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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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Steven Henikoff
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, United States of America
CELL BIOLOGY
 Confirmation
 New Finding
 Tech Advance
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The silencing of genes by nearby heterochromatin was shown a decade ago to correlate with enhanced association of heterochromatic blocks in the nucleus; however, because silencing and association were assayed in different tissues, it has remained unclear whether association and gene silencing are directly linked. Using an elegant approach whereby gene activity can be assayed in the same cells in which associations are measured, Harmon and Sedat show that the correlation holds on a cell-by-cell basis for three variegating gene-rearrangement combinations in the developing Drosophila eye. By examining an intact developing tissue, they also are able to show that heterochromatic associations are not dependent on the differentiated state of the cell. These findings illustrate how the spatial organization of the nucleus may play a role in gene regulation.
Evaluated 16 Mar 2005 |
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Dave Mattson
Medical College of Wisconsin, United States of America
PHYSIOLOGY
New Finding
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This is an interesting manuscript in which the authors have utilized a combination of genetic mapping and transcription profiling to identify candidate genes for hypertension. Genetic mapping studies identified quantitative trait loci for sodium-sensitive hypertension on chromosome 1 of the Sabra hypertensive rat. Transcription profiling of mRNA isolated from Sabra hypertensive and normotensive rats maintained on low or high sodium diets revealed over 2000 transcripts which were differentially expressed between study groups, but eight of these genes mapped to regions within the boundaries identified in the QTL analysis. This unique approach has identified 7 new candidate genes for hypertension on chromosome 1 of the Sabra hypertensive rat.
Evaluated 21 Mar 2005 |
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Arcady Mushegian
Stowers Institute for Medical Research, United States of America
GENOMICS & GENETICS
 Hypothesis
Tech Advance
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In this paper, the high-level hierarchy of structural domains in a completely sequenced genome (called the protein domain universe graph - PDUG) is proposed as a trait that can be compared across genomes, using the distance between PDUGs for phylogenetic inference. One interesting idea is that horizontal gene transfer may have only much lesser impact on distribution of protein folds in a proteome than on distribution of orthologs or on sequence similarities. While the correctness of this statement remains to be proven (although the observations made by the authors are promising in this regard), it becomes clear that we are not running out of genome-wide characters for evolutionary reconstruction. The actual distance measure between PDUGs, and statistics of graph non-randomness perhaps could be improved (in Table 2, the p-values for graphs of two blue-green, Nostoc and Synechocystis, differ by nine orders of magnitude), which will undoubtedly produce a more accurate phylogenetic tree. This paper is best read together with another interesting attempt to get rid of horizontal gene transfer when infering phylogenies {1}. Deeds et al. cite that paper and express a concern that the logic there is inherently circular; but I do not think it is (see my review on F1000). {1} Dutilh et al. J Mol Evol 2004, 58:527-39 [PMID:15170256]).
Evaluated 21 Mar 2005 |
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Michael Kanost
Kansas State University, United States of America
IMMUNOLOGY
New Finding
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This article presents a microarray analysis of genes expressed in hemocytes of Drosophila, providing exciting new leads for understanding hemocyte function in innate immune responses. Identification of expression of an integrin beta PS subunit in hemocytes was followed up with a study which demonstrated that cellular encapsulation of parasites was disrupted in mutants deficient in integrin beta PS.
Evaluated 16 Mar 2005 |
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Renate Schmidt
Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Germany
PLANT BIOLOGY
Hypothesis
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This study of nuclear-localised plastid-DNA fragments throughout the rice genome reveals repeated transfer of plastid DNA to the nucleus in rice, but it also uncovers loss of more than 80% of the transferred fragments from the nuclear rice genome within a million years. Based on the findings that large insertions of plastid-DNA fragments are preferentially found in the pericentromeric regions and that the same chromosomal regions are also more active with respect to fragmenting, rearranging and eliminating the plastid-DNA fragments, the authors develop the hypothesis that the pericentromeric regions may have contributed to the evolution of nucleo-chloroplast relationships.
Evaluated 9 Mar 2005 |
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