Story Summary: has been the darling of plant biologists for some 30 years because of its small genome and rapid growth, and in 2000 it became the first plant to have its genome sequenced. By studying thousands of plants in a single greenhouse, scientists can conduct experiments in a fraction of the time and space required for crop species. Theres obviously a drive back to increased funding of crop plant research, says Mark Stitt at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam, Germany. This is fair and good, but there is a quite serious risk that some of the advances made in research in the past ten years may not be sustained. Data from the NSFs 2010 project (see Inside for a few highlights) have been used to tackle fundamental questions about development, pathogen resistance and hormone signalling. But the project has fallen short of its original goal of determining the function of every gene. Most genes have been characterized in some fashion, for instance by observing their expression in a high-throughput assay, says Eva Huala, director of the Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR), a database at the Carnegie Institution of Washington in Stanford, California. However, Huala estimates that direct experimental data about function are available for only a third of all genes. Although the project was designed for an annual budget of $100 million, it actually received about a fifth of that sum. Systems approachIn 2008, the project team drafted a proposed 2020 programme that would focus on systems biology, an approach that would use the large data sets generated in the 2010 programme to develop models of plant function. Now we are thinking beyond just one model organism, he says. The NSF has also begun phasing out funding for TAIR, which is partially funded by 2010 project funds (see 462, 258-259; 2009). Lets just move to the real stuff, says Natasha Raikhel at the University of California, Riverside. Raikhel adds that researchers have only just begun to tackle some key biological questions in , such as how cell walls form. Even crop researchers have a good word for the little weed. says Edward Buckler, a maize geneticist at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. If properly funded, Arabidopsis will continue to be at the forefront of advances in biofuels, pathogen resistance, crop productivity, and general genetics. Remember our threads are for feedback and discussion – not for publishing papers, press releases or advertisements….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: Miller syndrome causes facial and limb abnormalities, and primary ciliary dyskinesia prevents hair-like structures in the respiratory tract from removing mucus. Scientist studiedAnd in a second analysis, author James Lupski became a subject of his own study. A molecular geneticist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, Lupski has a rare variation of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, which causes a loss of muscle and nerve function in the limbs, hands and feet. Having come up with no firm results in previous screenings of Lupskis family, scientists had puzzled over the genetic cause of the disease. Of the genes they identified that had these mutations, called SNPs, the team focused on one known as because it had been linked to other types of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Then they sequenced portions of this gene in family members with mild nerve impairment in their hands or feet. The fact that these studies are coming out at once tells you where the field is moving, says Eric Topol, who studies the genetic basis of human disease at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. Keep it in the familyThe family-based approach has also provided researchers with another way to estimate the rate at which parents pass mutations to their offspring. Galas and his colleagues estimate that each offspring will have 70 new mutations, less than half the number obtained with previous approaches. Last year, scientists used a less intensive method to identify the role of and in these diseases3. Ultimately, scientists may realize they dont have to sequence the whole genome, Topol says. #9667Congratulation to team for giving best practical application of the sequencing technology. co. in, +919452196686(M)Add your own commentThis is a public forum. Remember our threads are for feedback and discussion – not for publishing papers, press releases or advertisements. You need to be registered with Nature to leave a comment….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: Although subtle structural changes are known to alter the binding specificities and functions of glycoproteins, the roles of individual glycans are difficult to pinpoint. Genes required for the synthesis and transfer of bacillosamine were deleted, and the resulting operon was transferred into E. coli. Without the ability to use Bac, glycan assembly – which occurs on a lipid anchor before transfer to an acceptor protein – was expected to begin with GlcNAc. This was confirmed by expressing the C. jejuniglycoprotein AcrA in the glycoengineered E. coli, and analyzing the glycoforms produced. These latter were trimmed enzymatically to yield AcrA carrying just the GlcNAc-Asn residues. Many carbohydrate processing enzymes have highly specific activity that can be exploited to modify glycans in vitro. Successful attachment of mammalian glycans to a C. jejuniprotein only completes part of the challenge, because the bacterium uses an extended consensus sequence for efficient N-glycosylation. To test the system for mammalian proteins, a human antibody fragment and a single-chain antibody were both engineered to contain this extended sequence in place of the shorter NXS/T of human glycoproteins, and were expressed in the glycoengineered E. coli. Although the yield of glycosylated antibody fragment was disappointing, the single chain antibody was about 40% glycosylated by the system. This is an important proof-of-concept that can be adapted and optimized for other proteins….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: Now, Carolyn Bertozzi and colleagues demonstrate a method for the production of metabolically-labeled glycoproteins in yeast. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, unlike in higher eukaryotes, these core residues are the only location of GlcNAc in mature glycans (except for chitin, a minor cell wall component important for cell division), and are not subject to epimerase activity. To replace them with synthetic analogs, it was first necessary to deplete the endogenous supply that would otherwise compete for incorporation. Both genes were necessary for survival of the GNA1-deleted cells, but the transporter was toxic unless expressed at low levels. The GNA1-deleted cells survived when supplied with GlcNAz or GlcNAl alone, but required at least some GlcNAc to proliferate. Azide-modified sugars can undergo a reaction called the Staudinger ligation, wherein phosphine, with any conjugated substance, is joined to the sugar. Using phosphine-FLAG and an anti-FLAG antibody, GlcNAz was detected on secreted glycoproteins. Finally, an isotope-labeled GlcNAc was used to supplement the culture medium, and its incorporation measured in a highly glycosylated secretory protein. The data indicated that global replacement of GlcNAc can be achieved in GNA1-deleted yeast. The future applications could be wide-ranging, and will contribute to understanding of glycoprotein structure and function….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: Genomic studies can help researchers find ways to identify individual genes or mutations that can lead to inherited disease. PCD is a condition in which the tiny hair-like structures that are supposed to move mucus out of airways in the lungs do not function. Jorde said the odds of someone having both PCD and Millers syndrome are less than one in 10 billion. We can now see all the genetic variations, including rare ones, and can construct the inheritance of every piece of the chromosomes, which is critical to understanding the traits important to health and disease, he said. Meanwhile, a separate report in the New England Journal of Medicine disclosed that Dr. James Lupski of Baylor College of Medicine had sequenced his own complete genome and identified the gene involved in his form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome, which affects the function of nerves in the bodys limbs, hands and feet. Lupski, vice chairman of molecular and human genetics, said the work demonstrates that the technology is robust enough that we can find disease genes by determining the whole genome sequence. We can start to use this technology to interpret the clinical information in the context of the sequence – of the hand of cards you have been dealt. Isnt that the goal or dream of personalized genomic medicine? he said in a statement….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: Milestone payments under this collaboration could reach over EUR475 million if all programmes under the alliance are successfully developed and commercialised. About Cellzome Cellzome is a privately-owned drug discovery and development company, and a leader in the use of chemical proteomics technologies to identify a new generation of drug candidates for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Our pipeline of small-molecule therapeutics is driven by Kinobeads(TM), a proprietary technology for screening and profiling kinases in their physiological context. We have developed a new technology, called Episphere(TM) to address epigenetic targets in disease-specific protein complexes. Cellzomes holding company is domiciled in the US and it employs about 90 people at its two R&D laboratories in Cambridge, UK and Heidelberg, Germany. About Episphere(TM) and epigenetics Episphere(TM) is a chemical proteomics technology for the discovery of novel drugs directed against targets involved in epigenetic regulation. The technology allows the screening and profiling of inhibitors of epigenetic targets in their native environment, directly in the lysate of cells and tissues and can also differentiate between the complexes these targets operate in. The term epigenetics refers to heritable changes in gene expression and phenotype caused by mechanisms other than changes in DNA sequence. The term epigenetics refers to heritable changes in gene expression and phenotype caused by mechanisms other than changes in DNA sequence….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: But it turns out that not all histones are created equally. New research from Rockefeller University shows that minute variations between histones play an important role in determining how and when genes are read. 3 and distinguish it from other histone proteins, Goldberg and C. David Allis, Joy and Jack Fishman Professor and head of the Laboratory of Chromatin Biology and Epigenetics, collaborated with researchers at Sangamo Biosciences. 3 and distinguish it from other histone proteins in mouse embryonic stem cells. They then used a technique called ChIP sequencing to produce the first genome-wide maps of H3. 3 localization first in mammalian embryonic stem cells and then again after the cells had differentiated to become neurons. Most scientists in the field believed that a factor known as HIRA was responsible for controlling the localization of histone H3. 3 in normal embryonic stem cells and in genetically modified embryonic stem cells that lack HIRA, generated by colleagues in the United Kingdom. 3 in the presence and absence of HIRA and, as expected, found that HIRA is required for H3. 3 was still present in many other specific areas of the genome. The researchers went on to identify several additional proteins associated with H3. Two of them, ATRX and Daxx, had never before been linked to H3. We now know that genes, transcription factor binding sites and telomeres all have their own dedicated series of proteins to properly localize histone H3. Our work also demonstrates an important new function of the ATRX protein: the proper localization of histone H3. This finding may provide a clue as to how mutations in the ATRX gene lead to the human genetic disease of a-thalassemia and X-linked mental retardation….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: A paper on the subject appears in the March 12 issue of Science. But when caspase comes in contact with Dicer, it takes away Dicers ability to cleave RNA and it replaces it with the ability to snip up and destroy DNA-laden chromosomes. The experiments were undertaken on a common, eyelash-sized nematode known as Caenorhabditis elegans, a popular laboratory organism for genetic and biomedical experiments. The removal of the gene compromised the apoptosis process and blocked the fragmentation of chromosomes, said Xue. They include the specification of which cells should die, the activation of the cell death program, the onset of the killing process, the engulfment of cell corpses and the degradation of cellular debris, said Xue. We wound up looking at the results from a number of angles, including genetics, cell biology and biochemistry. Eventually we reached the only logical conclusions we could make. The Science study by Xue and his team was funded by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and the National Institutes of Health. The researchers are now investigating whether human cells have the mechanisms to convert the function of Dicer enzyme in the same manner as C. elegans cells, said Xue. C. elegans is a key organism for scientists to study for several reasons, according to Xue. Nobel prizes for C. elegans biomedical research were awarded in 2002, 2006 and 2008. Source: Ding XueUniversity of Colorado at Boulder Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. Please send any medical news or health news press releases to: These are the most read articles from this news category for the last 6 months: Long-Held Theory About Biological Clocks Overturned By U-M Discovery09 Oct 2009University of Michigan mathematicians and their British colleagues say they have identified the signal that the brain sends to the rest of the body to control biological rhythms, a finding that overturns a long-held theory about our internal clock. Living with Breast CancerThere are many options for treating breast cancer, including surgery, hormonal treatments, radiation and chemotherapy….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: Such reading errors occur roughly 1,000 times more frequently than the expected mutation rate, says Sciencestudy coauthor David Galas of the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle. Galas and his colleagues sequenced the complete genomes of a family including two parents, a son and a daughter. By comparing DNA sequences in the parents to those of their children, the researchers narrowed down the pool of base pairs that could be mutations to those that differed between generations. Resequencing those differing regions eliminated about 70 percent of reading errors, they report. The two children sequenced in the Sciencestudy both had rare genetic diseases — Miller syndrome, characterized by craniofacial abnormalities, and primary ciliary dyskinesia, which affects the respiratory tract. By comparing the parents genomes to the childrens, researchers were able to pinpoint two likely gene culprits. Galas says that family sequencing techniques can be applied to other diseases, too. The NEJMstudy focused on a different inherited disease — Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy. The lead author of the study, James Lupski, has the disease, which is characterized by improperly functioning nerves and progressive muscle atrophy. Weve never been able to identify the cause of my specific disease in my family….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: Breaking News Mar 12 2010, 3:27 AM ESTTakara Bio to Enter into a Collaborative Research Agreement with University of Pennsylvania, Aiming for a Future Clinical Trial of HIV Gene TherapyJCNWIRETokyo, Mar 12, 2010 – (JCN Newswire) – Takara Bio Inc. announced today that it has executed a collaborative research agreement with University of Pennsylvania on March 11, 2010 to support an HIV gene therapy clinical trial in the United States. Under this agreement, Takara and Carl H. June, MD, professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, will jointly conduct pre-clinical translational studies and regulatory steps required for completion of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Takara has been developing a novel technology for HIV gene therapy, in which MazF, an RNA cleavage enzyme from E. coli, is stably delivered to CD4 T cells by retroviral vector. In the past decade, Professor June has conducted multiple clinical trials for HIV gene therapy in the United States, and therefore he and his team have extensive IND and clinical trial experience. (TSE: 4974) is an innovative biotechnology company based in Shiga, Japan. As a world leader in biotechnology research and development, Takara Bio was the first company to market PCR technology in Japan and is also the developer of the RetroNectin(R) reagent, which is a world-standard in gene therapy protocols. Through strategic alliances with other industry leaders, the Company aims to extend its reach around the world. All rights reserved. www. japancorp….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: Research and Markets: Antivirals: Novel Targets, Technologies, and DealmakingThe hottest field in antivirals is hepatitis C virus (HCV) drug development; compounds against novel HCV targets such as NS3/4A protease, NS5B polymerase, and NS5A hold the promise of revolutionizing the treatment of this disease. Targeted antivirals have been enormously successful for human immunodefi ciency virus (HIV) and include life-saving blockbusters such as Truvada, Atripla, Kaletra, and Reyataz. The HIV pharmacopoeia has expanded from drugs that target reverse transcriptase and protease to include inhibitors of CCR5, integrase, and viral fusion. Which diseases offer the potential for the development of novel classes of agents? ) What kind of dealmaking has Big Pharma engaged in to tap these early-stage endeavors? Hepatitis C virus (HCV): virus and disease, current treatment, novel drug targets, development compounds, companies. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV): virus and disease, current treatment, novel drug targets, development compounds, companies. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV): virus and disease, current treatment, novel drug targets, development compounds, companies….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: It affects the nerves stretching from the spinal cord to the arms, legs and feet. This is the first time whole genome sequencing has applied to actually find the cause of a disease. Lupski had been taking blood samples from his grandparents, parents and siblings for years. Her institute designated Lupskis project for about half a million dollars of the money that Obama directed to the NIH. RECESSIVE GENESLupskis team used a gene sequencer from Carlsbad, California-based Life Technologies to read the entire DNA code in the samples from Lupski and three of his siblings who have the syndrome, his parents and four other siblings who do not. Each of us who has it got one mutant allele (gene) from my mom and one mutant allele from my dad, he said. But in each family, only one of these genes is involved. The sequencing revealed a gene called SH3TC2, the researchers reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. In a second study, Jared Roach of the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle and colleagues sequenced the entire genomes of a family of four affected by two recessive genetic diseases — Miller syndrome, which can cause facial disfigurement, and primary ciliary dyskinesia, a lung disorder that raises the risk of respiratory infections because the hairlike extension on cells called cilia fail to move properly. Our results demonstrate the unique value of complete genome sequencing in families, they wrote in the journal Science. WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Chances of a broad overhaul of U. S. financial regulation this year dimmed on Thursday after bipartisan Senate talks collapsed. Oils steady climb back in sight of its 2010 high is spurring a bullish mood — but the rally isnt telling the whole story. com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: a Prior to joining Genetix Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Finer was Senior Vice President of Product Development of NovocellInc. Dr. Finer held two previous CEO positions, recently as the CEO of Intracel Holdings LLC and also President and CEO of Genteric Inc. In addition to general management at both companies, Dr. Finer successfully advanced a variety of product development programs, managed the R&D team and developed the long-term strategic scientific plan. Dr. Finer was also a founding employee of Cell Genesys, as Director of Molecular Biology and Vice President of Research, and also at Abgenix (now Amgen), where he helped shape the early stages of the companies. Dr. Finer was also Vice President of Research and Development at the Gencell Division of Aventis Pharma (now sanofi-aventis). Its products treat the underlying cause of genetically based diseases by delivering corrective genes to the patientas own bone marrow, providing the potential for a one-time transformative treatment. The results of the ongoing ALD trial, based upon work conducted by the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), were named to Science magazinesScientific Breakthroughs of 2009. To date, all patients receiving the full therapy with both products have shown disease arrest. In addition to Genetixas lead programs, the companyas proprietary stem cell processing, GMP manufacturing and gene therapy vector technologies are applicable to treating other genetic diseases, opening the door to the development of additional therapeutics….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: Animals that had been injected with the altered virus did not develop symptoms when exposed to normal HSV2. Marian Nicholson, director of the Herpes Viruses Associationin the UK, which monitors worldwide research into herpes, is hopeful. BioVex says they are building on the information gained from previous trials, and it seems reasonable that at some point a breakthrough will be made. If you would like to reuse any contentfrom New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndicationdepartment first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing optionsavailable for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please use the Report link in that comment to report it to us. But do they work?16:42 11 March 2010The humble toilet is set for a techno upgrade that could reduce pollution and save water, says Helen Knight16:16 11 March 2010Ancient waterways buried beneath Australias Simpson desert have been traced – even though massive dunes make remote sensing impossible15:40 11 March 2010What is it about the museums that seems to draw art photographers to them?…Read the Full Story

Story Summary: Effects of lifestyle and exposures are mirrored in blood gene expressionMarch 11, 2010 A study by Norwegian and French researchers hopes to provide new understanding of how blood cells adjust gene expression in response to various clinical, biochemical and pathological conditions. The Norwegian Woman and Cancer (NOWAC) postgenome study, published March 12 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics, highlights numerous blood gene sets affected by ones physical condition, lifestyle factors and exposure variables. The authors used 286 blood samples from postmenopausal Norwegian women, collected from the NOWAC postgenome biobank and processed via both a standardized blood collection procedure and an experimentally-validated microarray platform. Using these samples, the researchers investigated blood gene expression changes due to technical variability (e. g. , how samples were collected, transported, and stored), normal inter-individuality (e. g. , body mass index), and exposure variables (e. g. , smoking, hormone therapy, and medication use), at levels relevant to real life situations. Characterizations of this variation and the underlying factors that most influence gene expression among healthy individuals play an important role in the feasibility, design and analysis of future blood-based studies investigating biomarkers for exposure, disease progression, diagnosis or prognosis. The authors conclude that their findings establish the feasibility of blood gene expression profiling to detect exposure-specific differences in the general population, and that failure to consider this type of technical or biological variation can result in the misidentification of genes when investigating predictive, diagnostic or prognostic signatures in blood. It is hoped that these findings, published in BioMed Centrals open access journal, . . . com) — Genes talk to themselves and to each other to control how a given cell manufactures proteins. com) — Normal vertebrate brain ventricle formation relies upon the stretchiness or relaxation of the neuroepithelium, which is regulated by the motor protein myosin. com) — A gene that causes a fatal childhood brain disorder can also cause adults to develop peripheral neuropathy, a condition resulting in weakness and decreased sensation in the hands and limbs, according to a . . ….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: Stefanssons study shows that it in fact ups the risk by 17 per cent if inherited from the father but protects against the disease if it comes from the mother. Mental illnessWe are going to find more common variants underlying disease, and this is one example of that, Stefansson says. By uncovering these hidden variations, researchers should be able to better explain the hard-to-find genetic components of diseases such as mental illnesses, says Randy Jirtle, an epigeneticist at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. This paper brings to the forefront the real importance of genomic imprinting in disease susceptibility, which we miss a lot of the time, he says. htmThe nervous tissue is Bose-condensed; the corporeal tissues are not. Therefore, the youthfulness of an organism is determined by its brain-to-body mass ratio. William Sheldon noted that cerebrotonic (ectomorph) people have young appearance. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please use the Report link in that comment to report it to us. 17:11 11 March 2010The genes that allow herpes virus to evade our immune system have been identified and deleted to form a new vaccine11:35 11 March 2010Overprotective parents dont just limit their childrens freedom – they may also slow brain growth in an area linked to mental illness18:00 10 March 2010Disease and obesity go hand in hand, but an increase in body fat may actually be part of our bodys attempts to protect itself from the effects of unhealthy eating18:00 10 March 2010Prostate cancer drugs trigger the release of a molecule that makes tumours grow – the discovery could lead to a way to keep the cancer at bay17:11 11 March 2010The genes that allow herpes virus to evade our immune system have been identified and deleted to form a new vaccine16:42 11 March 2010The humble toilet is set for a techno upgrade that could reduce pollution and save water, says Helen Knight16:16 11 March 2010Ancient waterways buried beneath Australias Simpson desert have been traced – even though massive dunes make remote sensing impossible15:40 11 March 2010What is it about the museums that seems to draw art photographers to them? 17:11 11 March 2010The genes that allow herpes virus to evade our immune system have been identified and deleted to form a new vaccine11:35 11 March 2010Overprotective parents dont just limit their childrens freedom – they may also slow brain growth in an area linked to mental illness18:00 10 March 2010Disease and obesity go hand in hand, but an increase in body fat may actually be part of our bodys attempts to protect itself from the effects of unhealthy eating18:00 10 March 2010Prostate cancer drugs trigger the release of a molecule that makes tumours grow – the discovery could lead to a way to keep the cancer at bay17:11 11 March 2010The genes that allow herpes virus to evade our immune system have been identified and deleted to form a new vaccine16:42 11 March 2010The humble toilet is set for a techno upgrade that could reduce pollution and save water, says Helen Knight16:16 11 March 2010Ancient waterways buried beneath Australias Simpson desert have been traced – even though massive dunes make remote sensing impossible15:40 11 March 2010What is it about the museums that seems to draw art photographers to them?…Read the Full Story

Story Summary: Results, published March 12th in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens, suggest that SCV-mediated persistence might be a good target for antimicrobial chemotherapy. Cystic fibrosis is a widespread genetic disease that leads to progressive disability and early death. Because the appearance of SCVs correlates with poor lung function and antibiotic resistance, they have long been suspected of mediating the P. aeruginosapersistence phenotype in CF infections. YfiN-mediated SCVs were shown to be highly resistant to macrophage phagocytosis, suggesting a role for the SCV phenotype in immune system evasion. Consistent with this, activation of YfiN significantly increased the persistence of P. aeruginosain long-term infections in a mouse model, establishing a firm causal link between SCV and persistence in chronic P. aeruginosainfections. The authors conclude that c-di-GMP has long been a key suspect in chronic behavior of bacterial pathogens. This study thus opens up new avenues to specifically counteract persistent infections. More information:Malone JG, Jaeger T, Spangler C, Ritz D, Spang A, et al. (2010) YfiBNR Mediates Cyclic di-GMP Dependent Small Colony Variant Formation and Persistence in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Studying these interactions could lead to new ways of treating bacteria that are resistant . . . Writing in the Journal of Medical Microbiology, Dr Quinn Parks and colleagues describe how they used enzymes against produc . . . Vitamin D Crucial to Activating Immune DefensesMar 10, 2010 Super stiff upper backMar 10, 2010 Over the past couple years my back has tightened up like woah. I could make music with my back every day and it. All I know is that it is caused by a virus whos vector is Aedes Aegypti. com) — Normal vertebrate brain ventricle formation relies upon the stretchiness or relaxation of the neuroepithelium, which is regulated by the motor protein myosin….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: Insurance fearsLaw professor Margaret Otlowskiof the University of Tasmania points out that while Australian law prohibits the refusal of health insurance based on genetic test results, applicants must give potential life insurers such results, which they can use when deciding who to cover and to set premiums. Last year, researchers found analyses of the health risks associated with genetic mutations varied between firms, including Navigenics. If you would like to reuse any contentfrom New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndicationdepartment first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing optionsavailable for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to. Those pre-disposed to an illness will not be insurable unless they pay outrageous premiums. You cant possibly believe that the insurance industry will use this information in an altruistic manner. All comments should respect the New Scientist House Rules. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please use the Report link in that comment to report it to us. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please use the Report link in that comment to report it to us….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: for youMarch 12, 2010 By Rosie MestelEver noticed how two people can suffer from back pain, say, but one will moan and groan and take to bed while the other will get up and about and on with life? Pain specialists have often noted that conditions that seem similar on the outside can cause widely varying amounts of reported pain. In one of those conditions, kids lack all ability to feel pain — and you would not want to rear such a child. (Other changes in the gene cause extremely ramped-up pain conditions. )The researchers reasoned that there might easily be less-extreme conditions caused by far more subtle changes in the same gene — ones that would just make the gene a little bit more active or a little bit less active. Whats more, the scientists (from Britains Cambridge Institute for Medical Research and a bunch of other places) found that this pain perceptiondifference held in other groups of people who suffered from conditions such as sciatica, phantom pain, pancreatitis or back problems. The SCN9A gene contains instructions for a protein that sits in the membranes of pain sensory nerves. That protein is involved in setting off a signal of pain that travels to the brain. The proteins structure is slightly different in those people who feel more sensitive to pain — and it seems to allow painsignals to get to the brain more readily. com) — Normal vertebrate brain ventricle formation relies upon the stretchiness or relaxation of the neuroepithelium, which is regulated by the motor protein myosin. 15 minutes ago | not rated yet | 0 | (PhysOrg. com) — A gene that causes a fatal childhood brain disorder can also cause adults to develop peripheral neuropathy, a condition resulting in weakness and decreased sensation in the hands and limbs, according to a . . . 7 minutes ago | not rated yet | 0 The usual excuse of lack of time for not doing enough exercise is blown away by new research published in The Journal of Physiology….Read the Full Story