchers around the world in discovering similar phenomena for other phenotypes including hereditary diseases.
University of Liege
A Genome May Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
With the costs of genome sequencing rapidly decreasing, and with the infrastructure now developed for almost anyone with access to a computer to cheaply store, access, and analyze sequence information, emphasis is increasingly being placed on ways to apply genome data to real world problems, including reducing dependency on fossil fuel.
Left main coronary artery disease can double or treble heart risk in siblings
German researchers have found that heart disease of the left main coronary artery is often an inherited condition that clusters in families. Moreover, they discovered that initially healthy siblings of a person with the condition were 2.5 times more likely to go on to develop some form of heart disease than were siblings of a patient with heart disease that did not relate to the left main coronary artery.
New technology used to construct the first map of structural variation in the human genome
Beyond the simple stream of one-letter characters in the human genome sequence lies a complex, higher-order code. In order to decipher this level of architecture, scientists have developed powerful new experimental and algorithmic methods to detect copy number variants (CNVs)-defined as large deletions and duplications of DNA segments.
Chimpanzee study reveals genome variation hotspots
Researchers believe that dynamic regions of the human genome - "hotspots" in terms of duplications and deletions - are potentially involved in the rapid evolution of morphological and behavioral characteristics that are genetically determined.
Environmental triggers may promote human genetic variation
In this month's issue of the leading scientific journal Genome Research, scientists from Kyushu University report how environmentally damaged DNA may contribute to human genetic diversity.
More Phenotypic Variation Current Events and Phenotypic Variation News Articles
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PHENOTYPE AND PHENOTYPIC VARIATION: An entry from Gale's World of Microbiology and Immunology by Gale (Publisher) This digital document is an article from World of Microbiology and Immunology, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses. The length of the article is 389 words. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Covers the concepts, theories, discoveries, and pioneers in microbiology and immunology, using a mix of traditional academic and topical articles, this title addresses current ethical, legal, and social issues with special emphasis given to biological warfare and terrorism. | |
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Phenotypic Variation in Populations:Relevance to Risk Assessment (Basic Life Sciences) by Avril Woodhead (Editor) | |
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Cells, Embryos, and Evolution: Towards a Cellular and Developmental Understanding of Phenotypic Variation and Evolutionary Adaptability. Eileen Starr Moderbacher: Illustrations and cover design. by John & Marc KIRSCHNER. GERHART (Author) | |
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Plant Diversity and Evolution: Genotypic and Phenotypic Variation in Higher Plants by Robert J. Henry (Editor) An understanding of plant diversity at both the genome and phenome level is important for both biodiversity conservation and plant breeding. Recent advances in genomics have also resulted in a growth of the subject of plant functional genomics. This book brings these areas together, by reviewing aspects of plant evolution as it relates to variation in plant genomes and associated variations in plant phenomes. Topics covered include chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes, reticulate evolution. Polyploidy, population genetics within a species, the evolution of the flower, diversity in plant cell walls and in secondary metabolism, and the importance of plant diversity in ecology and agriculture. Contributors include leading authorities from Europe, the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand. |
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Genetic Variation and Phenotypic Plasticity in Body Traits of Nestling Blue Tits (Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations, 488) by Camilla Kunz (Author) | |
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Phenotypic variation in oak litter influences short- and long-term nutrient cycling through litter chemistry [An article from: Soil Biology and Biochemistry] by M.D. Madritch (Author), M.D. Hunter (Author) This digital document is a journal article from Soil Biology and Biochemistry, published by Elsevier in 2005. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Description: The influence of intraspecific variation on ecosystem functioning is relatively unknown. We investigated the effects of litter phenotype on carbon and nitrogen fluxes in the litter and soil, and on microarthropod and bacterial populations over a 3-year period. Different litter phenotypes significantly affected carbon and nitrogen fluxes. Short- and long-term fluxes within single phenotype treatments were significantly, but unpredictably, different from a mixed phenotype treatment. Fluxes were associated... |
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Historical explanations of phenotypic variation in the plethodontid salamander Gyrinophilus porphyriticus. (Professional Communications).(Brief Article): ... of the North Dakota Academy of Science by Christopher K. Adams, Dean C. Beachy (Author) This digital document is an article from Proceedings of the North Dakota Academy of Science, published by North Dakota Academy of Science on April 1, 2001. The length of the article is 730 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: Historical explanations of phenotypic variation in the plethodontid salamander Gyrinophilus porphyriticus. (Professional Communications).(Brief Article) Author: Christopher K. Adams, Dean C. Beachy Publication: Proceedings of the North Dakota Academy of Science (Refereed) Date: April 1, 2001 Publisher: North Dakota Academy of... | |
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Phenotypic Variation in Populations : Relevance to Risk Assessment - Basic Life Sciences. by Springer (Publisher) | |
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Rangewide provenance variation in Atlantic white-cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides): Early survival and growth in New Jersey and North Carolina plantations [An article from: Forest Ecology and Management] by K.A. Mylecraine (Author), J.E. Kuser (Author), G.L. Zimmermann (Author), Smou (Author) This digital document is a journal article from Forest Ecology and Management, published by Elsevier in . The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Description: Atlantic white-cedar, Chamaecyparis thyoides (L.) B.S.P., is an important wetland tree species occurring along the Atlantic coast of the United States, from Maine to Florida, and westward along the Gulf of Mexico coast to Mississippi. Within this range, its distribution is patchy and disjunct, due to the scattered occurrence of suitable wetland habitat, natural range disjunctions and historic declines. Much recent interest has focused on the species, its management and its restoration, but very little is... |
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Phenotypic variation in the morphology of the colonies of Brucella abortus =: Variation phenotypique de la morphologie des colonies de brucella abortus by A Philippon (Author) |
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