Your Roommate's Genes Can Effect Your Health

As college students, a lot of us are residents on campus living with a few roommates.  What we may not realize, though, is that the people we live with may influence our health based on each individual's genetic makeup.  In a very recent study, researchers observed the behaviors of mice, focusing on how one affects the other in a number of ways based on genetic traits relating to things such as growth, the immune system, and biological clock.  Specific pairs of mice either affected each other in a more positive way, a more negative way, or remained neutral depending on which type of mouse was caged with another.  Right now, scientists have found about 40 traits that can be effected, while 10% of a mouse's genetics are influenced by another.  Some traits tested in studies were anxiety level, rate of wounds healing, weight, and functioning of the immune system.  In newer studies focusing on traits related to the immune system, more than 30% influenced on how genes were expressed.   For a long time researchers have known that a person's traits can influence one another's behavior through peer pressure. One example a researcher stated involved a difference in roommates' biological clocks, where one tends to wake up early and the other goes to sleep late.  This could lead to poor sleep habits to one person or the other depending on who's behavior changes. 

I thought this study would spark a lot of interest considering many of us probably live with roommate's on campus, experiencing changes in behavior due to the people surrounding them.  I have even noticed a change in my own behavior pertaining to my sleep schedule and how my roommates disturb it, so it would be interesting to see what other ways their genetic traits can effect mine.

6 Million Years Ago, Otters the Size of Wolves Roamed China's Wetlands

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/25/science/wolf-sized-otters-china.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=21&pgtype=sectionfront

http://www.defenders.org/north-american-river-otter/basic-facts

The present otter has evolved tremendously over the past 6 million years. When people think of otters, they think of cute, little furry animals that play in the water, but if we could time travel back 6 millions years ago, people would surely stay away from the otter's fearsome attributes. Researchers of the newly discovered extinct otter believe it to be around 6 feet long, with strong jaws, and weighing about 110 pounds. The otter fossils resemble current wolves and the name of the extinct otter is Siamogale melilutra. Researchers performed a CT scan on the large skull, and digitally reconstructed it to figure out the body proportions. The next step is to find out how strong the jaw really was, because of the various advantages or disadvantages the otters may have had in that earlier time.

This was a fascinating article to read. I have always thought of otters being small, little fur-balls in the water. The North American Otter today is under 4 feet and roughly 11-30 pounds. Learning that they were the size of wolves was interesting because I wonder what caused them to lose their large physiques over time. Maybe the largeness of their jaws created a hindrance on eating small mollusks or other shell fish, like otters do today. Another possibility of why the present otter is smaller, could be related to the swiftness and agility the otter has, compared to the bulkiness of its past size. Natural selection must have played a role in keeping the smaller-sized generations of otters because they were the best of fit.

A New Way to Treat Autism

A new study by Professor Edward Brodkin of the University of Pennsylvania suggests that the drug d-cycloserine, an antibiotic commonly used to treat tuberculosis, can help improve social skills and functions in children with autism. The study showed an increase in activity in the PCDH10 gene, which is an autism related gene, as well as showed in increase in social behavior in mice.

The amygdala, the area of the brain that is associated with social and behavioral defects in people with autism, is where the PCDH10 gene is expressed. It is not yet known how PCDH10 affects social behavior, however.

This article interested me because my brother is on the autism spectrum. I always knew I wanted to go into medicine, but after receiving his diagnosis I was inspired to pursue neurology.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/315514.php
http://www.genecards.org/cgi-bin/carddisp.pl?gene=PCDH10

Microsoft Excel linked to high number of errors in genetic scientific literature

Studies have found that Microsoft Excel incorrectly converts gene names to dates. Approximately one fifth of leading journals on genomics with supplementary Excel gene lists contain erroneous name conversions compromising the integrity. For example, SEPT2 (Septin 2) would be automatically "corrected" to September 2. The problem is there seems to be no way to disable the auto-date formatting in Excel, so researchers have to manually enter the text, but this is time consuming and makes human error more probable as most won't always remember to do this or may not even be aware of Excel's auto-formatting.  Australian researchers analyzed thousands of published papers on genetics in leading scientific journals such as Nature, Science,  and PLoS One, and found that roughly 20% of these papers have errors in their supplementary files containing the genes used.
 The scary part is that this was found in a paper published over a decade ago, and the problem still persists.


Apparently genetics is not the only field subjected to such errors. Harvard economists found Excel spreadsheet errors for calculating GDP, and over-inflating projected numbers. Excel isn't the only culprit, LibreOffice Calc and Apache OpenOffice were found guilty as well of having the same auto-formats.  However, there was only one program found to contain none of the errors and that is none other than Google Sheets. Even Science Mag acknowledges one in five papers contain errors. 

This is really troubling as it seems to me like a virus has penetrated the scientific world where technology induced errors are becoming rampant and since the modern man's life is essentially dominated by such technology, it gives rise to concern on how to not only correct this problem, but to prevent them in future.

Human-Pig Hybrid Chimera Study

Scientists have created more than 2,000 human-pig hybrids in the hopes of using the information gained to one day grow human organs inside of animals for transplants. The hybrid embryos were allowed to develop to 28 days before being removed. This short time frame allowed scientists to see how the human and pig cells mix together.The study has come under fire as ethical concerns from the US National Institutes of Health had put a temporary  ban on funding for this controversial experiment last year.  One ethical concern brought about during the ban was that hybrid creatures could theoretically have humanized brains,  and what that could mean if they were accidentally released into the wild. Although i understand the ethical dilemma faced with chimera research I feel as though there is many advantages that this research could bring that cannot be ignored. Not only is this study bringing us closer to understanding how different cells can interact it also allows us to learn the information that can one day lead us able to grow human organs ready for transplant.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jan/26/first-human-pig-chimera-created-in-milestone-study
http://www.counselheal.com/articles/31719/20170130/human-pig-chimera-embryo-development-grow-donor-organs.htm

Scientists find 'oldest human ancestor'

Researchers have recently discovered the earliest known ancestor of humans. They have claimed that this fossil traces back to over 540-million years ago, and was well preserved. This microscopic sea animal is the earliest known to the evolutionary path that led to a fish and eventually to humans. The scientist behind this say that Saccorhytus is believed to be the most primitive of the deuterostome family. Researchers concluded that Saccorhytus was about a millimeter in size, and is believed to have burrowed itself between grains of sand on the sea bed. Saccorhytus was also covered with a thin like, flexible skin and muscles, leading scientist to conclude that it moved by contracting its muscles and making it twist and turn. The researchers say that its most striking feature is its immense mouth, relative to the rest of its body. Scientist say that it probably ate by sucking food particles, or even other small microscopic creatures. 
I believe this is an amazing find for scientist because it is the oldest deuterostome; surpassing the other recently discovered deuterostome, dating about to 520-million years ago. What I found interesting is that the researchers were unable to find any evidence that the animal had an anus, which suggests that it consumed food and excreted from the mouth. As I can see,  this not only gives us understanding into the very first stages of the evolution that led to the fish, but to us. 

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-38800987
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature21072.html

Depression with cancer

Most people understand the tremendous emotional sometimes financial and spiritual pressure being diagnosed with cancer may have on an adult. But the notion of one being depressed in addition to being diagnosed with cancer for many years, has been a taboo. No one is really talking about it in-depth to the extent actions were taken. There is a recent study that showed depression and anxiety increase the mortality of those with cancer.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/27/well/mind/depression-and-anxiety-tied-to-cancer-deaths.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fhealth&action=click&contentCollection=health&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=9&pgtype=sectionfront

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/431269

Penny-Pinching Prawns

Scientists from James Cook University have been using the latest genetic techniques in order to isolate and manipulate prawn genes as to breed them to be cheaper and easier to farm, to grow faster, and resist diseases. The appropriately-named program "Unleashing the Tiger" works to unveil the genetic secrets of the black tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon) in order to produce one of the first genetically-manipulated aquaculture species as the most efficient and sustainable prawn on the market without losing any of the prawn's favorable traits.
This is an interesting article to me since seafood is one of my main "food groups" and the way economics interconnects with the genetics of a crustacean is intriguing. When someone mentions genetically modified organisms, most people immediately think of plants. Not many people know that animals undergo similar instances, and the genetic manipulation needed in order to make these black tiger prawns grow faster and resistant to diseases is simply fascinating.

The article this post refers to can be found here.
The link to the James Cook University black tiger prawn research hub can be found here.

A Genetic Fix to Put the Taste Back in Tomatoes

Dr. Harry J. Klee and his colleagues from University of Florida, explain how the delicious taste of tomatoes has been drained over the decades. Your average tomatoes found at the supermarket contain a bland taste, sugar and chemicals. Over the course of years, they sequenced the full genome of 400 tomatoes heirloom, wild and modern. After analyzing they were able to identify 26 genes providing flavorful volatiles. Dr. Klee produced these tomatoes and held a taste panel of different groups. Between men and women, between young and old, between foodies and nonfoodies.  From the results he walked alway bothered, we have trained the young generations to pick the supermarket tomatoes than a good old flavorful tomato. For those who did enjoyed the tasty tomatoes or who is interested may for a small donation of $10 receive a packet of seeds of this new best-tasting heirloom and modern variety.

Koalas Get A Helping Hand from Genetics

The endangered Queensland koalas have been getting help from researchers at the National Environmental Research Program Environmental Decisions Hub (NERPED) which have conducted experiments which analyzed their genetic patterns. Their results concluded that the right balance of tree cover and roads is the key to protecting these animals from urban growth. For example, in areas where tree cover falls below 30 percent, the genetic variability drops significantly, as with areas containing major highways. In order to maintain their genetic diversity, koalas must leave the trees to find a mate. This poses huge risks to these animals as civilization expands into their natural habitat.
Koalas are an Australian icon and therefore will always have plenty of support when it comes to their safety. The part of this article that I was drawn to the most were the organizations' suggestions, which included habitat bridges and underpasses beneath highways. These are great suggestions and I believe that they could absolutely help the koalas cross roadways to reduce the number of individuals struck by automobiles.

The original article can be found here.
A link to the Australian Koala Foundation can be found here.

Finding New Cancer Drugs in the Neighborhood

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170124111538.htm
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/280/5366/1036

    Scientists from the University of Cambridge and Hungary have discovered a pattern cancer spread through organs. Neighbor proteins of the cancer act like a "spiderweb" and combine and interconnect causing the growth of cancer. They have discovered that making new drugs to target these cancerous neighboring proteins could disable the spread and growth of the cancer. However, this does not work with cancer developing in the lungs and breasts because the proteins networks do not interconnect the same way. The best moderate treatment for lung and breast is still currently chemotherapy. For the remaining common cancers, these scientists surveyed that there are already 200 drugs on the market that fight against these neighboring proteins that could be very effective in the future.

     I think this is great news towards advancements in cancer treatments world-wide. This article took my interest because it involves environmental factors around a big problem, cancer. Along with environmental factors I have read that they are the best opportunity targets for change in cancer growth. For example, nutritionists have been acknowledged for instructing cancer patients to change their environmental diet pH levels to change the nutrition growth of the cells throughout the body. This relates to this article because there are varying treatments that can be less painful and more effective when battling cancer. Not to mention cost effective too!

How insects decide to grow up

          Image of a maggot (left); the steroid producing cells with the maggot brain (middle);
and an expanded image of the steroid producing cells (right). 

Like animals, insects go through a maturity phase. That maturity phase is called metamorphosis, an example would be when maggots turn into flies. A team of scientist from the University of California, Riverside, had solved the puzzle on metamorphosis in insects. They came to a conclusion that the cells that produce steroid hormones keep cloning their DNA without cell division making their nuclei immense. This lead to belief that the amount of DNA in steroid hormone-producing cells is key for juvenile development. These scientist stated that just like human puberty, metamorphosis is irreversible. Once cells start producing steroid hormones, there is no point of return. 
I believe this study will help not only in the short run, but also in the long run. It seems that studying such a small insect can have such a major impact on the world. It is said that manipulating their steroid pathways, they can control the agricultural pest. They could also be used for aiding other insects like bees. What I found interesting is that altering these hormones can lead to developing better ways to treat diseases. The impact of this may aide in breast cancer, prostate cancer, and menopause. I support these scientists study because it is not harming or a threat to any specie; there are only benefits to this research that will help improve not only humans, but insects as well. 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170126132550.htm
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161102080123.htm

Not "Genetically Modified", but still "Edited" foods

In the future, people may not be able to tell whether the food they buy has been altered. Soybeans may be made to no longer require hydrogenated oil and potatoes may become burn resistant with longer shelf life as soon as 2019.

Although Congress passed a law requiring companies to disclose whether food are genetically modified, the new coined term is now called "Gene-Edited Foods".  This is not only for plants, a company called Recombinetics is working on editing animal genes. Cellectis, a company of Monstanto, started Calyxt which is working on gene-editing foods. The chief executive of Cellectis sees no danger of genetically modified foods, but believes gene edited foods will be more accepted by society. However, there may be a crackdown on the editing of animal genes.

The USDA may exclude "gene edited" off the list to be considered "organic", so organic foods may be gene edited. The problem with this is consumers won't know if the food they buy is gene edited. In the European Union regulations, gene edited foods would still be banned just like GMO foods. Others, however say less regulation in America would be beneficial for everyone.

Personally, I prefer knowing what's in my food so I side with the labeling requirement. Since Monsanto is the giant behind this it looks like they're trying to get around the GMO labeling. I'm very weary of this, because big biotech companies like Monsanto have invested financial interests in patenting bacteria strains or seed modification processes to gain control of food as is the case with soy and corn. It is also unclear if these GMO or "gene edited" foods are safe as I haven't seen published studies on their long term effects. In other countries like Japan, New Zealand, and certain European countries, GMO foods are banned. There must be a reason they did this so I'd like to hear their side of the story.

Bad News, Bulldogs

According to this article on Science Alert, the increasingly popular English bulldog is approaching a crucial tipping point due to their genetic similarity. In a study of 102 bulldogs, a group of researchers from the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine found that the genetic diversity of these bulldogs was so low that breeders are likely incapable of selectively breeding them with healthier phenotypes. Crossbreeding is the most viable option for selecting healthy phenotypes without risking the animals' health, however this may result in a breed that will not fit the English bulldog specifications. This means that the English bulldog as we know it will likely not be around for long since they will express traits of the breed of dog they would be crossed with.
As an aspiring veterinarian and all-around animal enthusiast, this is a topic that I have a considerable amount of experience with, namely family and friends who either own or have owned purebred English bulldogs. I also owned a bulldog mix, of which he had noticeably less medical issues due to his breed than the purebred individuals. It is well known that purebred breeds have significantly more medical issues than mixed breeds and the English bulldog is infamous for having an extensive list of such issues. I strongly believe that English bulldogs should be crossbred with a different breed in order to increase their genetic variability and significantly reduce the number of unhealthy, purebred individuals by educating the public on the suffering that purebred English bulldogs endure simply by existing.

Scientists take first steps to growing human organs in pigs

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/ap/scientists-take-first-steps-to-growing-human-organs-in-pigs/article_edb4e1bd-7055-54d9-bac2-6e4eb93c4f3e.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15454959

In this article, scientists took the next step forward in genetics. Malcolm Ritter wrote about how human cells have been placed inside the embryos of pigs. These types of animals with cells from different species are called chimeras. The injected human stem cells in the pigs are projected to be the first step towards growing livers, hearts, pancreases, and other human organs. The researchers believe this will ease the shortage of human donors for transplants. As the pigs grow the human organs will grow in place of their own. Once the organs are ready to be removed, the pigs will be euthanized. Even though such mixing has been done on rats and mice before, this type of  human-animal research has raised ethical concerns in the science world.

My older brother came to me with this article in the Atlantic City Press. This type of information sounds so futuristic and bizarre to me. I have heard of people using pig valves for heart repairs, but never would I think of using pigs to harvest human organs. This is an amazing revolution for doctors and transplant patients. This will most definitely be up for ethical discussions among certain individuals, but I believe this will save the lives of many.

Baby cured of lymphocytic leukemia

http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/9/374/eaaj2013.full

http://gizmodo.com/a-groundbreaking-gene-editing-therapy-eliminated-cancer-1791661795

Science just seems to never surprise me. Stories like this helps reassure me that developments along with advancement in technology will help breakthroughs in medicine that does not seem possible at this moment. Scientist have discovered a way to engineer the T-cell to fight off blood cancers. Miraculously, the two babies were successfully treated and cured of that disease.

Evolution of the Eukaryotic Cell

         The article by James McInerney and May O'Connell discusses the results of a study conducted by a team consisting of over 10 individuals from countries around the globe. Their research uncovered a group of archaea that may help link eukaryotic cells too their prokaryotic ancestors. They named this new superphylum Asgard. The Asgard group is not officially recognized but the team is confident that their analyses support its existence.

         Research done several decades ago indicated that there were groups of archaea that had yet to be discovered, located within ocean sediments. The research team used this as their basis and collected sediments from several locations around the world. They then sequenced over 644 billion nucleotides from the mixture of organisms present in the samples. This sequencing revealed ribosomal gene similarities to the groups of archaea known as Lokiarchaeota, Thorarchaeota, Odinarchaeota, and Heimdallarchaeota.
         The group Lokiarchaeota was previously the closest link between eukaryotic cells and Prokaryotic cells we had discovered. This research is important to understanding the theory of a cellular merger that created the first eukaryotic cells. Members of the Asgard group contain types of genes that were believed to have originated early in eukaryotic evolution. I believe this research is not only exciting but important. We are getting closer and closer to understanding the origins of complex life, giving us insight into not only our planet but also life on other planets.

Lack of Genetic Diversity? No Problem for the Island Fox!

The island fox may only weigh a little over two pounds when full-grown, but even this is not the most surprising aspect about these foxes. According to this scientific journal, researchers have discovered that the island foxes are nearly identical, genetically speaking. Robert K. Wayne, a geneticist at the University of California, has been studying the foxes since 1990 trying to understand how these foxes are able to thrive, especially considering one island fox community has a record for the least genetic variation in a sexually reproducing species. After sequencing the genomes from each of the six subspecies, the DNA was found to be virtually identical. There are a number of possibilities as to how these foxes have been thriving for thousands of years, such as being the top predator without exposure to inbred difficulties and the genes being programmed to be switched on and off, called epigenetics.

This fox phenomenon is very intriguing, especially since even the scientists who have been researching this topic for nearly 30 years still do not know exactly why or how these foxes are able to thrive how they are today. Another interesting aspect of this article was the option to interbreed the subspecies in order to increase their genetic diversity. There was a promising instance in which Florida panthers interbred with a Texas subspecies in which the new genes helped the Florida population to grow. However, I would have to agree with Dr. Wayne in which he would not advise this "genetic rescue" unless there was strong scientific evidence that the low genetic variation was significantly hindering the fox's populations.

The original article can be found here.

Having Twins is in Your Genes

For a while, scientists have known that it was highly likely to give birth to twins being a twin themselves, but nobody really knew why.  After conducting studies and collecting data from over 2,000 woman who gave birth to fraternal twins, a number of researchers from multiple countries collectively found two different genes that increased the likelihood of having twins.  Scientists searched for what are called single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs.  The first one they found was linked to a hormone that regulates the release of eggs from the ovaries.  If levels are too high, multiple eggs could be released, resulting in the birth of fraternal twins or other multiple births.  The second gene found, which is still somewhat of a mystery, relates how the ovaries respond to the hormone that regulates egg release.  Not much is known about the gene, but researchers believe it could relate to why some mothers respond better to in vitro fertilization.  I find this type of research fascinating since I am a twin myself.  Knowing that there is another set of twins in my family always made me wonder if it really is true that having twins is linked to genetics, so finding this article was reassuring.

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/04/having-fraternal-twins-your-genes-and-your-hormones

New disorders found in children

Congenital disorder is one of the leading cause of infant mortalities worldwide. For the most part, researchers weren't able to find the cause nor find which children were at greater risks. All that researchers have learned was that genetic play a role in children with those disorders. Recently scientist with deep regrets have discovered fourteen new genetic disorders in children. Such news is bitter sweet because on one end, being able to identify the disorder creates hope that one day, there may be ways to treat or cure it.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170125145851.htm

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSFWN1FD0D1

Gene-Modified Ants Shed Light on How Societies Are Organized

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/23/science/gene-modified-ants.html?_r=0
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/47133/title/Researchers-Grow--Frankenstein-Ants--to-Study-Epigenetics/

This article details the experiment performed by biologist, Daniel Kronauer of Rockefeller University. Kronauer and his colleagues want to have a fundamental understanding of how a complex biological system works, and to do this, he conducted a model-scale with ants. He considers ants in their colonies to function like cells in a multi-cellular organism, or like neurons.Ants are used because they are easily manipulated, unlike neurons in the brain. Kronauer and his team painted thousands of clonal ants with bright colors for distinction purposes, and decided to explore the origin and evolution of animal societies. Kronauer deletes and edits the ants's genes to observe their responses and furthermore adds neurochemicals to see where the signaling molecules are present in the brain. With Kronauer's experiment, there is a possibility of learning fundamental insights to human diseases, such as autism. The research continues as Kronauer searches for more findings.

In my opinion, I found this article to be interesting. He is able to study ant colonies in ways similar to human cells. With Kronauer studying the neuromodulators that makes ants sensitive to their environment, he is on the road to possibly discovering why certain individuals are autistic and have social problems. This sounds like a great article for psychology major to read.

Neanderthal DNA in Humans

This article summarizes an interview with John Anthony Capra, an evolutionary genomics professor from Vanderbilt University. He begins by explaining that roughly 1% to 5% of the modern European and Asian genome consists of Neanderthal DNA. It is believed that when the ancestors of modern humans left Africa, they ran into and mated with Neanderthals. The evidence supports this because present day Africans actually don’t have any Neanderthal DNA. In a study done through Vanderbilt University, Neanderthal DNA was shown to have an influence on skin conditions from sun exposure, tobacco addiction, and increased risk of blood clots depression as well. On the positive side, Neanderthal DNA could have helped our prehistoric European ancestors survive unfamiliar “hazards and pathogens”.

Learning about our ancestors is something that I find intriguing so this article really peaked my interest. The modern human is so complex so learning about our ancestors is one way to better understand our species. Studying genetics and analyzing Neanderthal DNA shows us just how “human-like” our ancestors were.

Related link from National Geographic 

Using Shark Steroid to Fight Parkinson's Toxin

A team from Georgetown University Medical Center found that a synthesized steroid that mimics one produced by dogfish sharks was able to prevent the buildup of the protein alpha-synuclein. Alpha-synuclein clustering is the harbinger of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and dementia with Lewy bodies. Scientists used C. elegans, a nematode that has been genetically modified to produce the lethal protein, thus causing paralysis and cell damage as it ages. Using their nematode animal model, researchers discovered that squalamine reduced the virulence of alpha-synuclein by removing the protein from nerve cell walls in the C. elegans test subject. Scientists hope that squalamine may be able to be used as a therapeutic aid in patients who have neurodegenerative diseases. 

I thought that this article was interesting because medicines have been created using plants and animals. Parkinson's disease is painful and uncomfortable for many patients, and if a steroid that's naturally found in dogfish sharks can be used to treat the symptoms caused by the disease, then so be it. It would be a great step in the treatment and possible prevention or cure for Parkinson's. 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170116160556.htm

https://gumc.georgetown.edu/news/steroid-originally-discovered-in-the-dogfish-shark-attacks-parkinsons-related-toxin-in-animal-model

Viruses and Brain Development

Who would've known that something considered acellular and is debated within the biological science community whether or not its living may have contributed to the development of the human brain 35 to 45 million years ago along with impacting gene expression.

Johan Jakobsson and his colleagues at Lund University have been working with a specific group of retrovirus known as endogenous retrovirus (ERV). An amazing fact is that the human gene only accounts up to 2% of the total genome while ERV can account for up 10% of the total genome. The unique thing about the ERV is the attractive force it has with the TRIM28 protein. Once the TRIM28 protein "docks" onto the ERV it has influence on any genes located by the ERV to be activated or turned off. The TRIM28 protein may also turn off the ERV itself.

In my opinion I believe with continuous studies on how ERV affects gene expression, neurological disease, and brain development may lead to new methods on treating or preventing neurological diseases such as ALS, Schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170112110840.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRIM28

tuberculous liver abscess

The article covered the rarity of the tuberculosis which affects the liver. Most commonly, tuberculosis is known for affecting the lung but for a person without any in-depth exposure to studies relevant to TB, he or she may not have known that TB comes in variety of forms and affects different region in the human body.

Elsevier is one of the leading organization that published this article. Elsevier is best known for its distinguished articles.
The article mentioned, such rare form of TB is found in more vulnerable ethic groups such as: African American.
The article was a great refresher for me, as I myself have read a few articles pertinent to tuberculosis in previous college courses but, I don’t recall having read any article that broke down microscopically the scope of the disease, in terms of who it affects all the way to why it is not commonly talked about or even reported. https://medlineplus.gov/tuberculosis.html

Possible Treatment Against Leukemia with Baker's Yeast Protein

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170117163045.htm
 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3000881/

As stated in the article, researchers have recently performed studies to test the effects of the enzyme, L-asparaginase, on acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells.  The protein is derived from what is known as Baker's or Brewer's yeast.  Tests were performed in vitro resulting in high numbers of apoptosis, or cell death, of the cancerous cells with low chances of damage to surrounding healthy cells.  Scientist observed in past studies that ALL cells need asparagine synthetase, an enzyme that is required for protein synthesis and cell division.  Given asparaginase, cells are depleted of that enzyme, therefore leading to apoptosis as noted in this study.  In the past decades, leukemia was treated  with similar enzymes that were instead derived from other organisms.  However, patients either did not respond that well or became resistant over time.  So the goal of this recent study was to derive that enzyme from a different organism to reduce those outcomes.

What is exciting about these results is that the from derived from yeast killed less of the healthy cells as opposed to the other forms used in previous treatments.  It is exciting to see what the future holds for studies to come for not only leukemia treatments, but for similar illnesses that can be treated with the same enzyme as well.

Virus

how virus high jack cels
 

http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aal2130

The article gives an indepth explanation of the process when a cell becomes compromise by a virus. The article refers to the most common disease, HIV,  that highjack the cells most often violently. The article explains the process of the cell becomes overpowered by such disease.

New Techniques: Making Genetics Speed Up

SMiLE-seq: A new technique speeds up genetics

Within the human body, it contains genes. In the genes, DNA code is held together there and contains the proteins of the human body and DNA must be transcribed to RNA. in order to transcribe DNA into RNA, transcription must occur. Transcription involves DNA-binding proteins. The process can take hours. In the lab of Bart Deplancke at EPFL's Institute of of Biotechnology, a new technique called SMiLE-seq. SMiLE-seq can accelerate the process, but with minimal transcriptions needed.

SMiLE-seq is known to have many benefits including using less transcription factors, cutting time in half multiple times, and can read about all protein strands.