 |
|
Early-stage gene transcription creates access to DNA
October 07, 2008A gene contained in laboratory yeast has helped an international team of researchers uncover new findings about the process by which protein molecules bind to control sequences in genes in order to initiate gene expression, according to findings reported in the journal Nature.
Previously thought to be inert carriers of the genetic instructions from DNA, so-called non-coding RNAs turn out to reveal a novel mechanism for creating access to DNA required by transcriptional activation proteins for successful gene expression, according to Boston College Biology Professor Charles Hoffman, a co-author of the study with researchers from two Japanese universities.
The team focused on transcription, the first step in gene expression, whereby the blueprint of a cell's DNA is first communicated and paves the way for RNA to deliver their specific pieces of protein-synthesizing genetic coding - essentially flicking the switch that activates the gene.
Hoffman and his colleagues examined how the yeast cell senses its cellular environment and makes decisions about whether or not to express a gene, in this case fbp1, which encodes an enzyme. What they found was a preliminary transcription phase with a flurry of switches flicked "on" and then "off" as seen by the synthesis of non-coding RNA before the final "on" switch is tripped.
The non-coding RNAs initiate over one thousand base pairs of nucleotides along the DNA away from the known start site for this gene. The group discovered that the process of transcribing non-coding RNAs is required for the eventual production of the protein-encoding RNA. The transient synthesis of these non-coding RNAs serves to unfurl the tightly wound DNA, essentially loosening the structure to allow for gene expression.
"This is a novel identification of one of the many ways gene expression can be regulated," said Hoffman. "It's a surprising discovery of why there are all these RNA molecules being made in cells that are not protein-encoding molecules. It is in fact the process of making these molecules that leads to the protein-encoding RNAs."
The paper was co-authored by Hoffman and RIKEN Advanced Science Institute scientists Kouji Hirota, Kazuto Kugou, Takehiko Shibata, Kunihiro Ohta and their colleague Tomoichiro Miyoshi at the University of Tokyo.
"I hope this leads others to find similar events occurring on other genes," said Hoffman. "A big part of this kind of work is understanding that there are other potential mechanisms for gene expression."
Boston College
Hoffman and his colleagues examined how the yeast cell senses its cellular environment and makes decisions about whether or not to express a gene, in this case fbp1, which encodes an enzyme. What they found was a preliminary transcription phase with a flurry of switches flicked "on" and then "off" as seen by the synthesis of non-coding RNA before the final "on" switch is tripped.
The non-coding RNAs initiate over one thousand base pairs of nucleotides along the DNA away from the known start site for this gene. The group discovered that the process of transcribing non-coding RNAs is required for the eventual production of the protein-encoding RNA. The transient synthesis of these non-coding RNAs serves to unfurl the tightly wound DNA, essentially loosening the structure to allow for gene expression.
"This is a novel identification of one of the many ways gene expression can be regulated," said Hoffman. "It's a surprising discovery of why there are all these RNA molecules being made in cells that are not protein-encoding molecules. It is in fact the process of making these molecules that leads to the protein-encoding RNAs."
The paper was co-authored by Hoffman and RIKEN Advanced Science Institute scientists Kouji Hirota, Kazuto Kugou, Takehiko Shibata, Kunihiro Ohta and their colleague Tomoichiro Miyoshi at the University of Tokyo.
"I hope this leads others to find similar events occurring on other genes," said Hoffman. "A big part of this kind of work is understanding that there are other potential mechanisms for gene expression."
Boston College
Gene Expression Current Events and Gene Expression News RSSTeam finds breast cancer gene linked to disease spread
A team of researchers at Princeton University and The Cancer Institute of New Jersey has identified a long-sought gene that is fatefully switched on in 30 to 40 percent of all breast cancer patients, spreading the disease, resisting traditional chemotherapies and eventually leading to death.
Collagen VI may help protect the brain against Alzheimer's disease
Scientists from the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND), UCSF, and Stanford have discovered that a certain type of collagen, collagen VI, protects brain cells against amyloid-beta (Aβ) proteins, which are widely thought to cause Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Testes stem cell can change into other body tissues, Stanford/UCSF study shows
Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine and at UC-San Francisco have succeeded in isolating stem cells from human testes.
Nutrigenomics -- developing personalized diets for disease prevention
The emerging field of nutrigenomics, which aims to identify the genetic factors that influence the body's response to diet and studies how the bioactive constituents of food affect gene expression.
Mutations common to cancer and developmental disorder examined in a novel disease model
New research sheds light on a common link between tumor formation and Costello Syndrome, an inherited developmental disorder in which patients have cardiac defects, mild mental retardation, and face-shape abnormalities.
The medium is the message: Manipulating salmonella in spaceflight curtails infectiousness
Infectious pathogens like Salmonella typhimurium employ a startling array of techniques to skillfully outwit the body's defense mechanisms and produce illness.
CSHL researchers map changing epigenetic modifications that enable transposons to run amok
Much like cancer cells, plant cells grown for a long time outside of their normal milieu, in culture dishes, have highly unstable genomes.
A special type of collagen may help protect the brain against Alzheimer's disease
Scientists from the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND), UCSF, and Stanford have discovered that a certain type of collagen, collagen VI, protects brain cells against amyloid-beta (Aβ ) proteins, which are widely thought to cause Alzheimer's disease (AD).
U of I study: Fructose metabolism more complicated than was thought
A new University of Illinois study suggests that we may pay a price for ingesting too much fructose. According to lead author Manabu Nakamura, dietary fructose affects a wide range of genes in the liver that had not previously been identified.
Interactive gene 'networks' may predict if leukemia is aggressive or slow-growing
Rather than testing for individual marker genes or proteins, researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego) and the Moores UCSD Cancer Center have evidence that groups, or networks, of interactive genes may be more reliable in determining the likelihood that a form of leukemia is fast-moving or slow-growing.
More Gene Expression Current Events and Gene Expression News Articles
 | Cloning, Gene Expression, and Protein Purification: Experimental Procedures and Process Rationale by Charles Hardin, Jennifer Edwards, Andrew Riell, David Presutti, William Miller, Dominique Robertson On the forefront of modern scientific innovation, Cloning, Gene Expression and Protein Purification: Experimental Procedures and Process Rationale effectively doubles as a laboratory manual for students and a reference book for professional researchers. Designed for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students in molecular biology, this unique combination lecture/laboratory resource... |
 | Gene Expression Programming: Mathematical Modeling by an Artificial Intelligence (Studies in Computational Intelligence) by Cândida Ferreira Cândida Ferreira thoroughly describes the basic ideas of gene expression programming (GEP) and numerous modifications to this powerful new algorithm. This monograph provides all the implementation details of GEP so that anyone with elementary programming skills will be able to implement it themselves. The book also includes a self-contained introduction to this new exciting field of... |
 | Statistical Analysis of Gene Expression Microarray Data 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... |
 | Measuring Gene Expression (Basics (Routledge Paperback)) by Matthew Avison In the post-genomic age, much biomedical research looks at when, where, and at what level genes are expressed. Measuring Gene Expression: The Basics is an all-in-one introduction to the main methods of measuring gene expression, including RT-PCR, differential display, RNA interference, reporter genes, microarrays, and proteomics, as well as a section on RNA isolation and analysis. There will be... |
 | Microarray Gene Expression Data Analysis: A Beginner's Guide by Helen Causton, John Quackenbush, Alvis Brazma This guide covers aspects of designing microarray experiments and analysing the data generated, including information on some of the tools that are available from non-commercial sources. Concepts and principles underpinning gene expression analysis are emphasised and wherever possible, the mathematics has been simplified. The guide is intended for use by graduates and researchers in... |
 | The Psychobiology of Gene Expression by Ernest L. Rossi 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... |
 | Regulation of Gene Expression by Gary H. Perdew, Jack P. Vanden Heuvel, Jeffrey M. Peters 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... |
 | Analysis of Microarray Gene Expression Data (Trends in Logic) by Mei-Ling Ting Lee After genomic sequencing, microarray technology has emerged as a widely used platform for genomic studies in the life sciences. Microarray technology provides a systematic way to survey DNA and RNA variation. With the abundance of data produced from microarray studies, however, the ultimate impact of the studies on biology will depend heavily on data mining and statistical analysis. The... |
| Gene Expression: Eucaryotic Chromosomes (Gene Expression) by Benjamin M. Lewin | |
 | Gene Expression and Regulation by Jun Ma 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... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |