World / Genetics
Enzyme Key To 'Sister Act' That Maintains Genome Stability
11.07.2008 08:11
medicalnewstoday.com
Keeping the genome stable is a "sister act" of matched chromatids - the pairs of the double helix DNA molecule that exist during the chromosome duplication in the S phase of the cell cycle. Maintaining the chromatids in their sister pairs rests with Eco1, a kind of enzyme known as an acetyltransferase.
World
Genetics
Sewing DNA Thread With Lasers, Hooks And Microbobbins
11.07.2008 06:11
medicalnewstoday.com
Japanese scientists have made a micro-sized sewing machine to sew long threads of DNA into shape. The work published in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal Lab on a Chip demonstrates a unique way to manipulate delicate DNA chains without breaking them. Scientists can diagnose genetic disorders such as Down's syndrome by using gene markers, or "probes", which bind to only highly similar chains of DNA.
World
Genetics
Genetic Variations Influence Nicotine Addiction For Young Smokers
11.07.2008 04:13
medicalnewstoday.com
A group of common genetics variants that affect the nicotine receptors in the nervous system could significantly increase the risk of developing nicotine addiction. These results, which could have powerful implications for policy preventing tobacco use in young people, were published on July 11, 2008 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are variations in the genetic sequence that involve a single unit of DNA.
World
Genetics
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