The next step based on these novel head and neck cancer discoveries, the scientists agree, is to tease out
how the genes function in normal cells, whether they form the lining of the larynx, pharynx, or another anatomical site affected by head and neck cancer.
With molecular biologist Gregory Hannon of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York state, Elledge developed genetic tools that examine
how genes function in human cancer cells.
In the decades that followed, Brenner helped launch the concept of using complex model organisms to figure out
how genes function.
The scientists also discovered that the stem cells released tiny packets of microRNA, bits of genetic material that control
how genes function.
Not exact matches
Essentially the model reproduces the inner workings of all of the proteins within the organism and allows scientists to see everything from
how cells interact with each other to the
functions of
genes in a larger context that had not been previously understood.
Once we had found two
genes that
functioned in concert to make a molecular clock, we began to wonder
how the clock could be reset.
«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.
We're funding researchers to investigate
how drugs alter what
genes are activated such that they modify the
function of the cells, and
how this, in turn, modifies the
functions of brain circuits, and
how that modifies behavior.
Air pollution appears to worsen
how two
genes function, which can lead to asthma symptoms.
Representatives from both the scientific and legal communities expressed outrage that patent rights to
genes could be awarded on the basis of work that provided no insight into
how the
gene might
function.
«This could mean that the reversal or suppression of pathological
gene expression by beta blockers is somehow protective against heart failure, but it's something we would need to look into further to understand
how individual
genes function in the heart.»
«We used the Allen Human Brain Atlas data to quantify
how consistent the patterns of expression for various
genes are across human brains, and to determine the importance of the most consistent and reproducible
genes for brain
function.»
The new approach could look directly at the toxic strain's
genes to see
how they
functions.
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.
These adducts may also change the
functions of
genes that promote or suppress disease, although exactly
how they might lead to developmental decrements in fetuses exposed to them is unclear.
Using computational data analysis, Hughes hopes to create evolutionary trees of these
genes and regulatory mechanisms in order to figure out
how they work together to make cells
function and
how they contribute to the physiology of the organisms they are found in.
They identified previously unknown recurrent loss - of -
function mutations that target
genes regulating epigenetic pathways — ones that act on
how tightly or loosely chromosomes are wound and thus accessible for
genes to be expressed.
Our life experiences exert a profound influence on
how we age and can even alter the ways
genes function without changing the underlying DNA sequence; these genetic changes are called epigenetic traits.
These
genes are believed to be essential for the normal
function of nerve cells, and previous studies have linked these mutations to problems with synaptic
function —
how neurons communicate with each other.
Computer aided modeling of
how the Bcl3
gene functions inside the cell allowed the group to identify a pocket on the surface of Bcl3 essential for its
function.
How do these imprinted
genes related to brain
function fit into the scheme of intersexual warfare?
Additional research is also needed to determine
how the C version of the
gene affects the protein's
function.
«We knew that Smchd1 was an epigenetic suppressor — a factor that switches off
genes that are unnecessary for that particular cells»
function — but we were in the dark about where and
how it was acting on the DNA.»
To try to determine
how those changes influenced the
gene's
function, that group put the human version of the
gene in mice.
«If there are 1,000
genes in the population that can contribute to risk in varying degrees and each has multiple developmental
functions, it is not immediately obvious
how to move forward to determine what is specifically related to autism,» State said.
In this episode, Scientific American news editor Phil Yam discusses
how veterinarians, physicians and multinational food companies need to work together in the global fight against animal - borne infectious diseases; and University of Wisconsin evolutionary biologist Sean Carroll talks about recent research tracking the evolution of yeast
genes with specific
functions descended from a single, duplicated
gene with multiple
functions.
«Gaining a better understanding of the
functions genes perform in cells, whether plant or animal, is going to help us understand
how to diagnose and treat diseases in humans,» says Richard K. Wilson of Washington University.
Genome in hand, researchers will learn many things, such as
how the nature of DNA influences
gene function.
«
Gene analysis adds layers to understanding how our livers function: Tracking gene expression patterns for 20,000 gene in 1,500 cells revealed a mosaic of activities.&ra
Gene analysis adds layers to understanding
how our livers
function: Tracking
gene expression patterns for 20,000 gene in 1,500 cells revealed a mosaic of activities.&ra
gene expression patterns for 20,000
gene in 1,500 cells revealed a mosaic of activities.&ra
gene in 1,500 cells revealed a mosaic of activities.»
To understand
how DIXDC1 mutations put normal brain
function at risk, Cheyette's team turned to mutant mice that lacked a
functioning copy of the
gene.
For example, scientists have not been able to resolve what
function the HTT
gene serves normally, or
how its mutation creates problems in the brain.
Because these
genes have the same
function in zebrafish, humans, and other tetrapods, it should help researchers further understand
how our ancestors left the water and evolved limbs from fins.
Given
how useful any insights into
gene function are for understanding the genetic basis of disease, the data are «priceless,» says Kári Stephánsson, a geneticist at deCODE in Reykjavík.
With a cell - by - cell assessment of
gene activity they are monitoring
how precursor cells shape and organize themselves into something loosely resembling a
functioning liver.
Future studies will be devoted to elucidate
how Hox
genes perform this protective
function at the molecular level.
And that got us into this broad question of:
How do new
genes»
functions evolve?»
The team anticipates their findings could be used understand
how other non-coding RNAs
function and to develop potential
gene therapies to treat cancer.
The goal of the NIH program, as described on its website, is «to understand the principles behind the three - dimensional organization of the nucleus in space and time (the fourth dimension), the role nuclear organization plays in
gene expression and cellular
function, and
how changes in the nuclear organization affect normal development as well as various diseases.»
«If we want to understand
how genes are turned on and off, we need to know where the sequences that perform this
function are located in the genome,» said Mitchell.
Before this study, scientists debated
how these immune
genes can evolve rapidly (which is necessary to keep up with the fast - evolving parasites), whilst also showing little or no evolutionary change in their
function over millions of years, as observed between humans and chimpanzees.
The way our
genes are arrayed and move in the 3 - D space of the cell nucleus turns out to profoundly influence
how they
function, in both health and disease
«We hope that in the future, by fully understanding
how this
gene affects signaling in the brain, we may be able to identify drugs to restore the normal signaling balance in neurons and improve cognitive and social
function in patients,» says lead author Dr. M. Chiara Manzini.
«Our study sheds new light on
how genes normally
function in sperm stem cells,» says Cairns.
It also shows
how different hair cells require, or can
function independently, of the deafness
gene tmc2b.
«These findings help us to understand where in the body the
function of this
gene is vital and
how the loss of the
gene in certain tissues can give rise to Menke's disease,» said Petris, who is a researcher in the Bond Life Sciences Center and holds an appointment in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology.
With further research into
how these
genes affect the brain, it could become possible to understand
how genes linked to schizophrenia affect people's cognitive
function,» said McIntosh.
Hence, biologists for decades have studied the proteins that control
how genes are transcribed into mRNA and
how the mRNA is read and translated into a
functioning protein.
«What we are trying to do is identify the
function of
genes and
how they affect the way the individuals process information and the structure of the brain.
The color - coded list identifies documented mutations in key viral
genes, along with literature citations and a description of
how the mutation is believed to change biological
function.
Knowing the origin of each cell and which
genes control their normal
function are the foundations for scientists to decipher the disease process and eventually to find out
how to guide the cells to self - repair or even to build up a brand new organ using amended cells from the patients.»