Genomics
Scientists Discover How Epigenetic Information Could Be Inherited: Mechanism of Epigenetic Reprogramming Revealed
New research reveals a potential way for how parents' experiences could be passed to their offspring's genes. The research was published January, 25 in the journal Science. The most common epigenetic mark is a methyl group. When these groups fasten to DNA through a process called methylation they block the attachment of proteins which normally turn the genes on. As a result, the gene is turned off. However, the researchers, who were funded by the Wellcome Trust, also found that some rare methylation can 'escape' the reprogramming process and can thus be passed on to offspring -- revealing how epigenetic inheritance could occur
Gene may help predict best chemotherapy treatment for pancreatic cancer patients (February 5, 2013) Researchers have identified a gene that may better predict survival for pancreatic adenocarcinoma, the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. The scientists conducted a study that better defines the role of ribonucleotide reductase M1 (RRM1).
Prenatal genetic tests said to hold potential, raise questions.
The Boston Globe (3/24, Johnson, 250K) reports that "the genome era...has brought ethical dilemmas along with biomedical insight. ... But in perhaps no other area are the questions raised by the evolving technology as morally fraught as when they involve a 10-week-old fetus, when parents may use the test results to decide whether to terminate or continue a pregnancy." The Globe notes, "Vastly increasing the number of women who learn about the genetic traits of their baby early on has the potential to reshape the medical and social experience of pregnancy, in the way it has already altered the lives of families that learn they are having a child with Down syndrome." Meanwhile, "The push for prenatal blood tests is driven by simple reasoning: to reduce the number of invasive procedures that cause fear in the mother and a small risk to the baby while also providing information about genetic conditions to help guide the pregnancy."
Genetics Might Determine Which Smokers Get Hooked
Study participants who had the high-risk genetic profile were found to be more likely to convert to daily smoking as teenagers and then progress more rapidly to heavy smoking (a pack a day or more). When assessed at age 38, the higher-risk individuals had smoked heavily for more years, had more often developed nicotine dependence and were more likely to have failed in attempts to quit smoking. A person's genetic risk profile did not predict whether he or she would try cigarettes. But for those who did try cigarettes, having a high-risk genetic profile predicted increased likelihood of heavy smoking and nicotine dependence. The findings appear March 27 in JAMA Psychiatry.
Genetic 'Spelling Mistakes' That Increase Risk of Common Cancers Determined
The main findings are published in five articles in a special issue on genetic risk factors for cancer in the scientific journal Nature Genetics. The articles originate from COGS (Collaborative Oncological Gene-environment Study), an EU-based consortium where more than 160 research groups from all over the world are included. In the five COGS studies 100,000 patients with breast, ovarian or prostate cancer and 100,000 healthy individuals from the general population were included. The alterations can be described as a genetic 'spelling mistake', where A, G, C or T have been replaced with another letter. This spelling mistake is called Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) -- pronounced 'snip'. "COGS is the largest genotyping project in the world targeting identification of genetic alterations that influence the risk of common cancers.