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Ancient retroviruses spurred evolution of gene regulatory networks in humans and other primates

11-13-2007 · EurekAlert!

Ancient retroviruses -- distant relatives of the human immunodeficiency virus -- helped a gene called p53 become an important "master gene regulator" in primates, according to a new study.

Keywords: ancient, retroviruses, spurred, evolution, gene, regulatory, networks, humans, primates, retroviruse, network, human, primate

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Evolution of human genome's 'guardian' gives people unique protections from DNA damage
01-16-2008 · EurekAlert!
Evolution has given humans unique protections through the p53 regulatory network -- so-called guardian of the genome -- against DNA damage that could cause cancer or genetic diseases, according to a study led by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in the Jan. 22 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Rodents do not have these same protections, creating the need for additional considerations when interpreting studies in rodent models.
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Third primate genome, the rhesus macaque, helps illuminate what makes us human
04-12-2007 · EurekAlert!
Researchers have sequenced the genome of the relatively ancient rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta), providing perspective into how humans are genetically different from our primate relatives. In addition to benefiting human health research in areas as diverse as HIV and aging, the genome enhances understanding of primate evolution. The macaque genome research appears in the April 13 issue of Science published by AAAS, the nonprofit science society.
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Rhesus macaque genome may hold clues for human health and evolution
04-12-2007 · EurekAlert!
An international consortium of scientists has completed a draft sequence of the rhesus macaque genome, a species of non-human primate widely used for creating models of human diseases and infections. The study paves the way for researchers to watch disease progression at the genetic level in macaques, a close relative of humans. The findings, which appear April 13 in the journal Science, will let us learn how humans and other primates evolved into distinct species.
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Genomics study provides insight into the evolution of unique human traits
07-30-2007 · EurekAlert!
Researchers report the results of a large-scale, genome-wide study to investigate gene copy number differences among ten primate species, including humans. In the report, the scientists speculate how unique, lineage-specific gene copy number expansions and contractions in humans may underlie traits such as endurance running, higher cognitive function, and susceptibility genetic disease.
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Sea urchin genome is a biology boon and a computational feat
11-09-2006 · EurekAlert!
Now that the entire DNA map of the sea urchin is complete, it's clear that these spiny sea creatures are even closer genetic cousins to humans than suspected. Brown University professors Gary Wessel and Sorin Istrail helped reveal the secrets of the urchin -- from its powerful immune system to its formidable gene regulatory network -- by identifying individual genes and creating the first high-resolution map of genes activated in its embryo. The work appears on the cover of Science.
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Mice, men make livers differently
05-21-2007 · EurekAlert!
Scientists often study mice as a model for human biology and disease, because their basic biological processes are assumed to be essentially the same as those of humans. But now, a team of MIT researchers has uncovered a surprising difference. In a study of gene regulation in mouse and human liver cells, they found that master regulatory proteins function in very different ways in mice and humans.
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Ancient retrovirus sheds light on modern pandemic
06-21-2007 · EurekAlert!
Human resistance to a retrovirus that infected chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates four million years ago ironically may be at least partially responsible for the susceptibility of humans to HIV infection today.
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Well-Tooled Primates
02-10-2007 · Science News Online
People may have leaned on ancient primate-brain capacities to begin making stone tools by 2.5 million years ago, a transition that possibly spurred the development of language and other higher mental faculties.
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From a lowly yeast, researchers divine a clue to human disease
12-07-2006 · EurekAlert!
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Neuron cell stickiness may hold key to evolution of the human brain
11-02-2006 · EurekAlert!
The stickiness of human neurons may have been a key factor in why the human brain evolved beyond the brains of our primate relatives. In a study comparing the genomes of humans, chimpanzees and other vertebrates, researchers at the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Joint Genome Institute (JGI) found a strikingly high degree of genetic differences in DNA sequences that appear to regulate genes involved in nerve cell adhesion molecules.
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