News tagged with plos genetics

Related topics: genes , genome , genetic variation , mutations , immune cells




Pathway controlling cell growth revealed

A Melbourne-based research team has discovered a genetic defect that can halt cell growth and force cells into a death-evading survival state.

Cancer created Feb 18, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

The same genetic defect causes Pompe disease in both humans and dogs

Pompe disease, a severe glycogen storage disease appearing in Lapphunds is caused by a genetic defect in acid α-glucosidase gene. The same genetic mutation also causes the equivalent disease in humans. Based ...

Genetics created Feb 15, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers create new air sacs in mouse model of emphysema using novel growth factor

In a study of mice, researchers at Johns Hopkins have identified a new molecular pathway involved in the growth of tiny air sacs called alveoli that are crucial for breathing. The scientists say their experiments may lead ...

Medical research created Feb 14, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Accelerated biological aging, seen in women with Alzheimer's risk factor, blocked by hormone therapy

Healthy menopausal women carrying a well-known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease showed measurable signs of accelerated biological aging, a new study has found.

Alzheimer's disease & dementia created Feb 13, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Villain stomach bug may have a sweet side: Researchers reveal how 'bad' gut bacteria may help control diabetes

A stomach bacterium believed to cause health problems such as gastritis, ulcers, and gastric cancer may play a dual role by balancing the stomach's ecosystem and controlling body weight and glucose tolerance, according to ...

Medical research created Feb 08, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (8) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Triple-negative breast cancer subtypes identified using microRNA

A new, large-scale study of triple-negative breast cancer shows that small molecules called microRNA can be used to define four subtypes of this aggressive malignancy.

Cancer created Feb 07, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Obesity leads to vitamin D deficiency

Obesity can lead to a lack of vitamin D circulating in the body, according to a study led by the UCL Institute of Child Health (ICH). Efforts to tackle obesity should thus also help to reduce levels of vitamin D deficiency ...

Overweight and Obesity created Feb 05, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Gene variants found to affect human lifespan

By broadly comparing the DNA of children to that of elderly people, gene researchers have identified gene variants that influence lifespan, either by raising disease risk or by providing protection from disease.

Genetics created Feb 04, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

HIV-like viruses in non-human primates have existed much longer than previously thought

Viruses similar to those that cause AIDS in humans were present in non-human primates in Africa at least 5 million years ago and perhaps up to 12 million years ago, according to study published January 24 in the Open Access ...

HIV & AIDS created Jan 24, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Caloric restriction has a protective effect on chromosomes

One of the indicators of a cell's health is the state of its DNA and containers—the chromosomes—so when these fuse together or suffer anomalies, they can become the source of illnesses like cancer and/or ageing processes.

Medical research created Jan 23, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Diabetic fruit flies support buzz about dietary sugar dangers

Regularly consuming sucrose—the type of sugar found in many sweetened beverages—increases a person's risk of heart disease. In a study published January 10 in the journal PLOS Genetics, researchers at San ...

Genetics created Jan 17, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Epigenomic abnormalities predict patient survival in non-Hodgkins lymphoma

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 ...

Genetics created Jan 10, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Sickle cells show potential to attack aggressive cancer tumors

By harnessing the very qualities that make sickle cell disease a lethal blood disorder, a research team led by Duke Medicine and Jenomic, a private cancer research company in Carmel, Calif., has developed ...

Cancer created Jan 09, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

A history lesson from genes: Using DNA to tell us how populations change

When Charles Darwin first sketched how species evolved by natural selection, he drew what looked like a tree. The diagram started at a central point with a common ancestor, then the lines spread apart as ...

Genetics created Jan 09, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (6) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

An embryo that is neither male nor female

So, is it a girl or a boy? This is the first question parents ask at the birth of an infant. Though the answer is obvious, the mechanism of sex determination is much less so. Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) ...

Genetics created Jan 03, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0