Source- Electronic Telegraph/UK

2/27/01

A New DNA Testing in Forensics

A technique developed in England will help police reopen many unsolved crimes.

The method will enable forensic experts to use only 10 times less DNA than the currently used amount of a thousandth of a millionth of a gram of DNA.

The new technique is called DNA Low Copy Number (DNA LCN). It relies on PCR reaction (Polymerase Chain Reaction) which makes many more copies of the DNA, enough for later testing.

Source- The Boston Globe

2/21/01

A Gene Involved in Asthma

Scientists from two separate companies have discovered a gene that predisposes people to asthma disease.

Over 15 million of patients were treated for the condition last year, and many children are affected by it.

Asthma is a disease of the respiratory system. During an allergic reaction, the airway passage gets clogged up with mucus. This results in breathing difficulties. There are some over-the-counter medications that relieve the symptoms but the disease is rarely cured.

The discovery of the gene was done among hundreds of asthma sufferers and their families in the United States and United Kingdom. Although, multiple genes are involved in asthma, identifying any of them is beneficial. This allows scientists to improve their understanding of asthma and help them develop better treatments.

Source- Yahoo-online

2/12/01

Very Few Protein-Coding Genes in the Human Genome

Scientists have found that most mutations is on the Y chromosome- which means that males are responsible for most mutations.

According to Craig Venter of Celera Genomics, the human genome shows that there is no genetic basis for race- since only a few differences are found between people. The study was based on the DNA taken from three women and two men, African-American, Chinese, Hispanic and white.

There are only 30,000 to 40,000 protein-coding genes in the human genome (only twice more than in a worm or a fly). This was in contrast to what scientists previously thought- which was closer to 60,000- 80,000 protein-coding genes.  However, the genes seem to be very complex in nature.

When the DNA was decoded last June, scientists did not know what the code said.

Source- Nature Magazine On-line

2/06/01

Understanding vCJD disease

Scientists have evidence showing that epidemic of Kuru disease in 1940s and 1950s in Papua New Guinea may help identify people incubating vCJD (variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease). vCJD is the human form of mad cow disease that gripped Europe several months ago. Both vCJD and Kuru are   neurodegenerative diseases caused by 'prion' protein infection.

Researchers found that the guru victims shared common feature with most vCJD victims. Amino acid combination of two methionine molecules (M/M) linked together at a specific position in the coding region of protein PrP (prion alter PrP and cause disease).

In Britain, two thirds of the population have amino acid combination of methionine and valine (M/V) or valine/valine (V/V), which could one day become susceptible to prions.

Source- Nature Magazine On-line

2/06/01

Seedless Apples

Geneticists at the Horticulture and Food Research Institute of New Zealand have discovered mutations in a gene that makes seedless apples.

Instead of petals (involved in pollination), and anthers (important in pollen formation) found in flower, Rae Ime apple blooms have additional sepals and styles. This is a result of a protein known as PISTILLATA (encoded by the gene pistillata) that converts organs that would otherwise become styles into  anthers.

The researchers found that Granny Smith apples have a pistillata-like gene. They further found that a length of extra DNA in the middle of pistillata-like gene renders Rae Ime apples incapable of producing the protein. They also found similar defects in the pistillata gene of other seedless apples.

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