DNA mutations tagged posts

Findings could lead to advances in plant breeding, human genetics. A simple roadside weed may hold the key to understanding and predicting DNA mutation, according to new research from University of California, Davis, and the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Germany.

The findings, published January 12 in the journal Nature, radically change our understanding of evolution and could one day help researchers breed better crops or even help humans fight cancer.

Mutations occur when DNA is damaged and left unrepaired, creating a new variation. The scientists wanted to know if mutation was purely random or something deeper...

The biosensor chip — consisting of a double stranded DNA probe embedded onto a graphene transistor — electronically detects DNA SNPs. Credit: Jacobs School of Engineering, UC San Diego

Researchers say the technology could one day be used in various medical applications such as blood-based tests for early cancer screening, monitoring disease biomarkers and real-time detection of viral and microbial sequences. “We are at the forefront of developing a fast and inexpensive digital method to detect gene mutations at high resolution–on the scale of a single nucleotide change in a nucleic acid sequence,” said Ratnesh Lal, professor of bioengineering, mechanical engineering and materials science in the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego.

The technology, which is at a proof-of-concept sta...

Mathematical ‘Gingko trees’ reveal Mutations in single cells that characterize diseases Credit http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.3578

A new interactive analysis program called Gingko has been released that reduces the uncertainty of single-cell analysis and provides a simple way to visualize patterns in copy number mutations across populations of cells. Detailed knowledge of CNVs can point to specific treatment regimens.

The free software will improve scientists’ ability to study this important type of genetic anomaly and could help clinicians better target medications based on cells’ specific mutation profiles.

In copy number variations (CNV), large chunks of DNA are either deleted from or added to the genome...