Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) infects nearly 100 percent of humans in early childhood, and the infection then lasts for the rest of a person’s life. Now, a team led by Peter Medveczky, MD, a professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine at the University of South Florida (USF), has discovered that in some individuals, HHV-6 causes such a permanent infection by inserting or “integrating” its DNA into human chromosomes. From this harbor, the viral DNA cannot be eliminated by the immune system…

Personal health recommendations and diets tailored to better prevent diseases may be in our future, just by focusing on genetics. Researchers at Kansas State University recently published an academic journal article discussing the potential for nutrigenomics, a field that studies the effects of food on gene expression. The researchers discussed the possibility of using food to prevent an individual’s genes from expressing disease. The researchers said nutrigenomics could completely change the future of public health and the food and culinary industries…

The Genetics Society of America is pleased to announce the 2010 Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology Meeting, July 27-August 1, 2010, at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada. This biennial meeting brings together investigators studying various aspects of eukaryotic biology in yeast. Program highlights include presentations by three Nobel Laureates and a Canadian astronaut who is also a Member of Parliament. The 2010 Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology Meeting is the most important scientific meeting for yeast biologists…

Rapid advances in drug development, genetics and multidisciplinary treatment have brought the field of oncology to a critical moment, says Dr. Rafael Rosell from the Catalan Institute of Oncology in Badalona, Spain, co-chair of the second European Lung Cancer Conference (ELCC), which will be held in Geneva, Switzerland from 28 April to 1 May 2010. More than 1,500 delegates are expected at the conference, which is a joint initiative of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC)…

Scientists at the University of Essex have a greater understanding of how our genes are controlled following a major research project. The findings of the study, which looked at how proteins work as teams to control genes in the cells, could also help to unravel the mechanisms of disease such as cancer. The five-year research, funded by the Medical Research Council, has been published in one of the top science journals, Molecular and Cellular Biology…

Geneticists who compared the genes of large dogs, small dogs and wild relatives, found a version of a gene that is carried by all small dogs and very few of the others, apart from grey wolves in the Middle East, suggesting that today’s small domesticated dogs evolved from them. The study was led by evolutionary geneticist Melissa Gray of the University of California, Los Angeles, and a paper on it appeared online in the journal BMC Biology on 24 February. Previous studies on the origins of the domestic dog have used mitochondrial DNA, which is passed on only through the mother…

Israeli and American researchers have identified new genetic data that could be used in the future to predict who will develop end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). ESKD requires dialysis or transplantation to sustain life, and is fatal in most regions of the world, where these treatments are not available. Published in the February 9th issue of Human Molecular Genetics, the results could someday benefit the estimated 40 million people in the U.S. alone who suffer from various degrees of chronic kidney disease, the prelude to ESKD. Led by Prof…

Scientists seeking answers to the complex problem of premature birth will explore whether stimulation of estrogen receptors triggers preterm labor, study how genetics and the environment interact to cause preterm birth, and investigate whether vitamin D can suppress factors that make some women more likely to give birth too soon, all with the financial support of the March of Dimes. The March of Dimes has committed another $2.6 million to support the work of six scientists for the next three years as they study the causes of preterm birth…

Whether used to clinch a guilty verdict or predict the end of a “CSI” episode, DNA evidence has given millions of people a sense of certainty — but the outcomes of using DNA evidence have often been far from certain, according to David Kaye, Distinguished Professor of Law at Penn State. In his new book, “The Double Helix and the Law of Evidence” (Harvard University Press), Kaye focuses on the intersection of science and law, and emphasizes that DNA evidence is merely information. “There’s a popular perception that with DNA, you get results,” Kaye said…

Pea aphids, expert survivors of the insect world, appear to lack major biological defenses, according to the first genetic analysis of their immune system. “It’s surprising,” says Emory biologist Nicole Gerardo, who led the study, published this week in Genome Biology. “Aphids have some components of an immune system, but they are missing the genes that we thought were critical to insect immunity.” Pea aphids are major agricultural pests and also important biological models for studies of insect-plant interactions, symbiosis, virus vectoring and genetic plasticity…