The Human Dynasty

The brain’s serotonergic system plays an important role in alcohol preference and consumption. New findings show that specific DNA sequence variations of the serotonin transporter gene can influence drinking intensity among alcohol-dependent individuals.

(Massachusetts General Hospital) A team of cancer researchers from several Boston academic medical centers has discovered a potential treatment for a group of tumors that have resisted previous targeted therapy approaches. In their Nature Medicine report, receiving early online release, the investigators report that combining two different kinase inhibitors — drugs that interfere with specific cell-growth pathways — led to significant tumor shrinkage in mice with lung cancer driven by mutations in the K-Ras gene.

When mice that lack steroid receptor-2, a master regulator gene called a coactivator, fast for a day, their blood sugar levels plummet. If they go another day without food, they will die. The severity of the hypoglycemia was unexpected, according to an article in Science.

Metabolic diseases — in particular the increasingly prevalent type 2 diabetes — are caused by a complex interaction between genetic disposition and unfavorable lifestyle, above all unbalanced diet and too little physical exercise. Researchers have now for the first time been able to show a relationship between the genetic make-up of an individual and differences in his/her metabolism.

“There are still a number of major hurdles in the path of stem cell research today that are preventing the routine application of the technology in regenerative medicine.” So say scientists writing in the International Journal of Biotechnology.

(Public Library of Science) Common genetic polymorphisms induce major differentiations in the metabolic make-up of the human population, according to a paper published Nov. 28 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics. An international team of researchers, led by Karsten Suhre, has conducted a genome-wide association study with metabolomics, identifying genetic variants in genes involved in the breakdown of fats. The resulting differences in metabolic capacity can affect individuals’ susceptibility to complex diseases such as diabetes and hyperactivity.

A Swedish research group has discovered a new mechanism for cell division in a microorganism found in extremely hot and acidic conditions. The results of the research offer insights into evolution, but also into the functioning of the human body.

(Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research) A Swedish research group, partly financed by NWO, has discovered a new mechanism for cell division in a microorganism found in extremely hot and acidic conditions. The results of the research offer insights into evolution, but also into the functioning of the human body. The research has been recently published in PNAS, the magazine of the American National Academy of Sciences. Thijs Ettema, member of the research group, received a Rubicon grant from NWO in 2006 to gain experience abroad.

Bacteria can build a biofilm that preserves a tissue’s structure

An intriguing new theory of evolutionary biology says the reason sexual reproduction may be so successful is that it promotes genes that work well in combination with many other genes. This idea of genetic mixability hits on the difficulty evolutionary biologists have had in understanding sex, specifically its role in population genetics and natural selection.