Analysis of Genome Sequence of Spidroins in Female Golden Orb Weavers

 

    Orb weavers are a family of spiders found all over the world. The Golden Orb Weaver is native to the Americas and is well known for its elaborate webs and is a non-venomous species. Females can get up to six inches in length and construct large, sturdy webs for their young. 

    Orb weavers are of particular interest to some genetic researchers due to their number of spidroin glands. Female orb weavers possess seven different silk-producing glands that construct different types of silk using a protein called spidroins. Spidroins have gained interest over the years as teachers are investigating their possible uses in medicine and other industries. 

    In 2017, a study was published in Nature that focused on analyzing the genomic sequence of the different silks produced by female golden orb weavers. Their aim was to create a genetic database of the spidroin protein in the variety of silks produced by female golden orb weavers. They found a variety of different genomic sequences involved in creating the different types of silk that enable female golden orb weavers to construct their large, elaborate webs for their young and to capture prey. 

Genetic Origin of Schizophrenia Find Common Ground

 

   

Two recent studies have shed light on how rare and common genetic causes of schizophrenia seem to often disrupt the same biological processes that end up resulting in schizophrenia. According to Nature, one study used genome-wide association studies, also known as GWASs, to look at the genomes of approximately 77,000 people diagnosed with schizophrenia and approximately 244,000 healthy people as a control. This study was able to identify over 300 common genetic variants that very slightly increases risk of schizophrenia. Understanding these factors helps to understand what regions of the genome are affected, but not what genes exactly are affected. However, being able to narrow down the region and processes affected still gives us a lot of new knowledge that can be further studied going forward.

While this first study looked at common risk factors that slightly increased risk, the second study looked for rare risk factors that significantly increased risk. This study examined the sequenced protein-coding parts of roughly 24,000 people with schizophrenia and roughly 97,000 healthy control's genomes. This studies data combined with that of the first study revealed 10 genes that were major contributors to schizophrenia. Looking further into these 10 genes found that 6 of them were also linked to developmental delay and intellectual disability, and 3 were found linked only to schizophrenia as they caused protein blocking. More studies are still being done to further understand the overlap between the developmental disorders and schizophrenia as well as the biological processes that are disrupted and cause schizophrenia.

MinION Sequencing of Colorectal Cancer

 

    As the new generation is coming, new devices are also developing. The MinION sequencer is a small device that can sequence genomes. In a recent research study this device is used to find the sequence of colorectal cancer. 

    The study was published in 2020. The study compares different methods to find the genome of colorectal cancer. The sequences compared were MinION sequencing, rRNA sequencing, and 16s RNA sequencing. All used the same amount of DNA and RNA samples of colorectal tumor. The results have showed the rRNA sequencing can analyze more colorectal samples than MinION sequencing. According to the article, the sequencer can do, "Long-read sequences generated using MinION sequencing can compensate for low numbers of reads for bacterial classification. MinION sequencing can discriminate between bacterial strains and plasmids..." (Taylor et al 2020). This shows the MinION has its pros and cons as a sequencer as do the others. 

    Another great article that should be read along with this one would be 

'Microbiome Data Distinguish Patients with Clostridium difficile Infection and Non-C. difficile-Associated Diarrhea from Healthy Controls'.  It is a great read in which gives a little bit more of insight into the gut microbiome. 

Scientists Move Closer to Mapping Entire Human Genome

Article: https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2020-07-14/scientists-move-closer-to-mapping-entire-human-genome

Related Article: https://www.genome.gov/human-genome-project

    

    The human genome has been studied tremendously in the recent years. Almost all of it has been mapped an identified but we are still missing hundreds of important DNA sequences. The goal: to map the entirety of the human genome. Scientists have been getting closer and closer to this with their most recent accomplishment; producing a complete DNA sequence of a single human chromosome. This process is similar to reconstructing a jigsaw puzzle without and clues or context on each piece. This time, scientists used a new computer system and started with the X chromosome allowing them to dive into newly uncovered sequences they have not seen before. 

Scientists Measure Mouse Personality and Map Traits to Their Genetics

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-measure-mouse-personality-and-map-traits-to-their-genetics/

Related article:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191111105004.htm

Mice were found to have personalities and there is now a way to measure them. Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich developed a method to observe and measure the personalities of mice. In order to observe the personality traits of these mice, their behaviors were first observed, then a computational algorithm to extract personality traits from the behavioral data was conducted. When the scientists gave the mice personality traits, it was found that these mice did indeed have their own unique personalities that guided their behavior. Gene expressions of these mice were also mapped in the mice’s brains and the scientists found that they could identify specific genes associated with certain personality traits. Thus, showing that both genes and epigenetics contribute to personality formation.

I think that this study is really important because it finally links genetics to personality traits. With this study, it is potentially possible to diagnose and treat psychiatric problems when there is something wrong with the genes that are linked to these problems. Furthermore, it now allows people to study how personality can be affected by genes, drugs, and aging, and how it can contribute to mental health. This way, more appropriate or better treatments could possibly be found for mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety disorders.