Why genetics makes some people more vulnerable to opioid addiction – and protects others

Genetics can influence a person’s risk for heart disease, cancer or diabetes, and it can also make them more or less susceptible to addiction. There has been a lot of research conducted in the last decade that focused on tiny differences in a person’s DNA - termed single-nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs. SNPs can indicate whether you have a higher or lower risk for addiction. For example, the thing that helps against drug dependence (specifically opioid dependence) is a single building block change in the opioid receptor gene. On the other hand, variations and mutations in genes for three different dopamine receptors have been linked to increased risk for opioid addiction.

It's also your parents and grandparents who influence whether you are more or less susceptible since you are getting your genetics from them. For example, if you have a dopamine receptor SNP that makes you more likely to develop an addiction, there's always the chance that that gene is "read” differently by your body’s cells due to epigenetic changes. If that's the case, then that risk may not impact your life.

Rates of abuse of opioids have gone up over the past 15 years and continue to climb. The continuation of this research could one day help to achieve preventative measures and treatments that not only help those currently struggling with substance abuse but protect future generations.


Article: http://theconversation.com/why-genetics-makes-some-people-more-vulnerable-to-opioid-addiction-and-protects-others-92000 

We are more genetically similar to our dogs than we thought

A study done by Dr Luis Pedro Coelho suggests that the genes of the gut micro biomes in dogs is genetically similar to the gut micro biome in humans. In fact more genetically similar than the micro biomes found in mice and pigs. The results of this study has revealed that dogs are a better model for nutrition studies than mice and pigs. The experiment showed that changes in carbohydrates and proteins has nearly the same effect on humans and dogs. The micro biomes in obese dogs were more receptive to high protein diets than in lean dogs. This same pattern can be seen in humans too. Dogs are becoming more and more obese and this is most likely because humans feed their pets food from the dinner table all the time. They are not getting fat because they can not eat human food, they are getting fat because they are eating more than they should for their size. If dogs were fed human food in a balanced diet they would not become obese because they have very similar gut micro biomes. I find this study very interesting because as a pet owner, I look at my dogs are being apart of my family. I have never been one to feed my dog food from the table because I do not want him begging every time I eat, but I may start feeding him more carbohydrates and proteins that humans would eat. There are also many different diets out there made for dogs using only "human food", the link is attached below to one of these diets.

Article: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180419131136.htm
Additional Information: https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_7/features/Home-Prepared-Dog-Food-Nutritional-Information_20568-1.html

Active Genetics the New form of inheritance

Active Genetics the New form of inheritance

In 2015, Researchers at University of California San Diego developed a breakthrough technique called active genetics. Active genetics allows parents to transmit most of a genetic trait to their offspring instead of the 50% of trait that would be transmitted in nature genetic inheritance. In an experiment using CRISPR/Cas9 to edit regulatory elements in native genomic environments, researchers found that active genetics are efficient in target gene insertion. Target gene insertion is also called transgenesis which is a single step replacement of genetic control elements. The study followed the genetic control of a gene responsible for coordinating the formation of a wing vein in fruit flies. The goal was to understand how the genetic mechanism that controlled the expression of this gene in time and space, then to hypothesize how this gene circuit evolved in the other species. From this study the researchers understood that interactions between chromosomes contribute to the control of gene activity. These interactive points could be potential target for epigenetic intervention. The study also demonstrated that general utility of active genetics as a form of engineering new organisms with novel traits. For active genetics to be used transgenesis, researchers have created a “CopyCat” cloning vector. This vector can be inserted into the genome at any desired location and get copied with high proficiency from one parental chromosome to another so that the offspring receive the CopyCat gene. This technique has the potential to develop solutions and advancements in multiple fields ranging from health to agriculture. I found this article to be extremely interesting because it proposes a direct route to manipulate the genome. This could improve gene therapies. The use of active genetics in transgenics seems similar to the concept of cloning a gene with plasmids. If this technique advances scientist might be able to replace a defected gene in a parent with a properly working gene so that the child will have a smaller risk of inheriting that defected gene.

Do you have the genes to run a marathon?

A recent study found that our genetics can affect our success in running a marathon. Running a marathon requires great effort from our respiratory, cardiovascular and muscular systems. During a marathon, a runner will complete around 30,000 strides and with each stride the legs bare 1.5 to 3 times the runner’s body weight. This causes muscle deterioration which causes the muscles to lose the ability to gain strength. Also, the proteins of the damaged muscles are released into the blood stream, so they can be measured by measuring the amount of myoglobin in the blood. This study looked at 71 marathon runners and how genetics affects muscle damage. The results showed that there are some marathon runners who show low levels of muscle deterioration after a marathon and others who show great muscle damage. The researchers looked specifically at seven genes that are known to be related to muscle function and each gene was given a score. Marathon runners who were given a high score had good muscle genetics and showed low muscle deterioration, while runners with a low score had muscle genetics were not as good and showed muscle damage after the race. The runners who scored lower genetic scores can still run marathons, but they will need to do a specific type of training in order to not have muscle deterioration. This discovery will hopefully allow researchers to find new ways for athletes to train according to their genetics and in the future, possibly even allow runners to measure their genetics to know how they should train for a marathon.

                                         

This similar study looked at 30 genes that affect a persons ability to run marathons, but has a slightly different view on how that affects that runners.

CRISPR Gene Editing Could Save the Coral Reefs

CRISPR gene editing has been used by scientists to make tweaks in practically any gene in plants and animals. A research study done at Stanford University was able to edit 3 genes in corals growing in The Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Phillip Cleves lead this experiment and he used CRISPR gene edition at the earliest stage of life in corals. Two of these genes used coded for the coloring in corals and the other gene coded for how new corals settle and grow in the reef. The results of this experiment has given scientists a stepping stone to discovering a way to edit the genes of corals to make them resistant to bleaching. Coral bleaching is caused from pollution and the warmer ocean temperatures. This has a major affect on the ocean and the world because bleaching causes the death of corals and all the organisms that depend on coral to live. The study conducted by Phillip Cleves has provided scientists with information to lead them in the direction to change the genes in corals to make them resistant to bleaching. This is a very important study that can hopefully change what pollution is doing to the earth. In my opinion, I think that more people should be aware about how climate change and pollution is affecting our planet. If scientists can figure out what genes are responsible for bleaching and if they are able to insert genes that code of bleaching resistant, a major change can be made in the ocean.

Article: http://time.com/5250927/crispr-gene-editing-coral-reefs/
Additional Article: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coral_bleach.html

The Golden State Killer: Caught with Genealogy Website DNA Data

72 year old former cop arrested in Golden State Killer case.

This past week a true monster was caught by California Police: The Golden State Killer. Committing over 50 rapes and 12 murders between the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, the Golden State Killer eluded police for decades. Until this past week. 72 year old Joseph James DeAngelo was arrested for these crimes after using DNA technology to produce  match to him. But what kind of DNA technology was used? An online genealogy database called GEDmatch. Apparently the investigators on the case had used some stored DNA from the crime scenes, and uploaded the DNA profile to the GEDmatch database. From this, they located distant relatives to the DNA sample, found a man that would fit the profile of the Golden State Killer within the family, and eventually made a match to DeAngelo which resulted in his arrest. How did they make this final match, you might ask? They used "abandoned DNA... [left] in a place that is a public domain" according to Anne Marie Schubert, the Sacramento, CA district attorney.

According to the GEDmatch policy, any DNA profile that is uploaded to the site can be viewed, searched and compared by any other GEDmatch members. They also state "we cannot guarantee that your information will never be accessed by unintended means". There are options to have your DNA set to private, public, and research, however the company states that if you require absolute guaranteed security to these settings it is best to either delete your data, or not to upload the sample at all.

I think that this specific use of a genealogy website is ground breaking in the Golden State Killer case which laid cold for decades. However, it also presents the ethical dilemma of the police access to public and unwarranted DNA profile information. I think this topic is very prevalent in today's society, especially with the current fad of using sites like GEDmatch, 23andMe, and AncestryDNA. I am curious to see how this evidence plays out in the courts for this case.

Depression: Pioneering study pinpoints 44 genetic culprits

         From a new study it was found that the genetic data of thousands of participants identified 44 genetic loci linked with the risk of depression. Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the U.S. Some risk factors of depression are the combinations of biological, environmental, and of a psychological nature. Inherited genetic variations are apart of the biological factors, however before this study researchers have had a hard time pinpointing which genetic locations in our DNA are directly linked with having a higher risk of depression. 

       The researchers managed to access and analyze seven different sets of genetic data, as well as identified 44 genetic loci that are linked with the risk of depression. Of these 44, 30 of them were not known before to be risk factors. The study resulted in them discovering that there are 153 genes linked with depression. This could lead to the improvement of  treatments for this condition.
        In my opinion these results are very important and could have large impact on future studies. Being in college there are many students that get over whelmed with school work and end up becoming depressed. It affects many people all around us. The results of this study can lead to further studies for developing better treatments that target genetic factors involved in depression. This can be the beginning of finding a way to prevent major depression. 

Link to article:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321652.php
Link to more information:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/kc/depression-causes-symptoms-treatments-8933

Caffeine for Athletes

            Caffeine is a part of most people’s daily routine. A new study came out on the genetics of caffeine metabolism that proved that some athletes have a particular variant of one gene that shows improvements in their endurance performance after drinking caffeine. There are some athletes who show the opposite effect after drinking caffeine, they perform worse. Different people respond differently to caffeine which is a known side effect. Some people may get very antsy or have trouble sleeping 12 hours after a single cup of coffee, while others can increase their alertness and sleep just fine with the same cup. This range of reactions also occurs in athletes and effects their ability to perform. Some athletes were faster or stronger after a moderate dose of athletes while others performed the same, and others performed worse. 

A professor of nutritional science in Canada who studies how genes influence the body’s reaction to food and diet was interesting in this topic. By the time he was interested, other geneticists already discovered that one specific form of one gene affects how people digest and metabolize caffeine. There are different variants of this gene that give you different reactions: a quick metabolism of coffee making you hyper or jittering for a short period of time and then feeling regular shortly, a moderate metabolism that makes you just digest coffee regularly with a prolonged greater alertness and no crash, and a slow metabolism. The Canadian professor studied the effect on athletes specifically and found that they had the same reaction; he concluded that athletes should get a genetic testing to see what kind of caffeine metabolizer they are before blindly trying to increase their athletic abilities. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/well/move/can-coffee-rev-up-your-workout-it-may-depend-on-your-genes.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29509641

The Genetics of Muscle Building

      Genetics are accountable for each person's stature, muscle fibers. and how well the body responds to different kinds of training. A lot of hard work, a specific diet, and smart training is of course an important factor in how much muscle a person gains as well. However, in response to training each person's body can react differently and genetics can provide an explanation for these differences. This is why it is important for a person to dedicate themselves if they are aspiring to make changes to their body. A lot of trial and error and learning is incorporated into training due to the fact that every person must train differently. Results seen in the gym have a correlation to the efficacy of satellite cell-mediated myonuclear cells (Conteras, 2011). Mechanogowth factor, Myogenin, and IGF-IEa are indicator genes that effect the way muscles respond as well (Conteras, 2011).

https://www.t-nation.com/training/truth-about-bodybuilding-genetics
https://vitals.lifehacker.com/the-genetic-factors-that-determine-how-much-muscle-you-1789668889

The gene Ups Sugar Intake but Lowers Body Fat

Links: 1 & 2

What and the amount we gobble isn't generally up to cognizant decisions. In some cases, it's extremely simply down to our hereditary cosmetics "directing" our nourishing needs.

One quality specifically, called FGF21, has been appeared to assume a critical part in controlling the admission of sugars and lipids.

As of late, confirm has risen that a specific variation of the quality — or the FGF21 A:rs838133 minor allele — may direct the amount we like sugary items.

In an investigation whose outcomes have now been distributed in the diary Cell Reports, first creator Timothy Frayling — from the University of Exeter Medical School in the United Kingdom — and associates recommend that the quality variation that "prompts" us to eat more desserts may associatively drive a decline in muscle versus fat.

As the scientists say in the paper, their investigation was, partially, incited by the information offered by three past hereditary examinations.

They illustrated "that the starch inclination [driven by this variation of the FGF21 gene was particular to sugary items and may likewise expand liquor consumption."

Similarly as they affirmed the discoveries of the past three investigations, Frayling and group experienced an amazement: a similar allele in charge of increasing our admission of sweet likewise seemed to help bring our levels of muscle to fat ratio down.

"We were surprised that the version of the gene associated with eating more sugar is associated with lower body fat," says Frayling.

How Gene Editing Could Save Coral Reefs

The intense quality altering device CRISPR-Cas9 is surprising the logical world. It gives analysts phenomenal power and accuracy in making changes to for all intents and purposes any quality in a plant or creature — and coral reefs could turn into its next recipient. 

In a paper distributed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, analysts drove by Phillip Cleves at Stanford University utilized CRISPR to alter three qualities in corals developing in Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Cleves controlled the qualities right on time in the coral's life cycle — soon after treatment of egg and sperm, when the coral is only one cell. That guaranteed that the hereditary change was as across the board in the subsequent coral's genome as could reasonably be expected. Two of the qualities were in charge of the reef's shading — coding for red and green fluorescent proteins — and one was engaged with directing how new coral settles and develops in a reef.

Cleves and his group upset the qualities utilizing CRISPR and showed that the subsequent fetuses contained the transformed qualities. Making the alters wasn't simple, notwithstanding, since coral just bring forth on more than one occasion a year amid an exceptionally constrained window. Cleves teamed up with Great Barrier Reef coral specialists at the Australian Institute of Marine Science to consummately time the bringing forth, which is synchronized to the full moon. They needed to utilize CRISPR in coral developing lives since a greater amount of the coral's cells would demonstrate the impact of the hereditary alters as it developed.

The outcomes propose that CRISPR could be utilized to take in more about what particular coral qualities do, and in the end, to enable researchers to control them so they may turn out to be stronger to blanching caused by natural anxieties like a dangerous atmospheric devation and contamination. For the time being, Cleves says the innovation won't be utilized to hereditarily design blanch evidence coral, yet to assemble a truly necessary database on coral qualities and their capacities to better comprehend coral science. By disturbing particular qualities and considering which coral capacities are traded off because of the CRISPR mediation, researchers can take in more about the coral's life cycle. They could discover, for instance, that there are a few qualities that assistance coral to withstand the hotter temperatures related with environmental change. “It would be nice to know if there were genes to make corals more or less susceptible to global warming,” says Cleves. “It could be that there are natural populations of coral that are more likely to survive and could help focus conservation efforts.”

Read the complete article by clicking the links below:

Link 1
Link 2

Rare Brain Disease Linked to Skin Prions

Rare Brain Disease Linked to Skin Prions 

Creutzfeldt-Jakob is a rare brain disorder within the same category as mad cow disease. In short, mad cow disease deteriorates the brain by putting holes in it. This causes mental deterioration, muscular deterioration, inability to speak, and blindness. It has not been stated why, but the people who have this disease also have prions on their skin. This is a major breakthrough because this could become a key factor in diagnosing the disease. Many countries do not have the medical equipment, or medical personnel to carry out a brain biopsy (typically how patients are diagnosed) so skin diagnosis would prove extremely beneficial for these counties.  

A major concern regarding this disease was its ability to be passed on. Seeing as how the prions are on the skin, it was speculated that through surgery, the disease will be able to be passed on. This is because the prions stick to stainless and are extremely hard to destroy. However, it was proven through experimentation on mice that the skin prions would have to be injected directly into the brain for even the slightest chance that it will be spread. 

I hope they do further research in order to see if there is a linked gene between the disease and the prions on the skin. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/22/health/prions-brain-creutzfeldt-jakob.html?mtrref=www.nytimes.com

Reducing the Risk of Heart Disease

On a study published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension they state that taking daily nutritional or nutraceuticals supplement becomes more important as we get older. The bennefits of taking such supplements is that it can prevent heart disease which is the nation’s number one killer. Aswell as many other health problems that can arise as we age. A study conducted by Matthew Rossman, a postdoctoral researcher in the department of integrative physiology and senior author Doug Seals, director of the Integrative Physiology of Aging Laboratory, recruited 20 healthy men and women age 60 to 79. Their goal was to determine the impact of a mitochondrial-specific antioxidant on vascular function in humans. Half took 20 milligrams per day of a supplement called MitoQ, made by chemically altering the naturally-occurring antioxidant Coenzyme Q10 to make it cling to mitochondria inside cells. The other half took a placebo. After six weeks, researchers determined how well the lining of blood vessels functioned, by measuring how much subjects' arteries dilated with increased blood flow. The researchers found that when taking the supplement, dilation of the arteries improved by 42% making their blood vessels, at least by that measure, look like those of someone 15 to 20 years younger. This resulted in a 13 percent reduction in heart disease, Rossman said. The study also showed that the improvement in dilation was due to a reduction in oxidative stress. In participants who, under placebo conditions, had stiffer arteries, supplementation was associated with reduced stiffness. Blood vessels grow stiff with age largely as a result of oxidative stress, the excess production of metabolic byproducts called free radicals which can damage the endothelium and impair its function. During youth, bodies produce enough antioxidants to quench those free radicals. But with age, the balance tips, as mitochondria and other cellular processes produce excess free radicals and the body's antioxidant defenses can't keep up, Rossman said. In conclusion I feel that this is one of the many trials that should be kept experimenting one because from the first trial they have obtain positive results therefore with each trial new discoveries can be made in the human body.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180419141523.htm

https://www.medicinenet.com/heart_disease_coronary_artery_disease/article.htm#heart_cardiovascular_disease_definition_and_facts

Gene Theft by Beetle Threatens Coffee

Coffee borer beetle and larvae in coffee berry.

The coffee berry borer beetle, only a few millimeters in size, has the ability to ruin an entire coffee crop. This beetle causes crop losses up to half a billion dollars, and as climates warm this destruction is only expected to rise. How can this beetle do cause this damage? The beetles lay their eggs inside of coffee berries, and the larvae emerge to only eat the coffee berries. However, these berries are made of complex carbohydrates which can be difficult to digest. Ricardo Acuña discovered that the coffee berry borer beetles have taken a gene, HhMAN1, and utilizes it to  digest the complex carbohydrate in the coffee berries.

The gene HhMAN1 is found in the beetle genome surrounded by transposons. The theory presented states that these "jumping genes" may have been brought in from bacterial DNA from the beetle's gut in the first place. This theory is further plausible because no other closely related beetle species have this HhMAN1 gene. The presence of this carbohydrate digesting gene allowed the beetle to move about the globe and bring coffee plant destruction with it. 

Understanding the genes that function in the beetle to allow for the destruction of coffee is key to managing for the invasive species. If we are able to hinder or alter the function of the gene in the beetles, causing them to be unable to digest the complex carbohydrate in the coffee berries, we could save millions of dollars in coffee crops and prevent the further spread of an invasive species. 

10 Times the Human With a Smile

           The axolotl, a smiling Mexican amphibian, is the largest genome ever sequenced. It has 32 billion base pairs, ten times the size of human genome. The axolotl has been bred and studied in laboratories for over 150 years and is endangered in the wild. The axolotl is an extremely interesting organism: it regenerates damaged organs, regrows amputated limbs with all bones, muscles, and nerves, and even heals wounds without scar tissue. The amazing thing about its ability to heal and regrow is that it will do so with the new organs or limbs functioning just like they did before. For example, a crushed spinal cord can function again normally like it was never crushed. This animal was the first salamander genome to ever be sequenced. It took so long to be done because it has many repetitive parts in its genome. This genome sequencing is just the beginning of their studies, but a huge advance in science because it has the potential to answer many questions. The genes involved in regeneration are being identified and studied. 

summarized article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/01/science/axolotl-genes-limbs.html

original scientific study:

https://www.nature.com/articles/nature25458

What can a tasty milkshake teach us about the genetics of heart disease?

Links: 1 and 2

From 2002 to 2005, around 800 individuals in Minnesota and Utah drank in excess of 1,500 milkshakes, and they got the opportunity to state they were doing it for science.

These generous investigation subjects are members of the Genetics of Lipid-bringing down Drugs and Diet Network (GOLDN), and this wasn't their first rodeo. Some of them have been put under the magnifying lens for around 25 years now to enable analysts to better comprehend cardiovascular dangers.

This time they were helping researchers decide how qualities impact cholesterol levels after high-fat dinners and how qualities influence the reaction to a medicine for bringing down triglyceride and terrible cholesterol.

Eventually, the group of therapeutic geneticists at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of Kentucky, and seven different foundations found new remarkable quality variations that influence patients' reaction to the cholesterol sedate. The detailed their discoveries in the Journal of Lipid Research.

Incessantly elevated cholesterol brings about the progressive testimony of lipids on course dividers, expanding the danger of heart assaults and stroke. This stopping up process is known as atherosclerosis. An eating routine high in fat is only one of a few hazard factors. Family history unequivocally influences a man's danger of creating it.

"Triglyceride and cholesterol levels are influenced by what people eat and whether they take drugs to lower fat and cholesterol," said the examination's lead creator, Xin Geng, a postdoctoral individual at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. "We know, notwithstanding, that not every person's triglyceride and cholesterol levels react the same to eating routine and medications. Past research recommends that these distinctions because of eating routine and medications might be caused by hereditary components acquired from guardians."

While specialists have recognized hereditary variations that influence lipid reactions, the therapeutic geneticists who took a shot at the milkshake contemplate set out to distinguish extra variations that have so far gotten away recognition.

Killer Whale Genetics Raise Inbreeding Questions

Another hereditary investigation of Southern Resident executioner whales found that two male whales fathered the greater part of the calves conceived since 1990 that researchers have tests from, an indication of inbreeding in the little executioner whale populace that frequents Washington's Salish Sea and Puget Sound.

Just around 26 of the 76 imperiled whales in the Southern Resident populace are right now reproducing, as per the examination distributed for the current week in Animal Conservation. The predetermined number of reproducing whales lessens the powerful size of the populace, abandoning it less flexible to change and perhaps trading off the survival of individual creatures, said lead creator Michael Ford, a preservation scientist at NOAA Fisheries Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle.

Creators of the exploration additionally incorporate researchers from the North Gulf Oceanic Society and Center for Whale Research. While the new paper expands on prior hereditary examinations, it likewise brings up new issues about in the case of inbreeding might add to the populace's battles. Southern Resident numbers have tumbled to their least point in 30 years.

The investigation recognized four whales as profoundly innate, including posterity of a father-little girl and mother-child match, yet noticed that each of the four are as yet alive. Numerous extra whales might be ingrained to a lesser degree. Different examinations have evaluated that the greater part of Southern Resident calves kick the bucket previously or soon after birth, and the new investigation proposes that inbreeding could be a contributing component.

Read the full articles here by clicking the links below:
LINK 1 & LINK 2

Childhood Food Allergies Caused by a Combination of Genetic and Environmental Factors

Researches have found a link to child food allergies and genetic factors along with environmental factors. A specific combination of environmental factors and genetic factors can trigger infant and childhood food allergies. In order to trigger these allergies a child would have to have genetics that change the skin absorbency, have been exposed to infant wipes that leave soap on the skin, and have been exposed to allergens such as dust or food allergens. Joan Cook-Mills is a professor of allergy-immunology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and was the lead researcher on this study. She explained ways to prevent these environmental factors, which when combine with the genetic factors can cause childhood allergies. She said to, “Reduce baby’s skin exposure to the food allergens by washing your hands before handling the baby. Limit use of infant wipes that leave soap on the skin. Rinse soap off with water like we used to do years ago.” The soap in the wipes disrupts the skin barrier. This link between environmental and genetic factors that causes food allergies was discovered through clinical evidence of food allergies in humans and tests were done using neonatal mice models. The clinical evidence showed 35% of the children that were looked at who were looked at with food allergies, also had dermatitis. Dermatitis is caused by three different gene mutations that reduce the skin barrier. This study is helping to understand food allergies and how they develop which is important to know for developing more responsive medicine. Cook-Mills’ goal is to discover interventions that will more effectively respond to signals and block the development of food allergies.