New work shows that physical folding of the genome to control genes located far away may have been an early evolutionary development.
Category: biotech/medical – Page 577
1,000-year-old gut microbiome revealed for young man who lived in pre-Hispanic Mexico
Analysis of preserved feces and intestinal tissue has revealed specific types of bacteria that were present in the microbiome of a young adult man who lived in Mexico about 1,000 years ago, prior to Spanish colonization. Santiago Rosas-Plaza of Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and colleagues present these findings in PLOS One.
The human gut microbiome consists of microorganisms, including bacteria, that naturally live in people’s intestines. Certain types of bacteria are widely associated with the human gut microbiome, but a person’s particular mix of bacteria may vary depending on factors such as age, diet, health, and where they live. Studying ancient microbiomes using mummies and human remains can therefore deepen understanding of ancient populations and show how the human microbiome may have changed over time.
A growing number of ancient microbiomes have been revealed, including for an ancient Incan person and Germany’s “Tyrolean Iceman.” To further expand the field, Rosas-Plaza and colleagues analyzed the exceptionally well-preserved remains of a man discovered in a rock shelter in Zimapán, Mexico. Prior analyses suggest the “Zimapán man” was most likely a seasonal seminomadic hunter-gatherer who was part of the ancient Mesoamerican Otopame culture and died about 1,000 years ago between the ages of 21 and 35.
‘Traffic controller’ protein that protects DNA discovered, and it may help kill cancer cells
Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a protein that acts like a traffic controller for DNA, preventing damage during cell division—a discovery that could lead to new cancer therapies, according to a study published in Nature.
“DNA is the code of life. It’s critical for how a cell functions, but it’s also critical for our own being and defines what we are,” says Zhenkun Lou, Ph.D., the Swanson/Schmucker Endowed Professor to Support Health and Cancer Research at Mayo Clinic and the senior author of the new study.
When cells divide, DNA must be copied from one cell to the next—a process called replication. Dr. Lou’s research team discovered that a protein called KCTD10 plays a surprising role in protecting DNA during this critical stage. Acting like a built-in sensor, KCTD10 helps shield the DNA replication machinery from damage.
Alzheimer’s disease research in brain tissue from African American donors points to roles for many novel genes
The prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is approximately two times higher in African Americans (AA) compared to white/European-ancestry (EA) individuals living in the U.S. Some of this is due to social determinants of health such as disparities in health care access and quality of education, biases in testing and higher rates of AD risk factors such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes in those who identify as African American.
Although many studies have examined differences in gene expression (a measure of the amount of protein encoded by a gene) in brain tissue from AD cases and controls in EA or mixed ancestry cohorts, the number of AA individuals in these studies was unspecified or too small to identify significant findings within this group alone.
In the largest AD study conducted in brain tissue from AA donors, researchers from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine have identified many genes, a large portion of which had not previously been implicated in AD by other genetic studies, to be significantly more or less active in tissue from AD cases compared to controls. The most notable finding was a 1.5 fold higher level of expression of the ADAMTS2 gene in brain tissue from those with autopsy-confirmed AD.
Engineered CAR-NK cells could evade immune rejection and target cancer more effectively
One of the newest weapons that scientists have developed against cancer is a type of engineered immune cell known as CAR-NK (natural killer) cells. Similar to CAR-T cells, these cells can be programmed to attack cancer cells.
MIT and Harvard Medical School researchers have now come up with a new way to engineer CAR-NK cells that makes them much less likely to be rejected by the patient’s immune system, which is a common drawback of this type of treatment.
The new advance may also make it easier to develop “off-the-shelf” CAR-NK cells that could be given to patients as soon as they are diagnosed. Traditional approaches to engineering CAR-NK or CAR-T cells usually take several weeks.
Poor sleep may accelerate brain aging
People who sleep poorly are more likely than others to have brains that appear older than they actually are. This is according to a comprehensive brain imaging study from Karolinska Institutet, published in the journal eBioMedicine. The paper is titled “Poor sleep health is associated with older brain age: the role of systemic inflammation.”
Increased inflammation in the body may partly explain the association.
Poor sleep has been linked to dementia, but it is unclear whether unhealthy sleep habits contribute to the development of dementia or whether they are rather early symptoms of the disease.
Bacterial enzyme and nanoparticle discoveries hold promise for treating gut pain
Abdominal pain is a hallmark of many digestive disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome. In an effort to develop targeted treatments for gut pain, scientists have discovered a new enzyme in gut bacteria and are using nanoparticles to deliver drugs inside cells.
Currently, there are no treatments specifically for gut pain, and existing painkillers are often insufficient at managing symptoms. These drugs—including opioids, NSAIDs, and steroids—also come with side effects, some of which directly harm the digestive system.
In two new studies published in Cell Host & Microbe and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers focused on PAR2, a receptor involved in pain signaling that has been shown to play a role in gastrointestinal diseases marked by inflammation and pain. Found on the lining of the gut and on pain-sensing nerves in the gut, PAR2 is activated by certain enzymes called proteases and is a promising target for treating gut pain—in numerous ways.
Widely-prescribed opioid painkiller tramadol not significantly effective for easing chronic pain, analysis finds
The strong opioid painkiller tramadol is not significantly effective at easing the chronic pain for which it’s widely prescribed, finds a pooled data analysis of the available research, published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine.
It likely increases the risk of serious side effects, including heart disease, the findings indicate, prompting the researchers to conclude that the potential harms of tramadol probably outweigh its benefits, and that its use should be minimized.
Tramadol is a dual-action opioid widely prescribed for the treatment of moderate to severe acute and chronic pain. As such, it’s recommended in several medical guidelines for pain management, note the researchers.
Scientists unlock new patterns of protein behavior in cell membranes
Cellular membrane proteins play many important roles throughout the body, including transporting substances in and out of the cell, transmitting signals, speeding up reactions and helping neighboring cells stick together. When they malfunction, it can cause serious diseases including cancer, making them attractive drug targets. But understanding how membrane proteins behave and function can be challenging because their position within the cell’s lipid membrane—a tightly-packed double layer of fat-like molecules—makes them difficult to study.
Computer advances and ‘invisibility cloak’ vie for physics Nobel
A math theory powering computer image compression, an “invisibility cloak” or the science behind the James Webb Space Telescope are some achievements that could be honored when the Nobel physics prize is awarded Tuesday.
The award, to be announced at 11:45 am (0945 GMT) in Stockholm, is the second Nobel of the season, after the Medicine Prize was awarded on Monday to a US-Japanese trio for research into the human immune system.
Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell, of the United States, and Japan’s Shimon Sakaguchi were recognized by the Nobel jury for identifying immunological “security guards”