http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. A large, multi-institutional research team involved in the NIH Epigenome Roadmap Project has published a sweeping analysis in the current issue of the journal Cell of how genes are turned on and off to direct early human development. Led by Bing Ren of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Joseph Ecker of The Salk Institute for Biological Studies and James Thomson of the Morgridge Institute for Research, the scientists also describe novel genetic phenomena likely to play a pivotal role not only in the genesis of the embryo, but that of cancer as well. Their publicly available data, the result of more than four years of experimentation and analysis, will contribute significantly to virtually every subfield of the biomedical sciences. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-embryonic-epigenome.html Genetics Thu, 09 May 2013 16:18:29 EST news287335096 (Medical Xpress)—A mutation in a protein called menin causes a hereditary cancer syndrome called MEN1 (multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1). Individuals with MEN1 are at a substantially increased risk of developing neuroendocrine tumors, including cancer of the pancreatic islet cells that secrete insulin. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-link-inherited-endocrine-tumor-syndrome.html Cancer Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:01:04 EST news286012853 Injuries that result in chronic pain, such as limb injuries, and those unrelated to the brain are associated with epigenetic changes in the brain which persist months after the injury, according to researchers at McGill University. Epigenetics explores how the environment – including diet, exposure to contaminants and social conditions such as poverty – can have a long-term impact on the activity of our genes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-reveals-association-chronic-pain-broad.html Genetics Fri, 15 Feb 2013 11:10:04 EST news280145851 Tumourigenesis is driven by genetic alterations and by changes in the epigenome, for instance by the addition of methyl groups to cytosine bases in the DNA. A deeper understanding of the interaction between the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms is critical for the selection of tumour biomarkers and for the future development of therapies. Human tumour specimens and cell lines however contain a plethora of genetic and epigenetic changes, which complicate data analysis. In contrast, certain mouse tumour models contain only a single genetic mutation and allow the analysis of nascent tumours. Scientists of the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin have now discovered a recurring pattern of more than 13,000 epigenetic alterations in young tumours of the mouse. This genome-wide pattern was found to be partly conserved in human colon carcinoma, and may therefor facilitate the identification of novel clinical colon cancer biomarkers for early detection. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-colon-cancer-epigenetic-pattern-mice.html Genetics Thu, 07 Feb 2013 17:00:03 EST news279472308 In a genome-wide analysis of 13 metastatic prostate cancers, scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center found consistent epigenetic "signatures" across all metastatic tumors in each patient. The discovery of the stable, epigenetic "marks" that sit on the nuclear DNA of cancer cells and alter gene expression, defies a prevailing belief that the marks vary so much within each individual's widespread cancers that they have little or no value as targets for therapy or as biomarkers for treatment response and predicting disease severity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-personal-epigenetic-signatures-prostate-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 23 Jan 2013 14:00:08 EST news278165142 About 20 years ago, scientists discovered the gene that causes Huntington's disease, a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that affects about 30,000 Americans. The mutant form of the gene has many extra DNA repeats in the middle of the gene, but scientists have yet to determine how that extra length produces Huntington's symptoms. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-role-huntington-gene.html Genetics Wed, 16 Jan 2013 09:22:27 EST news277550540 Think of the epigenome like a giant musical mixing board, turning up or down the expression of various genes. A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published today in the journal PLOS Genetics shows that in cancer, not only can genes themselves go bad, but abnormal changes in the epigenetic mixing board can unfortunately change the expression of these genes. Researchers hope to play the role of sound engineers, controlling these harmful epigenomic changes to turn down cancer itself or perhaps sensitize cancers to existing drugs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-epigenomic-abnormalities-patient-survival-non-hodgkins.html Genetics Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:00:01 EST news277046216 BOSTON—When people with a family history of colorectal cancer develop the disease, their tumors often carry a molecular sign that the cancer could be life-threatening and may require aggressive treatment, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists report in a new study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-patients-family-history-colorectal-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 12 Dec 2012 13:41:44 EST news274542098 Kids born to moms who have lost a substantial amount of weight after undergoing bariatric surgery have fewer cardiovascular risk factors than their siblings who were born before the weight loss surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-obese-moms-birth-heart-healthier.html Surgery Mon, 29 Oct 2012 03:00:01 EST news270697388 (Medical Xpress)—Early life experience results in a broad change in the way our DNA is "epigenetically" chemically marked in the brain by a coat of small chemicals called methyl groups, according to researchers at McGill University. A group of researchers led by Prof. Moshe Szyf, a professor of Pharmacology and Therapeutics in the Faculty of Medicine, and research scientists at the Douglas Institute have discovered a remarkable similarity in the way the DNA in human brains and the DNA in animal brains respond to early life adversity. The finding suggests an evolutionary conserved mechanism of response to early life adversity affecting a large number of genes in the genome.  http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-evidence-biological-embeds-social-dna.html Genetics Thu, 11 Oct 2012 06:49:09 EST news269156937 Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer and is the leading cause of death from skin disease. Rates are steadily increasing, and although risk increases with age, melanoma is now frequently seen in young people. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-pieces-dna-red-flag-deadly.html Cancer Thu, 13 Sep 2012 12:29:49 EST news266758183 (Medical Xpress)—In about half of all prostate tumours, there are two genetic areas that are fused with one another. When this is not the case, the exact way cancer cells originate in prostate tumours was not clear until now. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, in cooperation with a team of international researchers, were able to show that the genesis of this fusion-negative prostate cancer has epigenetic causes: methyl groups are distributed differently over the DNA in the cancer cells than in healthy cells. Thanks to this knowledge, physicians may be able to achieve greater specificity in treating prostate tumours in future. In addition, the aberrant DNA methylations can be used as a potential biomarker for identifying prostate cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-epigenetic-prostate-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 05 Sep 2012 08:10:15 EST news266051403 (Medical Xpress) -- A molecular 'post-it note' added to a breast cancer gene could flag up the risk that the disease will spread in patients, according to research published in the BJC today. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-post-it-breast-cancer-gene-disease.html Cancer Thu, 12 Jul 2012 08:30:01 EST news261298331 Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have achieved, for the first time, the generation of neuronal cells from stem cells of Fragile X patients. The discovery paves the way for research that will examine restoration of normal gene expression in Fragile X patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-stem-cell-paves-fragile-retardation.html Medical research Tue, 22 May 2012 10:53:17 EST news256902788 (Medical Xpress) -- Collaboration between scientists at Cambridge University and the Babraham Institute have demonstrated a new technique that will significantly improve scientists' ability to perform epigenetics research and help unlock the door to understanding how cells develop and function. Epigenetics is a branch of genetics that studies modifications to the DNA which affect gene activity. The research, published today (April 26) in the journal Science, has important implications for stem cell research and the development of regenerative medicines. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-technique-epigenetics.html Genetics Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:00:10 EST news254665466 You might think that the DNA you inherited is one thing that you absolutely can't do anything about, but in one sense you'd be wrong. Researchers reporting in the March issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, have found that when healthy but inactive men and women exercise for a matter of minutes, it produces a rather immediate change to their DNA. Perhaps even more tantalizing, the study suggests that the caffeine in your morning coffee might also influence muscle in essentially the same way. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-dna.html Genetics Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:17:25 EST news250262231 (Medical Xpress) -- Three research teams have published papers in Nature, that together offer evidence suggesting that isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) enzyme mutations may play a role in altering activity that could have an impact on whether or not cancerous tumors begin to grow. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-idh-enzyme-mutations-growth-cancer.html Medical research Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:28:04 EST news248610418 It is well established that a mood disorder can increase an individual's risk for substance abuse, but there is also evidence that the converse is true; substance abuse can increase a person's vulnerability to stress-related illnesses. Now, a new study finds that repeated cocaine use increases the severity of depressive-like responses in a mouse model of depression and identifies a mechanism that underlies this cocaine-induced vulnerability. The research, published by Cell Press in the August 25 issue of the journal Neuron, may guide development of new treatments for mood disorders associated with substance abuse. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-mechanism-links-substance-abuse-vulnerability.html Neuroscience Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:10:21 EST news233410194