Gecko Morphs and Genetics!

This article discusses the genetics of a specific leopard gecko morph. In the pet trade, the term morph is utilized to describe different desirable color patterns, usually in which the animal is specifically bred for.

This article explored linkage and homozygosity within said morph. The allele for this more was found to be a spontaneous semidominant mutation. The researchers found that the mutation can be traced back to a locus that contains a tumor suppressor. Additionally, they studied iridophoroma in the geckos, which is the structural production of colors via crystal platelets. They discussed how research regarding specific genes in reptiles is somewhat difficult due to their somewhat long reproductive cycles and stress within laboratory breeding settings.

As someone who owns a gecko, I think that this study is very neat. I like learning about how popularity and phenotypic preference influences the pet trade and associated prices… But I do not exactly approve of breeding geckos, in a general sense. There are just so many health problems regarding breeding in captivity, and especially when it comes to traits like this article discusses. Many desired traits are often associated with chronic or lethal impacts towards the resulting individual. A good example of this is the crossing of two lily white crested geckos- it always results in death of the offspring. 

How Your Diet Can Impact Aging

 It has become a popular topic to find ways to slow down aging or to stop it completely. Recently studies have shown how your diet could have effects on how fast you age or the way you age. A study done by researchers at Penn State have identified that a person’s telomeres were affected by caloric restriction. Over a human lifetime, as their cells replicate, the copy of chromosomes will cause the shortening in the telomeres. The shortening of telomeres causes the chromosome to become damaged and prevent replication. This study tested how restricting calories may alter the telomere length. Researchers used 175 participants and data from the start of CALERIE study - the first randomized clinical trial of calorie restriction in humans, and continued for the next 24 months on a caloric restriction. Two-thirds of the participants participated in the caloric restriction while the remaining were used as a control group. In the first year of the caloric restriction participants lost telomere rapidly as well as weight compared to the control group but in the second year their weight stabilized and the loss of telomeres became slower than the control groups’. At the end of the two years the telomere length between participants and the control group were not significantly different. In a different study which was funded by the National Institute on Aging, ran a phase 2 trial for two years where 220 adults were randomized and part of the participants cut their caloric intake by as much as 25% — 500 calories for people who generally consume 2,000 calories a day. Through this researchers found that people who cut their calories slowed the pace of their aging by 2% to 3%, compared to people who were on a normal diet.

Link 1: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240417182816.htm

Link 2:https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/calorie-restricted-diet-may-slow-aging-healthy-adults-science-shows-rcna69562

Gene discovered in ocean algae may help increase food production on land.

 Scientists at UC Riverside in California recently discovered a gene that codes for the production of a chlorophyll specific to marine algae and kelp.  Chlorophyll c is able to absorb wavelengths of light that penetrate deeper into the ocean.  Specifically blue-green light.  This adaption evolved from the need for more light absorbance since the ocean absorbs red light, which is more available to land plants.  Chlorophyll c helps algae to thrive in the ocean.  Terrestrial plants can only produce chlorophylls a and b, however the study demonstrated that tobacco, a land plant, could be genetically modified to produce chlorophyll c.  This alteration could allow for land plants to absorb a broader range light and increase productivity.  This has good implications for dealing with food scarcity and producing biofuel.

This article reminds me of one of the exercises we did in lab, and that was inserting the GFP gene from jellyfish into a DNA plasmid in E. coli. I wonder if inserting the chlorophyll c gene from algae into tobacco utilizes the same methods.  This article never outright said it, but the main point was that they potentially found a way to make better GMO's.  I don't know a lot about GMO's, but in the secondary article linked below, I read that their most common commercial use is in farmed plants.  Typically GMOs in the produce section have selected traits that increase their shelf life, make them more resistant to pests and diseases, and make them taste better.  The chlorophyll c gene may help land plants absorb more light and that would help increase crop yield.  However in the study they've only found that it can inserted into tobacco.  So we'll have to wait and see if it can be inserted into more plants.

 

Main article: https://www.earth.com/news/marine-algae-genes-chlorophyll-boost-crop-yields-land-plants/

GMO Article: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/genetically-modified-organisms/

How a DNA repair study is helping cancer studies

    DNA damage takes place when cells are exposed to radiation which can stall or hurry cell growth leading to aging and cancer. Scientists got together to study further just how damaged DNA cells are mobile. Tubules form to catch DNA breaks when a network of microtubules pushes on the nuclear envelope after DNA inside a nucleus is damaged. The formation of these tubules are promoted by the regulators DNA damage response kinases and tubulin acetyltransferase. The nuclear envelope tubules are used to repair DNA in cells but, cancer cells seem to need them the most. The study continued to analyze more than 8,500 cancer patients to reveal that "targeting factors that modulate the nuclear envelope for damaged DNA repair effectively restrains breast cancer development" (Science Daily). In aggressive cancers, tubule levels are elevated due to having more damaged DNA than average cells. It was found that when fewer tubules were present, the cancer cells were more resistant to PARP inhibitors. The enzyme PARP binds to damaged DNA, while PARP inhibitors block this action, which makes the resulting DNA impossible for cells to replicate. 

    While reading the article, various different studies were brought up and it was explained how many of these articles had been "piggy-backing" off of each other, using the last new results to find newer results. I find it refreshing to see this, especially in studies involving cancer. I thought it was super interesting to read about how each finding lead to the next, and how scientists are trying to piece everything together to hopefully help those affected by cancer. Reading about how there is a correlation found with tubules and PARP, and how certain processes, like the use of tubules, are needed more by some cells rather than others. 

 https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240417120408.htm

https://phys.org/news/2024-04-uncover-human-dna-nuclear-metamorphosis.html#google_vignette 

C. elegans may be a model organism for studying telomere biology

    Telomeres, the ends of the double-stranded DNA chromosomes, require proteins for protection. In mammals, shelterin is known to do this important job. Scientists at the University of Michigan have found that the proteins TEBP-1 and TEBP-2 protect the telomeres found in the common roundworm, C. elegans. In order to do their job, these proteins must find a way to bind to each other, and then bind to the chromosome. The worm has "myb-containing domains" known as MCD 1, 2, and 3, which are the three segments of the single proteins TEBP-1 and TEBP-2. The scientists had found that only MCD3 binds DNA to link the proteins to the telomeres while MCD1 and MCD2 bind together molecules of TEBP-1 and TEBP-2. 

    Something mentioned in the article as how before this study, scientists had a lot of trouble trying to find out more of C. elegans due to their tunnel vision. Generally, scientists tend to compare everything to mammals, which can lead to closed-minded thinking. The article reads, "the C. elegans examples shows us that there are multiple ways to solve the end protection problems and some of them might be quite different from how humans do it. But as long as they are effective, they are selected for in evolution" (Science Daily). I thought that was an interesting part to read about in the paper because I think its important to point out errors in perspective or the habit of not thinking open minded. I think in a science setting it is important to keep an open mind because science has proven hundreds of interesting, surprising things before. I also thought it was interesting to read about how one of the lead researchers thinks this roundworm is a model organism for this kind of research. I think its interesting how the roundworm added so much information about chromosome ends and telomeres considering how microscopic the actual animal is. Overall, I thought it was interesting to see how different our DNA works compared to a roundworm and how scientists come about this information. 

 https://phys.org/news/2024-04-elegans-chromosomes.html#:~:text=Nandakumar%20says%20that%20because%20you,organism%20for%20studying%20telomere%20biology. 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240408150446.htm 

Urine can help you detect cancer??

Researchers at the University of Michigan Health Rogel Cancer Center have introduced a groundbreaking urine-based test for identifying head and neck tumors. This innovative method offers a non-invasive alternative to traditional blood sampling, potentially transforming early cancer detection and patient outcomes.

Utilizing advanced whole genome sequencing, the team identified ultra-short DNA fragments in urine samples, typically fewer than 50 base pairs, released by tumor cells. These fragments, often overlooked by conventional tests, serve as crucial biomarkers for early cancer detection.

The test, still in its early stages, allows patients to collect urine samples at home and mail them to the laboratory for analysis. This approach enhances convenience and accessibility, potentially improving patient compliance with follow-up testing.

Researchers at Lab Manager say "Early detection is critical because detecting a cancer at an earlier stage can lead to better outcomes for patients."

Moreover, the test's implications extend beyond head and neck cancer, with potential applications in detecting other cancer types like breast cancer and acute myeloid leukemia.

This breakthrough offers hope for more effective and accessible cancer screening, bringing us closer to a future where early detection leads to better treatment outcomes and improved patient quality of life.

Sources:

https://alumni.umich.edu/education-gateway/researchers-discover-urine-based-test-to-detect-head-and-neck-cancer/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240416214642.htm

https://www.labmanager.com/researchers-discover-urine-based-test-to-detect-head-and-neck-cancer-32089

Future of Preventable Lyme Disease

 Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is transmitted by Ticks. This disease affects half a million people in the United States per year. Although antibiotics are needed to treat the disease, many people still feel the effects after months to even years. Some researchers at MIT have found a protein in sweat that protects against Lyme disease. About 1/3 of the population in the United States have this protein in their genes. It is in the hopes of the researchers that they will be able to use the protein in order to make preventable creams or treatments for those with Lyme disease.  The researchers who found this protein in the genes of people with and without Lyme disease primarily found secretoglobin, SCGB1D2 are a family of proteins found in tissues of organs and play a role in immune responses. The researchers are using the SCGB1D2 in order to test against the disease in mice. 

Personally, I know a lot of people with Lyme disease and some of those people still have affects from the disease after taking the antibiotics. This is a groundbreaking discovery because it has the potential to help many people feel better and increase their health. 

Article Link: https://news.mit.edu/2024/protein-found-human-sweat-may-protect-against-lyme-disease-0319

Additional Link: https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/index.html#:~:text=Lyme%20disease%20is%20the%20most,bite%20of%20infected%20blacklegged%20ticks.

Why Huntington's Disease may take so long to develop

In this article, researchers have found that the growth of copies in the HTT gene within specific brain cells is what causes Huntington's disease to progress. This growth, which can produce hundreds of copies, alters gene activity and ultimately results in cellular death. Reducing the MSH3 protein, which is important for DNA repair, could stop this growth, providing a possible treatment method. Through the use of single-cell sequencing and gene activity analysis, the research offers new approaches to therapy and sheds light on the mechanism underlying the disease.

This study offers an achievable goal for treatment and possible treatment approaches, which represents a major leap in our understanding of Huntington's disease. The use of modern techniques such as single-cell sequencing shows how important interdisciplinary approaches are to understanding complicated neurological illnesses. Going forward, people with Huntington's disease may have better results from additional research into the function of MSH3 and the development of specific medicines.

Sources:

https://www.genecards.org/cgi-bin/carddisp.pl?gene=MSH3

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/huntingtons-disease-development-gene-brain