PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Doing more means changing less when it comes to gene response, new study shows

2014-06-05
(Press-News.org) Turku, FI – An international team led by scientists at the University of Turku in Finland studied thermally-adapted fish populations to discover that the more biological functions a gene has, the less it responds to environmental change. "In addition to having important implications for climate change adaptation, these findings could radically change the way we study gene responses to any external stimulus like for example to drug treatments", the authors suggest. Their findings are reported on June 3 2014 in the journal Nature Communications.

When organisms need more of a gene's product, typically a protein, the gene is 'turned up' and the opposite occurs when less protein is needed (the gene is 'turned down'). For years, biologists have used this knowledge to identify genes that are important for certain conditions. The logic behind is simple: among genes, those that are 'turned up' or 'turned down' the most will also be the most important. Correct? Not exactly, according to the latest findings.

In their study, Papakostas and co-authors studied the responses to temperature for more than 400 genes in grayling populations (grayling is a relative of Atlantic salmon). "We used state-of-the-art molecular tools that allowed us to measure gene responses directly at the protein level", the authors explain. The breakthrough came when they examined how much each the gene was 'turned up' or 'turned down' in comparison to how many biological functions each gene is known to have. "We found a very clear correlation between how much protein amounts changed in response to temperature and the number gene biological functions. The more the gene biological functions, the less was the protein expression change", S. Papakostas, the primary author of the study explains.

How do these findings change our current view about gene responses? "When it comes to gene expression responses, there is no one simple universal solution and our study shows exactly that. Gene expression changes could not be judged solely based on the magnitude of change because genes with more biological functions simply cannot change as much as genes with fewer biological functions. We need to develop ways that take this into account. We believe the present study represents the first step forward to a whole new direction for molecular and evolutionary biologists", the authors conclude.

INFORMATION: This work was supported by the Academy of Finland.

Contact details for interviews: Spiros Papakostas, e-mail: spiros.papakostas@utu.fi, tel.: +358 2 333 7089 (work), +358 40 3604 627 (mobile).

The article in Nature Communications: http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2014/140603/ncomms5071/full/ncomms5071.html


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

A sand-dwelling new species of the moonseed plant genus Cissampelos from the Americas

A sand-dwelling new species of the moonseed plant genus Cissampelos from the Americas
2014-06-05
Researchers from the Missouri Botanical Garden have discovered in dry forests and transient sand dunes in Bolivia and Paraguay, a new plant species in the moonseed family Menispermaceae. The discovery was reported in the open access journal PhytoKeys. The new species was described in the genus Cissampelos, which includes vining species that for the most part are found in disturbed habitats of the tropical and subtropical regions of the World. This new Cissampelos is morphologically unique by its small leaves, its 8 anther-cells in the male flowers, and a large endocarp–a ...

Scientists discover the basis of allergic reactions

2014-06-05
Allergies in humans and animals are on the increase. An allergic reaction may cause unpleasant symptoms like hay fever, food intolerance or skin rashes. Allergic reactions may also cause acute and life-threatening symptoms, such as asthma or anaphylactic shock. A single pollen protein is responsible for allergies One of the most well known allergens, i.e. substances that cause allergies, is so-called "Bet v 1" from birch pollen (Betula verrucosa). The protein was first produced artificially in the laboratory 25 years ago in Vienna, and is being used as an allergen ...

Shorter TB treatment regimens will reduce cost for patients and their families

2014-06-05
Shorter TB treatment regimens will reduce the out-of-pocket expenses incurred by both patients and their family members, who often act as the patients' guardians. In addition, shorter TB regimens may allow an earlier return to productive activities for patients and their families. These conclusions come from an international alliance of researchers, led by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), who carried out a comparative study in Tanzania and Bangladesh looking at the out-of-pocket costs incurred by TB patients in both countries. These patients were taking ...

App paired with sensor measures stress and delivers advice to cope in real time

2014-06-05
Computer scientists at Microsoft Research and the University of California, San Diego have developed a system that combines a mobile application and sensor to detect stress in parents and delivers research-based strategies to help decrease their stress during emotionally charged interactions with their children. The system was initially tested on a small group of parents of children with ADHD. The system, called ParentGuardian, is the first to detect stress and present interventions in real-time—at the right time and in the right place. It combines a sensor worn on the ...

NIDA review summarizes research on marijuana's negative health effects

2014-06-05
The current state of science on the adverse health effects of marijuana use links the drug to several significant adverse effects including addiction, a review reports. The article, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, is authored by scientists from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health. The review describes the science establishing that marijuana can be addictive and that this risk for addiction increases for daily or young users. It also offers insights into research on the gateway theory indicating ...

Report supports shutdown of all high seas fisheries

2014-06-05
Fish and aquatic life living in the high seas are more valuable as a carbon sink than as food and should be better protected, according to research from the University of British Columbia. The study found fish and aquatic life remove 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year, a service valued at about $148 billion US. This dwarfs the $16 billion US paid for 10 million tonnes of fish caught on the high seas annually. "Countries around the world are struggling to find cost effective ways to reduce their carbon emissions," says Rashid Sumaila, ...

UO researchers use rhythmic brain activity to track memories in progress

UO researchers use rhythmic brain activity to track memories in progress
2014-06-05
AUDIO: Edward Awh briefly describes the finding of his study on tracking early processing of working memory, and the differences between EEG and fMRI is studying the process. (41 seconds) Click here for more information. EUGENE, Ore. -- (June 5, 2014) -- University of Oregon researchers have tapped the rhythm of memories as they occur in near real time in the human brain. Using electroencephalogram (EEG) electrodes attached to the scalps of 25 student subjects, a UO team led by ...

American Aging Association Meeting presents latest developments in aging research

2014-06-05
The 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Aging Association (AGE) held May 30-June 2, 2014, at the Westin Riverwalk Hotel in San Antonio, Texas, featured the latest scholarship and research findings in the field of aging research from more than 70 leading experts. The event has long been recognized as a launching pad for researchers to share cutting-edge discoveries into the underlying mechanisms of the causes of aging as well as the possible breakthroughs in finding ways to increase healthspan. "The talks at this year's meeting were of exceptionally high quality with really ...

Protecting mainland Europe from an invasion of grey squirrels

2014-06-05
The first genotyping of grey squirrels sampled from Italy and the UK shows a direct link between their genetic diversity and their ability to invade new environments. In this new study, published in Diversity and Distributions, an international team of scientists from Imperial College London and the Zoological Society of London compared 12 DNA markers from grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) in Piedmont in Northern Italy with the same markers from squirrel populations in Northern Ireland, Northumberland and East Anglia. After correlating genetic diversity against ...

Healthy tissue grafted to the brains of Huntington's patients also develops the disease

2014-06-05
Quebec City, June 5, 2014—A recent study published in Annals of Neurology reports that healthy human tissue grafted to the brains of patients with Huntington's disease in the hopes of treating the neurological disorder also developed signs of the illness, several years after the graft. This discovery will have profound implications on our understanding of the disease and how to treat it, and may also lead to the development of new therapies for neurodegenerative disorders. Huntington's disease is a hereditary illness that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

AI model offers accurate and explainable insights to support autism assessment

Process for dealing with sexual misconduct by doctors requires major reform

Severe pregnancy sickness raises risk of mental health conditions by over 50%

Early humans may have walked from Türkiye to mainland Europe, new groundbreaking research suggests

New study shows biochar’s electrical properties can influence rice field methane emissions

Guangdong faces largest chikungunya outbreak on record

Tirzepatide improves blood sugar control in children aged 10-17 years with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on existing therapies (SURPASS-PEDS trial)

An old drug, in a low dose, shown to be safe and effective in preventing progression of type 1 diabetes in children and young people (MELD-ATG trial)

Study reports potential effects of verapamil in slowing progression of type 1 diabetes

Fresh hope for type 1 diabetes as daily pill that slows onset confirms promise at 2-year follow-up

New estimates predict over 4 million missing people who would be alive in 2025 if not for inadequate type 1 diabetes care

So what should we call this – a grue jay?

Chicago Quantum Exchange-led coalition advances to final round in NSF Engine competition

Study identifies candidates for therapeutic targets in pediatric germ cell tumors

Media alert: The global burden of CVD

Study illuminates contributing factors to blood vessel leakage

What nations around the world can learn from Ukraine

Mixing tree species does not always make forests more drought-resilient

Public confidence in U.S. health agencies slides, fueled by declines among Democrats

“Quantum squeezing” a nanoscale particle for the first time

El Niño spurs extreme daily rain events despite drier monsoons in India

Two studies explore the genomic diversity of deadly mosquito vectors

Zebra finches categorize their vocal calls by meaning

Analysis challenges conventional wisdom about partisan support for US science funding

New model can accurately predict a forest’s future

‘Like talking on the telephone’: Quantum computing engineers get atoms chatting long distance

Genomic evolution of major malaria-transmitting mosquito species uncovered

Overcoming the barriers of hydrogen storage with a low-temperature hydrogen battery

Tuberculosis vulnerability of people with HIV: a viral protein implicated

Partnership with Kenya's Turkana community helps scientists discover genes involved in adaptation to desert living

[Press-News.org] Doing more means changing less when it comes to gene response, new study shows