science top stories popular news  

Daily non-political popular news in brief.

Human proteins evolving slowly thanks to multi-tasking genes

02-06-2007 · University of Bath

Many human proteins are not as good as they might be because the gene sequences that code for them have a double role which slows down the rate at which they evolve, according to new research from the Department of Biology & Biochemistry published in PLoS Biology.

Read more »

Keywords: human, proteins, evolving, slowly, thanks, multi-tasking, genes, protein, thank, multi, tasking, gene

« Previous | Next »

Similar news on "Human proteins evolving slowly thanks to multi-tasking genes":

  1. Human proteins evolving slowly thanks to multitasking genes
    02-05-2007 · EurekAlert!
    Many human proteins are not as good as they might be because the gene sequences that code for them have a double role which slows down the rate at which they evolve, according to new research published in PLoS Biology.
    Similar news · Read more »
  2. Cold Spring Harbor Protocols highlights reliable methods for gene and protein analyses
    04-04-2007 · EurekAlert!
    This month's release of Cold Spring Harbor Protocols highlights methods for creating and detecting specific proteins, as well as for characterizing the activities of specific genes during embryonic development. Two of the methods are freely available online.
    Similar news · Read more »
  3. Human embryonic stem cells remain embryonic because of epigenetic factors
    10-04-2007 · EurekAlert!
    A human embryonic stem cell is reined in -- prevented from giving up its unique characteristics of self-renewal and pluripotency -- by the presence of a protein modification that stifles genes that would prematurely instruct the cell to develop into specialized tissue. Thanks to the simultaneous presence of different protein modifications, stem cells are primed and poised, ready to develop into specialized body tissue, Singapore scientists reported.
    Similar news · Read more »
  4. MIT Team finds new mechanism of gene control
    07-12-2007 · Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
    Biologists have long thought that a simple on/off switch controls most genes in human cells. Flip the switch and a cell starts or stops producing a particular protein. But new evidence suggests that our genes are more ready for action than previously thought.
    Similar news · Read more »
  5. University of Washington researchers play leading role in major study of human genome function
    06-13-2007 · EurekAlert!
    Scientists at the University of Washington and other members of an international consortium have completed a multi-year research effort that dramatically boosts understanding of how the human genome functions. While previous studies of the human genome have focused mainly on genes, this study provides insight into non-gene sequences and "regulatory elements" that control genes and may play a role in many common diseases.
    Similar news · Read more »
  6. 2 heads are better than 1: 2 dysfunctional DNA repair pathways kill tumor cells
    04-12-2007 · EurekAlert!
    Individuals who inherit one mutant copy of any one of about 12 genes that make the proteins of the Fanconi Anemia pathway are at increased risk of developing cancer. This occurs when the remaining "good" copy of the gene becomes mutated in a specific cell type. However, hope of a new treatment for these cancers has now been provided by a new study indicating that inhibiting the protein ATM can kill these cancer cells.
    Similar news · Read more »
  7. New protein implicated in autism
    03-22-2007 · EurekAlert!
    Autism is a common neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by severely impaired social, communicative, and behavioral functions. Although several genes are associated with autism, none lie in the region of human chromosome 7 associated with autism susceptibility. Now, a new study demonstrates that mice lacking CADPS2, which is encoded by a gene in the autism susceptibility region of human chromosome 7, exhibit autistic-like characteristics, leading to the suggestion that CADPS2 defects might predispose individuals to autism.
    Similar news · Read more »
  8. Newly identified mechanism for silencing genes points to possible anti-cancer strategies
    05-16-2007 · EurekAlert!
    Scientists are only beginning to appreciate the extraordinary degree of control exercised over every step of the gene-to-protein production process. Only about 10 percent of human genes, for example, are active in a given cell at a given time, with the remaining 90 percent silenced by a various mechanisms. In a just-published study in Nature, scientists report an important new gene-silencing mechanism that points to promising potential targets for anti-cancer interventions.
    Similar news · Read more »
  9. The importance of gene regulation for common human disease
    09-16-2007 · EurekAlert!
    A new study published in Nature Genetics on Sunday Sept. 16, 2007, shows that common, complex diseases are more likely to be due to genetic variation in regions that control activity of genes, rather than in the regions that specify the protein code. This surprising result comes from a study at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute of the activity of almost 14,000 genes in 270 DNA samples collected for the HapMap Project.
    Similar news · Read more »
  10. Mutant gene shatters nerves
    01-29-2007 · EurekAlert!
    If you bend a knee, the nerves stretch but do not break. A University of Utah study suggests why: A gene produces a springy protein that keeps nerve cells flexible. When the gene was disabled in tiny worms, their nerve cells literally broke. The discovery may provide a new explanation for a disease previously tied to a human version of the gene and identified in 11 generations of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's family.
    Similar news · Read more »