Pitt Researchers Construct Novel Delivery System For Gene Therapy Of Liver Disorders
...ers detailed how they coated twisted strandsof DNA encoding for the a1-antitrypsin (hAAT) gene with lipids and added oil toform stable RCR structures with 65 percent of DNA incorporated into the oilcore. "We have developed the first non-viral vector that resembles a naturallyoccurring lipoprotein," s...Genetics May Explain Why African Americans More At Risk For Strokes Caused By Bleeding In The Brain
...ee known alternative forms, oralleles, of the gene encoding for apo E. Located on the surface of circulatingblood-fat particles, apo E normally binds to liver cells, helping them to clearcholesterol from the blood. When genetically defective apo E fails to do itsjob, higher levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol r......dfind the same thing. Not only is it the same gene encoding the same protein inboth animals, but it is the same amino-acid change that distinguishes the normalanimal from the mutant," he said. "It's a fantastic coincidence." He cautioned that Nramp2 is not the only iron-transport proteincontr...Biotech Approach To Feral Cat Problem Devised
...isease. Then, Meister-Weisbarth introduced a gene encoding a protein derived from the zona pellucida (ZP) surrounding the vertebrate egg into the Salmonella. The bacterial vaccine is capable of inducing the production of antibodies which recognize the ZP and block the ability of a sperm to fertilize the eg...Long-Standing Puzzle Of Immune System Is Solved By UCSF Researchers
...er researchers to suspect thata defect in the gene encoding the repair enzyme resulted in a failure torepair harmful mutations, thereby contributing to the growth of thesetumors. However the UCSF researchers suggest that Pms2 may still be activein these tumors, but that its function may be altered so...UPMC Researchers Report On Gene Therapy Advances
...tients. Scientists know that an error inthe genes encoding for type 1 collagen, an extremely strong protein found in bone, is responsible for the bonefragility seenin OI. UPMC researchers are attempting to remedy disease complications throughgene therapy in an animal model of the disease. In one ...Peptides Implicated In Body's Response To Pain
...nce at UCSF. The scientists interrupted the gene encoding for preprotachykinin, whose peptideproducts include substance P, long believed to play an important role in painresponse, and neurokinin A. They observed that the colony of mutant animalsmaintained the same response to mild pain as their non-mutant ...Tiny Worm Reveals Workings Of Suspected Tumor Protein
...obe the function of any protein. They injected RNA encoding asnippet of p300 into the eggs of the mother. For unknown reasons, her offspringthen fail to make the protein, offering researchers a cheap and simplealternative to a genetic knockout mouse. While establishing strains of knockoutmice takes months, th...Duke Researchers Genetically Engineer Mice To Block Heart Enlargement
...imicked the Gq receiver. Then they inserted a gene encoding thedecoy into mouse embryos. The resulting transgenic mice made the decoy proteinin their heart cells. Then the researchers induced pressure overload, a mimic for high bloodpressure in people, in the transgenic mice and in normal mice.......es. One of the resulting clones, designated R1, is encoding a 160 kDa protein that is partially localized on starch granules. Lorberth et al. describe in Nature Biotechnology (Vol.16 (5) - May 98) the effects on starch metabolism exerted if the expression of this gene i...COGA Suggests Genetic Loci For P3 Brain Wave Abnormality
...each contain several hundred genes including those encoding ionotropic glutamate receptors and two subunits of the acetylcholine receptor. Whether these genes are responsible for the observed genetic linkage remains to be determined by high-resolution mapping. It is now well established that reduced P3 ampl...Crossing Bacterial/Archaeal Boundaries
...story of C1 pathways in all organisms. These genes encoding these enzymes have either been conserved from the last common ancestor possibly as much as 3 billion years ago, or they have been transferred horizontally between more recent ancestors....Frequent Genetic Mutations In Hepatocellular Carcinoma
...cted by Axel Kahn)shows that mutations in the gene encoding the protein beta-catenin are frequentin hepatocellular carcinoma. As these mutations have already been described inother cancers, this discovery points to their widespread involvement incarcinogenesis. Recently, mutations in the gene coding for beta-...DNA Vaccine 100 Percent Effective Against Rabies In Monkeys
...ime, Nancy B. Ray, Ph.D., made thevaccine from DNA encoding the surface glycoprotein of the rabies virus. Aftergetting excellent immune responses and protection using this vaccine in mice,they decided to move into primates. "The vaccine worked beyond our wildestdreams," says Dr. Lodmell. They vaccinated e...Researchers Identify And Isolate First Gene For A Form Of Insulin-Dependent Diabetes
...children had mutations thatprevented the gene from encoding the protein at all. So, while important tohealth, Permutt believes the protein has little effect on development. "The affected children develop completely normally until they are 6 to 8years old, so we assume that this protein is not require...Jackson Laboratory Researchers Identify Neuromuscular Degeneration Gene
...NA replication,repair, and recombination. The gene encoding SMBP2 is widely expressed, withhigh levels in brain, heart, kidney, spleen, and testes, and lower levels inpancreas, liver, lung, and salivary gland. The human homolog of this gene isknown to map to chromosome 11q, although it does not appear to be a...Growing Up On Their Own: Smart Plastics Organize Themselves Into Useful Optical Devices
...khe. The key to the work, says Jenekhe, is encoding into the polymersinformation so they will organize themselves into large-scale objects withspecific characteristics. Jenekhe and graduate student Chen worked with apolymer known as poly(phenylquinoline)-block-polystyrene, a molecular cousin tomateria...UCSD And NIH Researchers Isolate Candidates For Genetic Basis Of Human Taste
...emained of theidentification of the specific genes encoding taste receptors. In the paper published in Cell, Hoon and the research team address thehypothesis that such receptors likely would be found in tissue and cells thatare specific to the mechanism of taste. The research team used specialized DNA screen...Scientists Study Protein's Role In Tumor Development In Fish
...uses usually have threecore genes, responsible for encoding viral enzymes and all viral structuralproteins. But when researchers dissected the genomic structure of these threewalleye retroviruses, they discovered three additional genes, one of whichproduces cyclin. "This is a very unique retrovirus,"...Dyed In The Silkworm: Researchers Develop Novel Way To Produce Colored Silk
...ered version of a silk protein. Theyfused the gene encoding the light chain of the fibroin protein -- a major proteincomponent of silk -- to the gene encoding the green fluorescent protein fromjellyfish. After the virus infects the larval cells, the virus emb...