Through ADDL Will Help Dog Breeders Eliminate Specific Diseases

The article is called New Genetics Testing Available through ADDL will help dog breeders eliminate specific diseases. Researchers in the university of Purdue of veterinary Medicine were said to have a power to eradicate specific genetic diseases within certain dog breeds. Some test were acquire by the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory as the first test three new canine diseases, the screening helps scientist screen which tells the breeders which dogs are the carrier for a disease. I do agree in that to solve a genetic disease you must identify the mutation and to do so I know that the genome sequence on an affecting dog's DNA you must compare it against the whole genome sequence in the database which could vary depending on the species. In this article Dr. Ekenstedt's  conducted the research on the glycogen storage disease in a Basset Hound, which the disease impacted the body of the dog to store glucose in the liver and muscles which later breaks it down to create energy. In the article they talk about two diseases the first one that they talk about is in miniature American Shepheard's, the second one that Intrigued me was the genetic code that researchers are trying to crack down of the disease which effects up to a third of golden retrievers. I believe that diseases are hard to discovered and most importantly researching to try to figure out what causes the disease.  many animals have been affected by diseases but it's sad to hear that your home pet may have a disease and that's sad to hear from a doctor that you may lose your pet. what Dr. Ekenstedt believe is that the uveitis is the painful of inflammatory that sometimes in dogs end up with their eyes enucleated. My advice is the best thing for your pet is to get a genetic testing to see if your dog is healthy and to be sure that they don't have any diseases.

I know doing the article they talk about the golden retrievers they tend to have a skin allergies in which these dogs like to lick themselves and scratch themselves this could lead to hot spots which are red oozing sores. 

References

News, P. (2023, June 29). New genetic testing available through ADDL will help dog breeders eliminate specific diseases. College of Veterinary Medicine. https://vet.purdue.edu/news/new-genetic-testing-available-through-addl-will-help-dog-breeders-eliminate-specific-diseases-pvr-s2023.php 

Holaday, B. D. (n.d.). PVM report – Summer 2023. College of Veterinary Medicine. https://vet.purdue.edu/news/pvr-s2023

Sperkins-Pom. (2022, May 12). The most popular dog breeds in the U.S. Outside Online. https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/love-humor/most-popular-dog-breeds-us/ 

Lizard-like tuatara carry two distinct mitochondrial genomes

 

Lizard-like species tuatara has two distinct mitochondrial genomes. This revelation was reported recently in January 2021. Tuataras genomes are a very important discovery in nature today as they are the first vertebrate species that are found to have multiple copies of mitochondrial genomes. Mitochondria are tiny energy factories, and their genetic material is usually important in building the structures and keeping them running. Mitochondrial is essential in the development of aging, cancer, and many other biological diseases. 

Finding animals and other species that carry additional mitochondrial genomes can help advance the research of finding cures and diseases that stem from mitochondrial DNA. By studying animals' mitochondrial genomes, we may potentially be one step closer fully understanding how some human diseases work. Efforts to decode the tuatara’s genetic makeup began in 2012, with the launch of the Tuatara Genome Project led by Neil Gemmell, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. His team discovered that the tuatara genome is 50 percent larger than the human genome. This led to a deeper exploration of the mitochondrial part of the genome which is where they discover that this species has two mt- genomes. The discovery raised concerns since mitochondrial DNA is usually inherited only from a mother’s egg, so the scientists expected to see a single copy of the mitochondrial genome, not two copies like they would see in nuclear DNA, which is inherited from both the mother and father. They believe that the purpose of the two mt- genomes are to provide flexibility in how their metabolisms respond to temperature extremes. This finding of the genetic basis for the animal’s metabolic feats can eventually help explain the mitochondrial genome’s function which will then help find treatments for human metabolic diseases. It is wild to me to think that a species can carry two distinct genomes.

Links

1. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/lizard-like-tuatara-mitochondrial-genomes-cold-tolerance

2.https://www.reptilesmagazine.com/tuataras-two-sets-of-mitochondrial-genome-may-help-it-withstand-cold-temperatures-better/#:~:text=Researchers%20have%20discovered%20that%20the,adaptive%20advantage%20to%20harsher%20weather

Some Neanderthal Genes in People Today May Protect Against Severe COVID-19

 

    The Genes inherited from our ancestors can play varying roles when it comes to our immune response to diseases. A study from the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found genetic variants inherited from the Neandertals that have the possibility of protecting people against developing severe COVID-19. This study looked into a stretch of DNA on chromosome 12 where a haplotype- a cluster of genetic variants that are inherited together- that affects susceptibility to where the coronavirus is located. They noticed that the need for intensive care for Covid-19 fell 22 percent for each copy of the Neandertal haplotype a person inherited. About 25 to 30 percent of present-day people of Asian and European ancestry carry the protective variants. Some Black people in the Americas also inherited the protective haplotype, presumably from Asian, European, or Native American ancestors. I found this article interesting because I recently learned that genetic inheritance is an important factor that can help or hinder the immune response to diseases.

Links:

1.https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-some-neandertal-genes-protection-severe-covid-19

2.https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210222/Neanderthal-gene-can-confer-protection-against-severe-COVID-19-finds-study.aspx

How Native American DNA Adapted to European Diseases

During the 15^th century when the Americas became inhabited by European settlers, indigenous peoples were exposed to diseases new to their body systems, leading to death in masses of native Americans whose bodies could not defend themselves. Recent findings have informed us that those infectious diseases that once threatened their entire population have since “molded the immunes systems of today’s indigenous Americans, down to a genetic level” (Genetic Mark 1). Using whole exome sequencing, researchers were able to compare immune-related genes from skeletal remains of indigenous people living between 500 and 6000 years ago to DNA samples from indigenous people living today, both samples deriving from the Tsimshian group. The estimated genetic shift took place around 175 years ago, when variants less likely to fight off illnesses such as smallpox became less apparent in DNA samples. As the disease landscape became altered by the presence of more aggressive diseases, the genetic variants in indigenous people became adapted and more capable of defending against illnesses.

IQ and Disease Testing in IVF Embryos'

A new genetic test is on its way to the Unite States that screen IVF embryo's for a low IQ and high risk diseases such as breast cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. People in society have always had the want to create the "perfect baby". New methods that have arose may make this possible. IVF embryonic genes are able to be tested for high risk diseases and low IQ created by the firm Genetic Prediction. These test have not been used yet but the firm is working closely with many IVF clinics so it can be made available to their customers. The firm reports that when it comes to intelligence can only determine "mental disability" in the embryonic state. These forms of testing is not available in the United States just yet.

The Genetic Prediction firm has become the first company to make polygenic risk scores in embryo's available. Their purpose of these tests is to screen out any of the embryo's testing for the risk of specific medical conditions. The test that they have created for "mental disability" is considered controversial where they do not have enough accuracy to determine the IQ for each embryo. On the other hand, they can determine certain outliers that give people the change to not pick the embryos that have a potential IQ below 25. It cannot be understood how many other genes are involved in low risk of heart disease and high intelligence. Any kind of genetic testing has been impossible to detect certain genes that play a role in diseases and development. Now with may of the technological advances, we are able to evolve testing strategies to ensure a healthy individual. I wonder if people in the Unite States would be interested in this kind of testing of IVF embryos. If these genetics test are available in the United States, I believe it would not get a warm welcome from everyone. I see it as picking and choosing a certain child, whereas we're all the same and each deserve an equal amount of love and attention.


Article: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24032041-900-exclusive-a-new-test-can-predict-ivf-embryos-risk-of-having-a-low-iq/
Related Article: http://americanpregnancy.org/infertility/in-vitro-fertilization/

Improvements made in DNA transfer in gene therapy

With research and development of genetically modified viruses, DNA has found a way to repair and replace defective genes in cells. Hereditary human diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, cystic fibrosis, are caused by genetic defects. One way to eradicate these traits is through gene therapy. Using gene therapy and the development of genetically modified viruses, DNA is introduced into cells to repair and replace defective genes. Scientist Jens Gruber hypothesizes that the production of viruses can efficiently boost exosome production in cells.

Scientist of the German Primate Center discover an efficient treatment for the cells. The cell like HEK293 is used for the production of therapeutic viruses. The protein, CD9, is produced in large quantities. This protein helps for cell movement, cell to cell contact, and membrane fusion. The modifications were made on the viruses used for gene transfer, for CD9 integrates into the envelope membrane of the cell. Such process produces faster and prevent further infection to the target cells. During gene therapy, defective genes are replaced with functional genes, which help prevent infection of the cell. Having the HEK293-CD9 cells allows for the exome production of CD9 proteins in the membrane, thus allowing for the improvement for DNA transfer. During the process, genes will be repaired and replaced using the proteins.

The results of the study show that the increased amount of CD9 protein resulted in higher infection. As researchers further investigate, their future findings may be a solution to prevent infection to the cells. Although small problems arise during the study, researchers continue to find a way to enhance and make this improvement effective.

For further information, refer to the original article.

For additional information on genes and gene therapy, click on the following link1 link2.

Virus found to adapt through newly discovered path of evolution

Colleagues of the University of California San Diego has discovered a new path of evolution. They found a process that is previsously unseen in evolution. With these new finding they were doing research on how mutations arise to make transmission easy from one host to another and how genes acquire new functions. This could be applied to investagate virual diseases such as bird flu and Ebola. This was a step in the right direction for these researchers, they realized by learning how virsues achieve evolutionary flexibility they can have a new way of how to step up “road blocks” to stop new diseases from emerging.

Katherine Petrie led this project, the researchers used lamba, which is a virus that infect bacteria but not humans; this allows flexibility in lab testing. In the lab they were able to capture the evolutionary process in action. They found that the proteins mistakes allowed the virus to infect the normal host. Now the researchers are looking for eamples of their new discovered evolutionary epsidoe and to see how common this is.  

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180329141037.htm

http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/virus_found_to_adapt_through_newly_discovered_path_of_evolution

Hormone Asprosin

NPS (neonatal progeroid syndrome) is a rare genetic disease that claims lives during infancy.  In some cases they can live till adulthood.  A participant in college from Texas has led the study to discover a peptide hormone involved in glucose release.  The hormone found called asprosin, lacks in people with NPS.  Asprosin is produced by fat, which lacks in those with NPS.  The hormone heads to the liver where glucose is prompted to release.  This hormone is also found in overabundance with those with insulin resistance.  When the antibody against asprosin was injected into mice with diabetes their plasma insulin levels dropped.  This has suggested a possible treatment for diabetes.  In a study to find a cure for NPS, the researchers have discovered a new hormone that can be used to treat other diseases. 
This article was very interesting and it showed that results are never as expected.  In a study to find a cure for NPS this team has found a possible treatment for diabetes. 

https://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/45849/title/Newly-Discovered-Hormone-Explains-Disease/
http://www.cell.com/cell/pdf/S0092-8674(16)30213-6.pdf

MosquitoMate

The MosquitoMate project is to use Wolbachia pipientis bacterium as a tool against the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus). The project plan to release the male mosquito carrying Wolbachia out to the wild to mate with wild female. Afterward, the fertilized eggs cannot hatch, because the paternal chromosomes do not form properly. The Wolbachia  bacterium is similar to pesticide that killed only mosquitoes and no other insects will get affected by this. With this tool, we can eliminate diseases transmit by mosquitoes like Zika, dengue, and Chikungunya. Many countries have been testing this project out in the developed countries with the lowest and affordable cost at $1 per person. The MosquitoMate will kill the majority of the mosquitoes population in the areas that its will be release.

https://www-nature-com.ezproxy.stockton.edu/news/us-government-approves-killer-mosquitoes-to-fight-disease-1.22959
https://www-nature-com.ezproxy.stockton.edu/news/us-reviews-plan-to-infect-mosquitoes-with-bacteria-to-stop-disease-1.19967

FDA Approves at Home DNA Test for 10 Diseases

     

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/04/07/522897473/fda-approves-marketing-of-consumer-genetic-tests-for-some-conditions

http://time.com/4729600/fda-approval-23andme-dna-tests/

       The FDA has finally approved its very first at home genetic testing kit from the company 23andMe. 23andMe have attempted at home genetic testing kits in the past, however they were stopped due to inaccurate results and other complications. This kit is said to help test for 10 different diseases which includes Parkinson's, Late-onset Alzheimer's, Celiac disease, Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, Early-onset primary dystonia, Factor XI deficiency, Gaucher disease type 1, Glucose- 6 phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, Hereditary hemochromatosis, and Hereditary thrombophilia. 

      This at home kit is a great way for people to find out the answers they want while in the comfort of their own home. However, it is being stressed to consumers that this not the ultimate final answer. Genetics are not the only factor when it comes to diseases. The environment, lifestyle choices, and diet are just a few different factors that play a large role in determining whether or not a person will get a disease. 

       After hearing the news about this kit, the National Institute on Aging has stated that it is very unlikely for genetic testing to ever predict with accuracy Alzheimer's disease since there are multiple factors that lead to the progression of it. There is a positive outlook for this at home testing kit and the hopes for more kits for different diseases in the near future. 

Gene Sequencing Project

Sanford Health is partnering up with Miami Children's Health System to start sequencing the genes of nearly one thousand Latinos and Hispanics to understand the health needs of the populations. Denny Sanford, philanthropist already has given seven million dollars to the children's hospital to support the research. The research consist of using genetics and genomic information to personalize health care for children. The project will make it easier to determine whether a person is more liable to a certain disease and how she or he might respond to a particular medicine. This goal is to produce a database of common genomes and to identify genetic patterns among the Hispanic and Latino populations. 

This is a great way to advance in the future in order to help future-related diseases. To set up such a database will help generations in the future.

https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/03/03/us/ap-us-sanford-health-sequencing-genes.html

Genetic Testing: Reason to Gather Your Family Health History

New abilities have developed in genomics-based technologies where physicians are guided toward therapies and screening medical treatments. These treatments developed in order to find individual's genetics and the disease risks. With the knowledge of patient's genetics, it can help physicians make better decisions about their treatment options. Gathering family's history about the health is very crucial to figure out what kind of risk or diseases can afflict in the future. Discussing these topics can help understand the medical heritage that can open doors to better health and wellness.

This is a great topic to bring up with your family to discuss and develop ways to figure out what can possibly happen and the types of risks that can occur in the future. Since technology is advancing rapidly, physicians knowing what can happen will help with better treatments. 

http://health.usnews.com/health-care/for-better/articles/2016-12-21/genetic-testing-reason-to-gather-your-family-health-history

Gene Editing Tool Used in a Human For the First Time

A gene tool that may have extraordinary promise in curing myriad diseases has been used in a human for the first time.

According to Nature, scientists at West China Hospital in Chengdu injected cells edited by CRISPR-Cas9 into a patient with aggressive lung cancer on Oct. 28.

CRISPR is an acronym for "clustered, regularly inter-spaced, short palindromic repeats," which are patterns of DNA sequences that can be edited. Cas9 is a type of modified protein that works like a pair of scissors to snip out DNA sequences. CRISPR-Cas9 works by identifying problem sequences and modifying them, hopefully solving the problem they cause.

In the case of the Chinese patient, scientists edited a gene that hinders the cell's ability to launch an immune response, which also prevents it from attacking healthy cells. These modified cells will then, scientists hope, target the cancerous cells and destroy them.

The trial's main objective is to test the technique for safety. The Chinese team plans to treat 10 patients, and each will be monitored for six months for side effects.

"Everything is going as planned," Liao Zhilin, who handles the Chinese team's communications, told CNN.

However, there are also ethical questions surrounding gene-editing techniques. The ability to modify DNA, while it may eradicate thousands of diseases, also may allow researchers to explore morally gray areas of science, such as creating chimeras.

Meanwhile, the United States is also set to begin a human trial of CRISPR-Cas9 in early 2017, designed to treat several forms of cancer.

"I think this is going to trigger 'Sputnik 2.0', a biomedical duel on progress between China and the United States, which is important since competition usually improves the end product," Carl June, a scientific adviser to the U.S. trial and immunotherapy specialist at the University of Pennsylvania, told Nature.

Cases of Sexually Transmitted Diseases are on Rise

From recent studies, research has been shown that S.T.Ds, sexually transmitted diseases, are raising at unusually high rates.  Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis have all had a major increase.  This spike has been shown throughout many western states.  All three of these diseases can be treated with antibiotics, but gonorrhea is becoming more resistant to some of the medicine used for treatment. This could be a major problem within the future if more research is not performed and new antibiotics are not found.

Syphilis has increased in both men and women throughout every area of the United States.  There has been a rise of 6% in congenital syphilis, or babies contracting the diseases from affected mothers. Children born with S.T.D.s are more likely to die within infancy and some are stillborn.  The reason for this spike points to budget cuts that were being made to programs that provide testing and antibiotics to infected individuals.  Without enough money, these programs cannot give the patients the necessary help that they need.  Another reason for this boom of S.T.D.s is that more young people are using social media to connect with people.  Dr. Mermin, director of National Center for H.I.V./AIDS, suggests that Tinder is one of the main problems contributing to this spike in diseases. S.T.D.s are a large problem within the United States and budget cuts to programs that help individuals is hurting the entire country.  People who do not receive treatment or are unknown that they have the disease, can possibly pass it on to multiple people and the cycle continues.  More genetic studies need to be performed on sexually transmitted diseases to better understand them and to completely stop the repeating cycle.  

Genes essential to life found in mouse mutants are related to many human disease genes

The researchers work is part of the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC) which generates and describes the physiological characteristics of mutations for all the protein-coding genes in the mouse genome. The goal of the group is to discover new functions for the 20,000 genes mice share with humans and makes all the mice strands available to help understand certain diseases that humans have. The Nature Study reported the results of the first 1,700 genes characterized by the IMPC which include 410 genes that when mutated on both the maternal and paternal copy, are lethal to mice. The researchers were able to establish both the time of embryo death and the nature of the lethal phenotypes which enabled them to discover many phenotypes that shed light on the function of these genes.

The team from Penn contributed to the bioinformatics analysis of essential genes in humans and showed their relevance to human diseases. The researchers compared the genes analyzed in the paper with a list of known human disease genes which made it possible to identify the mutant phenotypes in the mouse for 52 human disease genes. The IMPC later showed that human version of mouse essential genes are depleted for harmful mutations in humans. As a result, the researchers believe that the genes are good candidates for treating rare diseases found within humans.

Before reading this article, I knew that mice and humans shared very similar DNA sequences. However, I did not know that mutant mice genes are related to human disease genes. The researchers were able to compare the genes analyzed in the paper with a list of known human disease genes in order to identify the mutant phenotypes in the mouse for 52 human disease genes. This was an amazing article that provided a detailed explanation about the comparison of genes found in mutant mice related to many human disease genes.

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel is a step closer to having a better understanding of the genetics of autism , which according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention affects 1 in 50 children. This number has gone up tremendously since the 1980s in which it was 1 in 5,000 children affected. 

The researchers from the university examined 650 different gene sequences that are associated withautism and came across characteristics that separate them from other brain specific genes and genes of other diseases. Having these specific traits allows scientists to look to them for the "signature" of autism. One specific finding involved seeing that these autism associated genes appeared to be much larger genomic length as opposed to other brain related diseases such as Alzheimer's and Schizophrenia. 

When the research team studied families that had a child who had been diagnosed with autism they found a distinct genomic signature that is shaped by an evolutionary process called negative selection. This purifies and removes disruptive mutations from genes and prohibits them from replicating over generations. With this they also searched for positive selection in these genes, which could help explain the prevalence of autism in todays human population. However, they found no evidence to support positive selection. This shows that autism susceptible mutations are in the human genome but only are expressed as a autism disorder when combined with genetic, environmental or non-genetic factors. These findings by this research team could certainly help to get earlier detection of autism and will promote further study of these genes in the future.