Enzyme's "Magic" May Hold Key to Anticancer and Antimicrobial Drugs
...ed linear DNA, separating newly replicated chromosomes prior to cell division. "This work provides a molecular picture that basically proves the mechanism [by which the enzyme works]," said Dr. Wang. "This in turn has implications in the design of anticancer drug...New Cancer Switch Discovered By Duke Medical Center Pharmacologists
...and matching within the dividing cell, bits of two chromosomes are snipped off and rejoined to one another. In the process, a piece of the gene called BCR is restitched to a large gene called cABL, or "cellular" ABL. The protein produced by the cABL gene is a "tyrosine kinase," a type of enzyme found throughout ...Computer Program For Quicker, More Detailed Mapping
...g only 15 or 20 markers. However, eachof the human chromosomes contains 500 to 1,000 of these markers -- far toomany to map all at once using available computer programs. To solve this problem, computer scientists at the Stanford Human GenomeCenter applied a well-known computer trick: They instructed the comput...Duke Researchers Show "Editing" Can Fix Faulty Genes In New Approach To Gene Therapy
...ted intoprotein. Such messages are copied from the chromosomes into a portable formcalled messenger RNA (mRNA). But mRNA copied from DNA is often full of superfluousinformation that has to be edited out before the mRNA is decoded into thefinal protein product. Cells have evolved an efficient system that usesRNA ...Newly Discovered Gene Halts Cell Division and May Have Cancer Link
...ead to the formation of new cells that are missing chromosomes -- an event that is notoriously linked to tumor gr...ve the newly formed daughter cells without all the chromosomes they need to function properly," says Dr. Robert Benezra, an investigator in the Cell Biology and Ge...Study Examines How Mechanisms Evolve To Regulate Bee Development
...because they are haploid[having half the number of chromosomes of workers]. With such simplicity,it may be possible to develop molecular genetic tools for analyzing underlyingbrain mechanisms involved in behavioral changes that could be applied tomore complex genetic systems." For the drones themselves, early m...The CIA Would Like To Know What Scientists Are Seeing Over The Rainbow
...owerful new way to visualize the full set of human chromosomes in a rainbow of colors. The new technique, called... its own distinct hue. With all 23 pairs of human chromosomes identified by a different color, scientists can more easily examine the entire group of chromosomes ...Research Team Discovers Key Gene For Telomerase Enzyme In Humans
...containrepeating sequences of DNA that protect the chromosomes from damage, saidToru Nakamura, a CU-Boulder researcher, Howard Hughes Medical Institutescientist and lead author on the study. Since portions of the telomeresare lost each time a cell divides, telomere shortening is thought to act asa molecular clo...Newly Discovered Human Protein Provides Important Target For Cancer Therapy
...omerase in the body is to help maintain theends of chromosomes in reproductive cells (cells that produce eggs and sperm)and in certain immature progenitor cells that give rise to other body tissues. Telomerase activity is not detectable in most mature cells. Switching off telomerase during development c...Jefferson Scientists Find Potential Deadly Effects Of Two Missing Cancer-Suppressor Genes
... answer lies with the X chromosome, one of two sex chromosomes responsible for sexual development. Somehow, he...onic development, certain genes of one of the X chromosomes may be turned off, a process called X-inactivation. Normally, there is some damage to the X an...Researchers Construct Genetic Map For Dogs
...and spacing of genes and traits of interest on the chromosomes of the canine genome. Both papers are the result of an unusual and highly productive collaboration between the two major canine genetics groups in Seattle and Ithaca, each of which brought a unique set of resources and talents to the venture. The Hut...Technique Gives Researchers New Look At Genetic Activity In Living Cells
...tor repeats isrevealed. The fragment is put into chromosomes by genetic engineering. To sharpenvisibility, the lac repressor protein is fused with a naturally occurringgreen fluorescent protein, recently discovered in jellyfish, allowing forviewing the area in living cells by light microscopy. With immunogol...Transposable Elements May Have Had A Major Role In The Evolution Of Higher Organisms
...ge part ofconstitutive heterochromatin, regions on chromosomes that are permanently condensed and, forthe most part, genetically inactive in every cell. The second major gene-silencing mechanism in higher organisms is calledmethylation. McDonald points out that the vast majority of methylated geneseque...Hormone Control Of Rare Leukemia Sheds Light On Molecular Basis Of Cancer
...y is a translocation betweentwo chromosomes. These chromosomes break and fuse together again during cellulardivision, resulting in a new gene with material from each. The protein encodedby the new gene is called a fusion protein. Chromosomal translocations figure inmany types of cancers. In 95 perce......nized. The DNA is replicated in one cycle, and the chromosomes divideduring mitosis -- the second cycle. The APC is one of the mitotic ringleaders. "It is absolutely requiredfor cell proliferation," says Yu. The protein complex drives a dividing cellfrom the metaphase stage of mitosis into anaphase--fro...Mouse Gene Reveals Clues To Human Deafness
...s diverged millions ofyears ago, segments of their chromosomes contain the same genes. The comparisonled the geneticists to a mouse gene known to be crucial for normal developmentof mouse hearing. When the human form of the same gene was sequenced using DNAfrom hearing-impaired individuals in the Israeli famil...'Mean Gene' Found In Africanized Honey Bees
... hybrid bees. They then located DNA markers on the chromosomes of the aggressive hybrid bees and compared the genes with those of nonaggressive hybrid bees. Now that they have mapped the gene in the honey bee genome, the researchers say the next step would be to isolate the gene for further study. "We've found a......the human genome. Genomes encompass the set of 46 chromosomes thatreside in human cellular nuclei and contain genetic information. Please call (203) 288-2309 for directions to Sacred Heart Academy....Electron Accelerator Provides Unique Proof Of Gene Repair Process In Living Cells
...heir studies will provide a clearer picture of how chromosomes become unstable, a condition frequently associated..., more powerful computer chip. "We wanted to break chromosomes in a tiny area of the nucleus of a living human cell without blasting it away," said Petrini. "The e..."A Thousand (And More) Points Of Light" Yield New View Into Cells
...at are found at transcription sites, the places on chromosomes where thegeneticinformation is read out. The innovation, which relies on advanced imagingtechniques, sophisticated algorithms, and the power of parallel computing, isdescribed in the April 24, l998 cover story of Science. The lead author of thepaperi...