Latest Population genetics Stories

International study locates key genetic variationsA consortium of cancer researchers has identified four chromosome locations with genetic changes that are likely to alter a woman's risk of developing ovarian cancer. The findings appear in Nature Genetics in an article authored by a Mayo Clinic researcher.Researchers say that while more needs to be learned about the function of the specific chromosomal regions involved in susceptibility, the discoveries move them a major step closer to...

HapMap 3 points the way forward for human genetics studiesNew findings show the value of genetic studies across human populations and the value of the latest DNA sequencing technologies to interrogate genetic variation. The results, from the latest phase of the international HapMap Project, are reported in Nature.The researchers' extensive study of genetic variation in multiple populations will form a framework for future genetic studies of variation and disease: their findings highlight the...

How species form and what keeps them distinct from each other, even though they can interbreed, is a key question in evolution. Researchers from Taiwan, led by Dr. Jun-Yi Leu, an Assistant Research Fellow from the Institute of Molecular Biology at Academia Sinica, have recently identified genes in three closely-related yeast species that cause sterility, increasing our understanding of how species can remain distinct. The findings will be published next week in the online, open access journal...

Genetic variant detected by genome-wide association found to increase expression of oncogeneA genetic variant implicated in several cancers by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) has been found to drive increased expression of a known oncogene in the prostate.The study, published July 13th in Genome Research, showcases a new protocol for studying the activity of cancer-risk variants suggested by GWAS studies. The results also underscore the dramatic consequences of small genetic changes...

Fewer males than females are surviving the negative effects of inbreeding in a reintroduced population of a rare New Zealand bird, reports new research published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.Studying a population of the endangered New Zealand Hihi, researchers from the Zoological Society of London found that male survival rate was 24 per cent lower than their female siblings during early development, and as chicks.The researchers analysed 98 clutches on Tiritiri Matangi Island, a...

Boston University researchers have discovered a genetic sequence that predicts with more accuracy than ever before whether a person will live to the age of 100 -- even if they have other genes associated with disease.The scientists studied over 1,055 centenarians to develop a system of genetic analysis that predicts with 77-percent accuracy whether a person has a strong chance of "exceptional longevity".  The predictions involve identifying the presence of 150 genetic variants known...

New study at University of Leicester aims to pave way for treatmentsNew research at the University of Leicester will use the latest genetic techniques to examine DNA from over 20,000 patients with heart disease.The study will help to identify new genes and molecules responsible for Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). This, in turn may help to develop new diagnostic and treatment strategies.The project is being undertaken by postgraduate researcher Paraskevi Christofidou, of the Department of...

Inbred male sperm have been found to fertilize fewer eggs when in competition with non-inbred males according to a new study by the University of East Anglia.Research into the breeding habits of the red flour beetle, published June 15 in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, shows that the reduced fitness of inbred beetles, known as 'inbreeding depression', reveals itself in competitive scenarios.Inbreeding is a potentially important problem in declining species across the world, and conserving...

Three genes that have barely been studied to date have now provided fresh knowledge about patients with suicidal backgrounds. This is the result of a study by a team of Spanish researchers at Mount Sinai Hospital and Columbia University in the City of New York (United States), which found that several mutations are involved. This finding could help to develop future genetic tests to identify predisposition to suicide, without ignoring the importance of social and cultural factors."There...

A tool for clinicians as well as geneaologistsUnderstanding the genetic ancestry of mixed populations, such as those found in North America, can not only help to detect their origins but also to understand the genetic basis of complex diseases, a scientist will tell the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today (Saturday June 11). It is the first time that the genomes of individuals of admixed ancestry have been sequenced in such detail, says Dr. Francisco De La Vega...