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For a comprehensive review of the most interesting recent articles published in the biological sciences, visit Faculty of 1000 Biology, an online literature awareness tool published by BioMed Central. Faculty of 1000 Biology systematically highlights exciting recent publications on the basis of recommendations of a faculty of well over 1,000 of the world's leading researchers. |
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Malcolm White
University of St Andrews, United Kingdom
STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
 Hypothesis
 Controversial
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This paper addresses the transition from an RNA to a DNA world early in the evolutionary history of life. It is suggested that DNA was invented by viruses as a mechanism to avoid cellular defences. This theory has the potential to explain many of the puzzling clues evident from cellular and viral genomes, such as the existence of two different machineries for DNA replication in bacteria and Archaea/Eukarya. These challenging ideas are a must-read for anyone interested in molecular evolution and the origins of life.
Evaluated 30 Sep 2005 |
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Bryant McAllister
University of Iowa, United States of America
GENOMICS & GENETICS
 Confirmation
 New Finding
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This is a comprehensive analysis of gene sequences from the evolving neo-sex chromosomes of Drosophila miranda. A substantial proportion (about 1/3) of the genes surveyed on the neo-Y exhibit evidence that they have lost function, and regions of this chromosome contain an abundance of transposable elements and other structural rearrangements. There is also clear evidence for accumulation of nonsynonymous mutations in genes on the neo-Y that apparently still retain function.
Evaluated 4 Oct 2005 |
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Rafael Zardoya
Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Spain
GENOMICS & GENETICS
Confirmation
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The hypothesis that two rounds of whole genome duplication occurred in early vertebrate evolution has, until this paper, awaited convincing validation. This study finds compelling evidence for two rounds of of whole genome duplication when plotting the genomic map positions of paralogous genes that were duplicated prior to the fish-tetrapod split and finding significant four-fold matchings.
Evaluated 11 Oct 2005 |
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Samuel Butcher
University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States of America
CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
New Finding
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This article shows that there are still important RNAs that lie under the scientific radar, and one just has to know where to look for them to discover something important. The authors discover seven isoforms of U5 snRNA in Drosophila that have different expression profiles. The tantalizing implication is that spliceosomal RNA expression can regulate alternative splicing, which in turn results in the different protein isoforms required during development.
Evaluated 12 Oct 2005 |
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 Must Read
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F1000 Factor 6.0 |
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Whole-genome analysis of human influenza A virus reveals multiple persistent lineages and reassortment among recent H3N2 viruses.
Holmes EC, Ghedin E, Miller N, Taylor J, Bao Y, St George K, Grenfell BT, Salzberg SL, Fraser CM, Lipman DJ, Taubenberger JK
PLoS Biol 2005 Sep 3(9):e300 [abstract on PubMed] [FREE full text] 
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Selected by | John Jaenike
Evaluated 20 Sep 2005
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John Jaenike
University of Rochester, United States of America
GENOMICS & GENETICS
New Finding
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This important paper shows that the standard model of influenza evolution - antigenic drift - is incomplete. Through sequence analysis of multiple genes from numerous isolates of influenza A sampled from New York State from 1999-2004, the authors found two notable patterns. First, there is considerable sequence diversity among strains circulating within populations at any one time. Second, this diversity can and does generate novel, epidemiologically important strains via reassortment of genomic segments. Because flu represents one of the fastest evolving and epidemiologically most important diseases affecting people, predictive evolution (including vaccine development) requires understanding both the nature and levels of standing variation in natural populations as well as the processes by which such variation is generated. This paper shows that the process is evolutionarily more complex than previously thought.
Evaluated 6 Oct 2005 |
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