Category Archives: DNA

Neanderthals that have been extinct for 28,000 years live on in human DNA, according to research suggesting the genes may help us better survive cold weather and be linked to some present-day diseases.

The Neanderthal genes make up only about 2 percent to 4 percent of the DNA carried by a given human today, according to a paper published in the journal Science. Even so, it may be linked to the development of our hair and skin, as well as to immune disorders such as Type 2 diabetes, the research found.

New DNA techniques are reshaping knowledge of human evolution just as quickly as theyre sparking the development of medical tests and treatments. Thats allowing scientists to peek into history by comparing modern DNA with the Neanderthal genome, recently reconstructed by scientists using material from the toe bone of a female who lived 50,000 years ago.

Were not as beholden to ancient DNA anymore, said Joshua Akey, an associate professor of genome science at the University of Washington in Seattle, and an author of one of the studies. Rather than excavating bones, we can now excavate DNA from modern individuals.

Akeys study identified the skin and hair traits. A second report yesterday by scientists at Harvard Medical School in Boston and the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, found nine links between Neanderthal DNA and previously identified human genes, some of which affect immune function.

The Neanderthal DNA found in the ancient toe bone was reported in the journal Nature in December. That study suggested inbreeding may have been common for Neanderthals, and may have led to their demise. Earlier studies using less complete genetic profiles determined that Neanderthals probably mated with ancient humans as well.

The latest DNA research supports that conclusion and suggests the Neanderthal genes left behind as a result may have aided humans in adapting to non-African environments, Akey said, adding, Whats striking is you can really look at the distribution of Neanderthal DNA across the entire genome.

Both studies published yesterday identified significant areas within the human genome where no Neanderthal genes appear, more than would be anticipated by chance. That suggests some mutations werent passed on, probably because they didnt help survival.

The shared genes that influence hair and skin traits also influence other things, Akey said. Its possible, for instance, that the Neanderthal genes helped alter pigmentation and moisture retention in humans, helping to increase body warmth in colder climates.

The Harvard study found that genes that are most active in the testes and those in the X chromosome have the least Neanderthal influence, compared to other parts of the genome. The pattern may have been a way for the body to naturally overcome infertility among different species.

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Neanderthal Genes Found in Modern Human DNA, Studies Find

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

29-Jan-2014

Contact: Robin Crawford, CMP src@faseb.org 301-634-7010 Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

Bethesda, MD This 2014 FASEB Science Research Conference focuses on dynamic DNA structures. For decades after its discovery, DNA was believed to be a canonical, right-handed double helix. This belief was shaken by the findings that DNA structure is much more dynamic. In fact, DNA can form an enormous variety of secondary structures, including cruciform-like, left-handed helixes, three and four stranded helices, slip-stranded configurations, etc. Most importantly, repetitive DNA sequences, which are overrepresented in genomic DNA, are particularly prone to structural transitions.

Transient denaturation of the double helix, which promotes these dynamic transitions in DNA structure, occurs during all major DNA transactions, including replication, transcription, and recombination. Studies conducted in many labs worldwide have confirmed that structure-prone DNA sequences are central to the normal functioning of the genome, and they are also responsible for its occasional malfunctioning. One striking example is the discovery that expansions of structure-prone DNA repeat leads to more than thirty hereditary neurological and developmental diseases in humans.

Dynamic DNA structures are also involved in regular DNA processes including transcriptional activation, regulation of antigenic switching, and DNA recombination essential to the immune response. DNA structures are associated with recurrent translocations observed in common human cancers, and they also contribute to genomic instability in human hereditary diseases. In an unexpected twist, these DNA structures appeared to be invaluable for nanotechnology, where their unusual physical properties find many applications. These and related topics will be discussed at the conference.

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FASEB has announced a total of 35 Science Research Conferences (SRC) in 2014. Registration is open. For more information about an SRC, view preliminary programs, or find a listing of all our 2014 SRCs, please visit http://www.faseb.org/SRC.

Since 1982, FASEB SRC has offered a continuing series of inter-disciplinary exchanges that are recognized as a valuable complement to the highly successful society meetings. Divided into small groups, scientists from around the world meet intimately and without distractions to explore new approaches to those research areas undergoing rapid scientific changes.

In efforts to expand the SRC series, potential organizers are encouraged to contact SRC staff at SRC@faseb.org. Proposal guidelines can be found at http://www.faseb.org/SRC.

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FASEB announces 2014 Science Research Conference: Dynamic DNA Structures in Biology

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A career thug already behind bars for burglary was charged with a pair of brutal rapes that took place in Queens 16 years ago after investigators used DNA to link him to the attacks.

Johnny Dupree, 55, broke into two homes where young women were sleeping in July and November 1997 and raped the victims at knifepoint, according to Queens DA Richard A. Browne.

DNA evidence was collected from the rape victims and crime scenes at the time of the incident and stored in a database. DNA from those two rape cases was positively matched to a DNA sample provided by [Dupree], Browne said Monday.

The evidence was tested more than a decade ago with no results.

But Browne said cold case investigators routinely re-test older samples using newer, more sensitive techniques, and that the new testing revealed the match.

Dupree, already serving 16 years to life in state prison in Fishkill on a 2000 burglary conviction, was charged with two counts each of first-degree rape and first-degree sodomy.

The creep faces another 25 years in the slammer if convicted.

In the first attack, a 23-year-old woman was asleep in her Richmond Hill apartment in July when Dupree broke in at 4 a.m., held a knife to her throat and demanded cash, the DA said. She gave up $20, but he then raped and sodomized her.

In November, he allegedly broke into another Richmond Hill apartment where a 24-year-old woman was asleep, flashed a knife and raped her.

This case underscores the crucial importance of DNA evidence, which is irrefutable proof of guilt or innocence, Brown said.

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New DNA test links jailed thug to brutal ’97 rapes

DNA has linked a man in prison for burglary to two unsolved rapes from 1997 where the suspect broke into the apartments of sleeping women, threatened them with a knife and sexually assaulted them, prosecutors said.

Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said the 55-year-old suspect, who is serving a 16-year sentence for a 2000 burglary case, was charged Friday with two counts of rape and two counts of sodomy for the 1997 rapes.

In the first attack in July 1997, a 23-year-old woman was asleep in her Richmond Hill apartment when a man broke in at 4 a.m. She awoke to him crouching in her bedroom, prosecutors said.

The suspect grabbed her, put a knife to her throat and demanded cash. She gave him $20 and then he sodomized and raped her.

Several months later in November, a suspect broke into another Richmond Hill apartment where a 24-year-old woman was sleeping. He showed a knife and raped the victim before he fled.

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DNA links burglar to 1997 rapes: prosecutors