More broadly, this landmark discovery has illuminated an unexplored avenue in scientists» understanding of how
cells control gene expression, and will indubitably incite a fresh wave of innovation in this ever growing field.
Molecular recognition is fundamental to transcriptional regulation, the primary mechanism by which
cells control gene expression.
The finding could reveal much about how
cells control gene activity, and also illuminate cancer, multiple sclerosis, and other diseases spurred by faulty gene expression.
In his second semester, he started doing research in three different labs, including that of Carolyn Decker, a molecular biologist who was investigating how
the cell controls gene expression through the destruction of messenger RNA.
Not exact matches
First, an adult
cell would be removed from a patient and the DNA of that
cell altered to
control and direct the types of
gene expression the nucleus is capable of supporting.
But it is not actually the crucial question, which is, What
controls the activity of the complex interacting set of
genes, which produces a nerve
cell or a muscle
cell?
What all these have in common is that, without any central
control, individual units (
genes,
cells neurons or workers) respond to simple, local information, in ways that allow the whole system (
cells, brains, organisms or colonies) to function: the appropriate number of units performs each activity at the appropriate time.
Cells have more than one trick up their sleeve for
controlling certain
genes that regulate fetal growth and development.
The shared patterns of
gene expression in the limbs and phallus are generated in part by a common set of noncoding DNA, also called «elements» or «enhancers,» which act to
control gene expression in both of these structures, argues a study published October 1 in Developmental
Cell.
Baylin says certain
genes that
control cell growth get turned down periodically during certain stages of life, including embryogenesis, when organisms are growing and developing rapidly.
RNA molecules can attach to particular DNA sequences to help
control how much protein these particular
genes produce within a given time, and within a given
cell.
The scientists also discovered that the stem
cells released tiny packets of microRNA, bits of genetic material that
control how
genes function.
The brainlike structures created from
cells taken from autistic children showed increased activity in
genes that
control brain -
cell growth and development.
«The key point here is that we can say something about how the
gene acts to influence this behavior — that is, is by functioning as a chemical messenger in
cells that
control this behavior in the brain.
The boosted
genes had three main beneficial effects: improving the efficiency of mitochondria, the powerhouse of
cells; boosting insulin production, which improves
control of blood sugar; and preventing the depletion of telomeres, caps on chromosomes that help to keep DNA stable and so prevent
cells wearing out and ageing.
As might be expected of an autoimmune disease, where the immune system turns on healthy tissue, all the
genes play a role in
controlling the growth and multiplication of
cells in the immune system.
They discovered a population of NKT
cells that have a
gene that
controls so - called regulatory T -
cells, whose role is to suppress the immune response.
DNA methylation is a mechanism
cells use to
control gene expression at the epigenetic level.
The boosted
genes had three main effects: improving cellular energy efficiency; upping insulin production, which improves
control of blood sugar; and preventing the breakdown of caps on chromosomes that help prevent
cells wearing out and ageing.
Several pint - size projects are in development, including
gene chips, protein arrays, stem
cell controls and electronic circuits.
Next, Anderson and his colleagues used a set of genetic tools to identify exactly which neurons were responsible for the effect on aggression and to see if the
gene that encodes for Tk also
controls aggressive behavior by acting in that
cell.
The most common mutations, occurring in five of the women, occurred in
genes including ARID1A, PIK3CA, KRAS and PPP2R1A, all known for
controlling cell growth,
cell invasion and DNA damage repair.
The researchers then examined a number of DNA variants in the protein production -
control region of the bellwether
gene in
cell cultures.
After demonstrating the existence of several
genes that
control indefinite
cell division, she, a grad student named Yi Ning, and their colleagues found a candidate for one of those
genes on chromosome 4.
There is evidence to suggest the
gene originally
controlled stem
cells or immune response, and was only later co-opted to defend animals against rogue
cells when they became large and long - lived.
The
gene makes a protein that
controls the quantities of other proteins a
cell produces, and studies in roundworms suggest that the
gene is involved in growth and development throughout life.
Lee's team used a retrovirus to transfer the fluorescent
gene to dog fibroblast
cells, but they could not
control where the virus inserted the
gene.
HEALTHY muscle
cells exposed to fat can become like
cells taken from people with diabetes, with the
genes that
control fat - burning permanently switched off.
Running their computer algorithm, the biologists found that 5300
genes contained complementary sequences to an miRNA — suggesting that the miRNA could
control that
gene's expression, they report in the 14 January
Cell.
The findings by a team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators, which will be published in the April 24 issue of
Cell and are receiving advance online release, support the importance of epigenetics — processes
controlling whether or not
genes are expressed — in cancer pathology and identify molecular circuits that may be targeted by new therapeutic approaches.
The protein is now known to interact with and
control dozens of different
genes and proteins, and it helps regulate the cycle of molecular events by which
cells grow and reproduce.
Although the regulation of this
gene has a strong «
cell cycle
control» component, I was more interested in studying
cell cycle regulation «proper.»
She also sought out
genes that
controlled the switch for maturation of T helper
cells, maintaining just the right balance of T helpers — between Th1
cells that suppress allergic responses and Th2
cells that trigger them.
By tweaking different fly
genes and counting how many neuron types were produced as the flies matured, the team identified a network of five
genes that work together like coordinated
control switches to guide the precursor
cells» transformation to mature neurons.
The researchers demonstrated that blocking the PGD enzyme genetically or with a pharmacologic inhibitor reversed the epigenetic reprogramming and malignant
gene expression changes detected in distant metastases, and also strongly inhibited their tumor - forming capacity, with no effect on normal
cells or peritoneal pancreatic cancer
controls.
When Murphy compared the
genes turned off and on in oocytes and body
cells of the same worm, however, she saw that two completely different sets of
genes controlled oocyte and body -
cell aging in C. elegans.
This is the idea of inserting a
gene into
cells and that
gene is light
controlled, so that you can use light to manipulate the
cell.
They found numerous
genes activated in the XYL regulon -
controlled yeast that upregulated pathways involved in growth, such as
cell wall maintenance,
cell division, mitochondrial biogenesis and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production.
Surprisingly, the cancer - promoting program that RB - loss unleashed was distinct from the
cell - cycle
control genes that RB is best known for
controlling.
Although the researchers don't know precisely how the chaperone molecule works, the difference was unmistakable: Less than 40 % of
cells treated with
gene therapy had clumps, compared to 70 % of
controls.
The newly unmasked
genes play a role in three distinctively different bodily functions, including systems that
control inflammation and cholesterol and the regulation of how brain
cells clean up toxic proteins.
Directly or indirectly, Holick points out, «the active form of vitamin D
controls up to 200 different
genes,» including ones responsible for
cell proliferation, differentiation, and death.
The invasion of epithelial
cells and immune
cells are
controlled by two separate
gene clusters called Salmonella Pathogenicity Islands 1 and 2 (SPI1, SPI2) respectively.
By providing a woman's family history of these cancers, including the ages they were diagnosed, the programs calculate a probability that the patient carries a harmful mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 (
genes involved in
controlling malignant
cell growth).
New remote -
control technology may offer biologists a powerful way to do this with
cells and
genes.
This bundling of DNA acts as a switchboard for
controlling genes» activity and directs a
cell's complex molecular machinery.
Even after the
cells were taken out of microgravity for up to 30 generations before being combined with the
control strain, they maintained 72 per cent of their adaptive advantage, pointing to permanent mutations in the
genes rather than merely a temporary adjustment.
Other techniques exist for remotely
controlling the activity of
cells or the expression of
genes in living animals.
«Radiogenetics» seeks to remotely
control cells,
genes.»
The
control mice, with all
genes intact, should have lost sight as photo - receptors — the light - sensitive
cells in the retina — died.