Genetics & Molecular Biology

Oxytocin, dubbed the "cuddle hormone" because of its importance in bonding ,  is best known for its role in childbirth and breastfeeding, and animal studies have shown that it may also be important in monogamous social relationships. Recently, economic research in humans implicated oxytocin in trust and empathy. Additional animal research shows that oxytocin may relieve stress and anxiety in social settings and may be more rewarding than cocaine to new mothers. But it's the notion that oxytocin influences feelings of well-being and sensitivity that will have advertisers and…

Proteins are the indispensable catalytic workhorses, carrying out the processes essential to life in today's sophisticated organisms, but long ago ribonucleic acid (RNA) reigned supreme. Researchers have produced an atomic picture that shows how two of these very old molecules interact with each other and it provides a rare glimpse into the transition from an ancient, RNA-based world to our present, protein-catalyst dominated world.  The scientists show the atomic details of how ribonuclease P (RNase P) recognizes, binds and cleaves transfer RNA (tRNA). They used the powerful X-rays…

'Agouti' is a family of genes previously identified in humans and the first two members are responsible for skin and hair color. Identified by Vanderbilt scientists, AgRP2 the newest member of the family, exclusively found in bony fishes and is claimed to be responsible for the ability of fish to rapidly change color! Bony fishes have a hormone called Melanin Concentrating Hormone (MCH) that is responsible for lightening and darkening of skin color in response to the surroundings. AgRP2 influences two precursors of this hormone, thereby determining the skin tone of the fish. In the…

Can there be a genetic difference between progressives and conservatives?   Certainly we have had the discussion many times about studies, both sociological and biological, seeking to make the case that politics might be nature as well as nurture. New research from U.C. San Diego and Harvard adds some fuel to the fire, stating in the Journal of Politics that a dopamine receptor gene called DRD4 may influence the sociological factors that determine a political mindset. The study's authors say this is the first research to identify a specific gene that predisposes people to certain…

The jokes write themselves, really: "Ozzy Osbourne's Genome Reveals Some Neandertal Lineage" The idea itself is fascinating, though, and I am interested to see what more they can mine from the PoD (Prince of Darkness, to the uninitiated). I nominate the full contingent of Mötley Crüe as the next genetic guinea pigs, testing for why people who should by all accounts be dead are still alive and shouting at the devil. Ozzy reaching for omega-3-rich flax crackers, the real secret to his inexplicable longevity

Is alcoholism genetic as well as behavioral?  Studies have suggested it in the past and scientists at Brookhaven National Lab say they have the first experimental evidence of it.Their study compared the brain's response to long-term alcohol drinking in two genetic variants of mice. One strain lacked the gene for a specific brain receptor dopamine D2, which responds to dopamine, the brain's "feel good" chemical, to produce feelings of pleasure and reward. The other strain was genetically normal. In the dopamine-receptor-deficient mice (but not the genetically normal strain), long-term…

'Copy Number Variants' (CNVs) are hot. A CNV is a sizeable chunk of DNA that's either missing from your genome or present in extra copies. Chunks of DNA get copied or deleted on a surprisingly frequent basis. We've all got CNVs, most cases they are probably benign, but CNVs are becoming an increasingly appreciated as a significant source of medically important genetic variation. 'Recently appreciated' because we now have the technology to detect CVNVs reliably. A recent paper in The Lancet links CNVs with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder, and find that genetic variants in ADHD occur…

Two women who took part in the world's first controlled study of a genetic screening test before IVF have given birth to healthy babies. The babies are the first deliveries in a pilot study of comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) by microarray, a new method of screening oocytes, female gametocytes involved in reproduction, before in vitro fertilization (IVF) for a full range of chromosomal disorders. The births, as well as several ongoing pregnancies in the study group, are the final stage in the "proof of principle" that the screening of oocytes and embryos before transfer in IVF can…

The smallest entity of life is the single cell, which exists not only as single cell organisms, but as evolution proceeds, as members of a bigger and more complex living organism. During the progression of life, an organism encounters many experiences, and encodes these experiences as memories or knowledge. While it is clear that in larger organisms that this occurs in the brain or equivalent higher order centers, a similar memory process also occurs in single cells within the nucleus- an equivalent higher order control center in which the cell’s genome is stored. Rather than using neural…

People considered Jatropha some kind of miracle plant which will produce tonnes of oil without nutrition, water and good land and good seed or good climate. Researchers are not needed. Agrotechnology is not to be developed and all one has to do is to find some wasteland and put some seeds and within a year or two open a refinery . This is against the basic principles of biology and plant physiology. All plants including Jatropha need a soil base, which must have some level of organic matter, pH in neutral zone or nearabout, nitrogen and other nutrients in abundance and minerals and growth…