#genetics

CRISPR Cat: Genetically Engineering a Hypoallergenic CatAre you a cat lover that cannot fully enjoy a feline’s presence due to allergic reactions? Well, it seems that there’s hope for cat lovers like you in the future thanks to gene editing.You might have to wait for a few years, but there is progress on creating a hypoallergenic cat. Scientists from US-based company InBio are attempting to create hypoallergenic cats through CRISPR gene editing. The experts are trying to lower the levels of Fel d 1, a protein that causes allergic reactions in humans, in these genetically edited cats.Hopefully, we get to have hypoallergenic cats in the future!Image credit: Yerlin Matu#cats #genetics #geneediting #science #hypoallergenic #CRISPR 

“Two Leaves That Cannot Die” Plant Reveals Its Genetic SecretsA plant with two leaves. Distinctly octopus-like look. Ugly. These are all the characteristics of what the Afrikaans call “tweeblaarkanniedood,” which means “two leaves that cannot die.” This plant is also known as Welwitschia, located in the Namib Desert.As the name implies, Welwitschia grows only two leaves — perpetually. Some of these plants are believed to be more than 3,000 years old, and yet still continuing to grow. In line with this, Nature Communications reported a study on Welwitschia’s peculiar shape, immortality, and resilience.Image Credit: Tao Wen via The New York Times/YahooNews#welwitschia #plant #genetics #NamibDesert #immortality #cellgrowth #desertplant #leaf #stressresilience

It'll Never Fly: When Gene Names Are TOO FunIn the world of genetics, there are two kinds of researchers- those who work with fruit flies, and those who work with worms. The worm scientists will discover a new gene and name it with a combination of letters and numbers. The fruit fly geneticists prefer to name a gene with something descriptive, starting with a gene discovered in 1910 in which a mutation gave a fly white eyes instead of the normal red. Thomas Hunt Morgan named it "White." Since then, genes have been named anything and everything, which can sometimes be way too cute, such as the name Hamlet, which affects the development of 2B cells, as in 2B or not 2B. There are also genes named Drop Dead and Male Chauvinist Pigmentation. But sometimes it goes too far, as a recent podcast illustrates.    ELAH FEDER: But we do have examples where people start to get really creative with the best of intentions, and it winds up creating some awkward situations, like this gene. In the late '70s, a pair of scientists were looking at mutations that affected development. So fruit-fly larvae have bristles on them, and they found this one mutation that caused the bristles to be all bunched together. And they thought, what does this bristly little creature look like? Let's call it Hedgehog.THOM KAUFMAN: Perfectly descriptive of the mutant phenotype. Everything is fine. OK. But then they found that there were mutants in mites, and mice have four copies of this gene. And the mouse people got cute, so they started naming these extra copies and said, oh, there's one that's Hedgehog, then there's one we'll call Sonic Hedgehog after the cartoon character.And there's another one called Desert Hedgehog and Indian Hedgehog to name all four of these things. There's also Tiggy Winkel Hedgehog and Echidna Hedgehog. OK. And people were just trying to be cute.LAH FEDER: But humans have these genes, too.THOM KAUFMAN: Well, then it was discovered that this gene caused a human disease that is a very bad thing for a child to inherit from its parents, holoprosencephaly. And when a child has this, and a doctor comes and says, oh, your child is mutant for the Sonic Hedgehog gene, well, it's not a joke to have a child with holoprosencephaly.Another place where this is a problem is there's another mutation called Fringe. It was discovered in flies. And Fringe, again, has a mutant phenotype that's consistent with-- it's like Hedgehog. But then they discovered these extra copies of these genes, and they started getting cute. And so they called them Lunatic Fringe and so on.And it starts to get a little over the top. And again, these things have human orthologs, which can be associated with bad genetic disorders in human beings. And so that's where things start getting a little dicey.They also go over the twisted reasoning behind the genes named Clown, Van Gogh, Ken and Barbie, and more. Listen to the podcast or read the transcript here.  -via Metafilter(Image credit: Sanjay Acharya) #nomenclature #scientificname #genes #fruitfly #genetics

DNA Extracted From 1,600-Year-Old Sheep Leg Found In Salt MineSheep are one of the first animals domesticated by humans, but not much is known about the details of sheep husbandry in ancient civilizations.Now, we have a bit more information on this topic. A team of researchers recently retrieved a well preserved sheep leg from the Chehrabad salt mine in Iran. It's over 1,600 years old but thanks to the salt, there was even still skin and fur present on it and scientists were able to take some of its DNA for their study.Usually, DNA breaks down quickly as enzymes in the cells degrade the strands in a chemical reaction which involves water. The high concentration of salt sequesters the water molecules, thus preventing them from breaking down the DNA strands.So, what did the scientists find out? Genetic analysis showed that the breed of sheep was that of a fat-tailed variety, which lacked the gene for a woolly coat. This breed of sheep was most likely raised for meat or milk, instead of fleece. Research fellow Kevin Daly said, "This study shows us that the people of Sasanian-era Iran may have managed flocks of sheep specialized for meat consumption, suggesting well developed husbandry practices."#sheep #sheepdomestication #fossil #mummy #mummified #saltmine #DNA #archaeology #genetics #domesticationImage: Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum and Zanjan Cultural Heritage Centre, Archaeological Museum of Zanjan

Viruses Have a Novel Genetic Alphabet in Their DNAAsk any high school biology student how many bases our genetic material DNA has, and you'll get four as the answer: adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T).But in a series of new studies published in Science, three teams have identified dozens of viruses that has swapped one of the bases in their DNA for a novel one called 2-aminoadenine, later dubbed 'Z'.From Quanta Magazine:The Z base looks like a chemical modification of A; it’s an adenine nucleotide with an extra attachment. But that modest change allows Z to form a triple hydrogen bond with T, which is more stable than the double bond that holds together A-T....since the alterations were “at the deepest level of chemical organization,” [geneticist Philippe Marlière of the University of Evry in France] said, “my instinct told me this is not just an anecdote. This is a profound violation.”#DNA #virus #bacteriophage #biology #syntheticbiology #genetics