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Isolation of a new gene family essential for early development
August 23, 2007Researchers at BRIC, University of Copenhagen, have identified a new gene family (UTX-JMJD3) essential for embryonic development. The family controls the expression of genes crucial for stem cell maintenance and differentiation, and the results may contribute sig-nificantly to the understanding of the development of cancer.
The results are published in the current issue of Nature, and it follows up on 2 other high-impact articles on related gene families published in Nature and Cell by the same research group within the last year.
How embryonic stem cells work All organisms consist of a number of different cell types each produc-ing different proteins. The nerve cells produce proteins necessary for the nerve cell function; the muscle cells proteins necessary for the muscle function and so on. All these specialised cells originate from the same cell type - the embryonic stem cells. In a highly controlled process called differentiation, the stem cells are induced to become specialised cells.
Gene family helps regulate stem cell differentiation The BRIC researchers have now identified a new gene family, which by modifying gene expression is essential for the regulation of the differentiation process. These results have been obtained by using both human and mouse stem cells, as well as by studying the devel-opment of the round worm, C. elegans.
Perspectives The new findings are in line with a number of recent publications that support the idea that differentiation may not entirely be a "one-way process", and may have impact on the therapeutic use of stem cells for the treatment of various genetic diseases such as cancer and Alz-heimers disease.
University of Copenhagen
Gene family helps regulate stem cell differentiation The BRIC researchers have now identified a new gene family, which by modifying gene expression is essential for the regulation of the differentiation process. These results have been obtained by using both human and mouse stem cells, as well as by studying the devel-opment of the round worm, C. elegans.
Perspectives The new findings are in line with a number of recent publications that support the idea that differentiation may not entirely be a "one-way process", and may have impact on the therapeutic use of stem cells for the treatment of various genetic diseases such as cancer and Alz-heimers disease.
University of Copenhagen
Gene Family News and Current Gene Family Events RSSPlants in the fourth dimension
As anyone who has suffered from jetlag knows, we have internal clocks that tell us when to sleep and wake, and we can be miserable when these are disrupted.
Scientists dig deeper into the genetics of schizophrenia by evaluating microRNAs
Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have illuminated a window into how abnormalities in microRNAs, a family of molecules that regulate expression of numerous genes, may contribute to the behavioral and neuronal deficits associated with schizophrenia and possibly other brain disorders.
Gene's 'selective signature' aids detection of natural selection in microbial evolution
Scientists at MIT have come up with a mathematical approach for analyzing a protein simultaneously in a set of ecologically distinct species to identify occurrences of natural selection in an organism's evolution.
UCF researchers discover a new protein family implicated in inflammatory diseases
A University of Central Florida research team has discovered a new protein family that may play an important role in preventing inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, some forms of cancer and even heart disease.
Children with gene show reduced cognitive function
Children who possess a gene known to increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease already show signs of reduced cognitive function, an Oregon Health & Science University study has found.
Stanford researchers sniff out gene that gives dogs black fur
A discovery about the genetics of coat color in dogs could help explain why humans come in different weights and vary in our abilities to cope with stress, a team led by researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine reports.
UVa Scientists Discover New Human Protein Offering Clue To Immune Infertility in Men and Women
Most of us have never heard of immune infertility, yet it prevents many prospective parents from conceiving.
Bits of 'junk' RNA aid master tumor-suppressor gene
Little-known bits of RNA help master tumor-suppressor gene do its job, U-M cancer researchers find. Three micro RNA genes appear to be key partners of protective gene p53; their loss is linked to common type of lung cancer.
Team tracks antibiotic resistance from swine farms to groundwater
The routine use of antibiotics in swine production can have unintended consequences, with antibiotic resistance genes sometimes leaking from waste lagoons into groundwater.
Charting ever-changing genomes
Instead of immutable proprietary software, any species' genetic information resembles open source code that is constantly tweaked and optimized to meet the users' specific needs.
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