Current Genomics - Volume 5, Issue 4, 2004

Atherosclerosis is a chief cause of heart attack, stroke and death in Western society. It is a disease of the large arteries characterised by the presence of atherosclerotic lesions, often observable as fatty streaks within the first decade of life. A number of factors influence the development and progression of atherosclerosis; however, hemodynamic forces appear to play a critical role in the earliest stages of lesion formation Read More

New initiatives to sequence complete genomes of related organisms have introduced a new era of large-scale evolutionary genomics. The comparative analysis of these genomes allows us to obtain a comprehensive view of many aspects of eukaryotic genome evolution. Consequently, new computational methods and approaches are being developed in order to investigate chromosomal organisation, rearrangements a Read More

Nuclear genome instability is known to play an important role in the origin of some human cancers. However, eukaryotic cells also have cytoplasmic genomes that are compartimentalised in the mitochondria. Mitochondria (mt) are essential for the regulation of several aspects of cell biology such as energy production, maintenance of redox status, molecular metabolism, calcium signalling and apoptosis. Oxidative stre Read More

In the evolutionary context, alterations in the basic DNA structure and fidelity of repair endow the genome with dynamism not only to survive but also to flourish. The genomic variation tools presented by evolution such as small tandem repeats (STRs), variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs) and trinucleotide repeats (TNRs) are the most interesting. Cloning of several disease genes have identified the basic DNA struct Read More

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by clinical, etiologic and genetic heterogeneity. It is often associated with other conditions, such as disorders of the CNS (tuberous sclerosis), developmental delay, attention deficit, epilepsy, and anxiety and mood disorders. Our survey found cytogenetically visible chromosomal anomalies in ∼7.4% (129 / 1749) of autistic patients documented as well as several sub-micr Read More

Pneumonia is responsible for unacceptably high mortality rates among specific populations of patients, despite the use of conventional antibiotics and improvements in critical care. New treatments for severe pulmonary infection are therefore required. Manipulation of host defence genes using targeted gene therapy seems a logical strategy for severe pulmonary infection, and several groups have recently demonstrated t Read More

Extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERKs) are central regulators of many physiological and pathological processes. Their activity is regulated by phosphorylation on both tyrosine and threonine residues within their activation loops by MAPK / ERK kinases 1 and 2 (MEKs). Removal of phosphate from either the tyrosine, the threonine, or from both residues together can inactivate ERKs. Indeed members of the three Read More