Targeting a key enzyme with gene therapy reversed course of Alzheimer's disease in mouse models
..., delivered the siRNAs into the brain cells of the transgenic mice that were producing vast amounts of human beta-amyloid and whose brains where littered with plaques. "When you compare the brains of treated and untreated mice, the difference is striking. Silencing BACE1 reduced the number and size of plaques b...Engineered molecule amplifies body's immune response
...er experiments, using both recombinant viruses and transgenic mice, to establish the benefits of hyper-responsive Stat1 in vivo for treating viral infection and cancer. They are also screening for drugs that might increase Stat1 responsiveness. These experiments may eventually lead to many improvements in cance...Greasing interferon's gears may pave way to greater therapeutic benefits, fewer side effects
...ral infection. In addition, the group is studying transgenic mice engineered to carry the same Stat1 mutations that were examined in cells. In this way, the researchers can investigate the benefits of hyper-responsive Stat1 for infection control and cancer treatment in a living organism. These studies lay the ...NIH grants $11 million to Brown University for cancer research
...nd facilities. These included Rhode Island's first transgenic facility, where mice with altered DNA are bred for scientists at Brown and its affiliated hospitals. In addition, powerful microscopes were purchased along with sophisticated instruments to study gene activity and protein structure. These tools are u...Scientists discover genetic key to growing hardier, more productive plants
...y determined AVP1's critical role by comparing the transgenic plants to both ordinary Arabidopsis plants and mutant versions of the plant that were devoid of AVP1. They discovered that the AVP1 mutants didn't develop functional root systems and their shoots were tiny and deformed. Gaxiola specializes in manipu......cultural biotechnology for their ability to create transgenic plants containing new genes of scientific or economic interest," said Winans, a professor in Cornell's Department of Microbiology. "Perhaps these findings could be exploited to get more effective delivery of DNA for biotechnology uses." He is the se...Gene that helps mosquitoes fight off malaria parasite identified
...Health. Abraham and Jacobs-Lorena are developing a transgenic mosquito in which the SPRN6 gene is permanently switched on, in an effort to create a mosquito that would be immune to the Plasmodium parasite. They believe that such a mosquito could help disrupt the transmission of malaria to humans. "An immune-res...JCI table of contents November, 2005
...e 2 receptor (AT1R) in the heart. The authors made transgenic mice with cardiac specific overexpression of AT1R ...a i coupling causes hypertrophy and bradycardia in transgenic Mice AUTHOR CONTACT: Junichi Sadoshima University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark,...Anti-aging hormone reduces reactive oxygen species
...ho extends lifespan. Using both cultured cells and transgenic mice, the researchers showed that Klotho increases resistance to oxidative stress. "Increased longevity is always associated with increased resistance to oxidative stress," explains Kuro-o. "Oxidative stress causes the accumulation of oxidative dama...Olfactory system detects pheromones that control reproduction
...fic genetic signal. The researchers also created a transgenic mouse in which neurons expressing LHRH provided that signal, making the viral tracer highly specific. "So, whenever we saw a signal from the conditional virus, we knew we were seeing connections to neurons expressing LHRH and nothing else," said Dula...JCI table of contents December, 2005
...l Investigation, Streamson Chua and colleagues use transgenic mice to show that only one isoform of leptin receptor, LEPR-B, expressed exclusively in neurons, is sufficient to produce normal body composition and normal body weight. Brain specific leptin signaling was sufficient to reverse the obesity, diabetes,...Muscular dystrophy and cancer-associated muscle wasting share dystrophin dysfunction
...phin exhibit enhanced tumor-induced wasting, while transgenic animals expressing dystrophin were spared from the disease. Significantly, cachectic patients with gastrointestinal cancers had dramatic reductions in dystrophin when compared to weight-stable healthy individuals. Although cancer cachexia and muscul...Study links progressive aphasia syndrome to prion gene
... and his colleagues are carrying out studies using transgenic mice in order to test that possibility. The investigators are also planning studies to examine how the prion variations may influence development of PPA. The studies may help researchers understand other neurodegenerative diseases as well, Dr. Mas...Genetic key to growth of new arteries is identified
...ed. The researchers mimicked arterial blockage in transgenic mice created by David Lovett, MD, chief of nephrology at SFVAMC, professor in residence of medicine at UCSF, and one of the co-authors of the study. The mice carried a marker gene, beta galactosidase, that turns tissues blue. Different strains of th...Overproducing leptin receptors in fat cells may be key to halting weight gain
... of internal medicine at UT Southwestern, said the transgenic mice's high levels of leptin receptors caused all surplus calories to be burned rather than stored. "They were overfed tremendously and did not get obese. Our control animals were fed the same diet and gained an enormous amount of weight," Dr. Wang s...Anyway you slice it, tomatoes cut through drought with new gene
...ge after five days without water, as opposed tothe transgenic tomatoes, which began to show signs of damage after 13 daysbut rebounded completely as soon as they were watered, according to thestudy. "This technology could ultimately be applied to all crops because itinvolves the over-expression of a gene fo...Researchers discover how a high-fat diet causes type 2 diabetes
...ting whether over-expression of the GnT-4a gene in transgenic mice makes them resistant to diabetes induced by a high-fat diet or by transcriptional factor mutations that cause MODY. "If our findings can be applied to humans, they should give us important insights into how type 2 diabetes may be prevented and t...Plant-derived vaccines safeguard against deadly plague
...stablish and characterize genetically modified, or transgenic plants. The beauty of system is its potential versatility that can be adapted to fight against other pathogens as well. The research team's next step is to refine their methods to achieve a large-scale commercial production of the vaccine. ...Cracking the genetic code for control of gene expression
...rect organ-specific expression of a marker gene in transgenic mice. Novel experimental and computational methods enabled genome-wide analysis of regulatory elements in several species. Studying the control of gene expression is a growing area of research at the moment, likely owing to its fundamental importanc......ed. Schaffer's laboratory earlier had developed a transgenic mouse that accumulates fat in its heart muscle cells resulting in the death of cells, heart failure and premature death. They found that EF1A-1 was increased nearly three-fold in the hearts of these animals. Removal of EF1A-1 protected cells from pa...