Monthly Archives: March 2018

Expert Q&A: Winston Timp on New Challenges in Sample Prep

Posted on March 27, 2018 by Alex

We’re learning as we go: that’s the message from Winston Timp, assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University, about how labs are handling the new demands placed on sample prep techniques by ever-changing sequencing technologies. Timp’s impressive results, particularly with handling … more »

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Cost-Effective Microbiome Sequencing with 10x Genomics and Athena Assembler

Posted on March 21, 2018 by Alex

If you missed Ami Bhatt’s talk at AGBT last month, a bioRxiv preprint is a great way to catch up on her team’s impressive work characterizing microbial communities — from the human gut to the sea floor. Bhatt and her … more »

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Improving saliva shotgun metagenomics by chemical host DNA depletion

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Alex

February 2018 Authors: Clarisse Marotz, Jon Sanders, Cristal Zuniga, Livia Zaramela, Rob Knight, and Karsten Zengler Info: Scientists from the University of California, San Diego, developed and evaluated a new protocol for enriching microbial DNA collected from fresh and frozen … more »

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Study protocol: rationale and design of the community-based prospective cohort study of kidney function and diabetes in rural New Mexico, the COMPASS study

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Alex

February 2018 Authors: Antonin Jaros, Hafiz Sroya, Venita Wolfe, Vikas Ghai, et al. Info: Scientists report design and launch of the COMPASS study, a prospective, longitudinal cohort in rural New Mexico aimed at better understanding diabetic chronic kidney disease and … more »

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Small RNA populations revealed by blocking rRNA fragments in Drosophila melanogaster reproductive tissues

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Alex

February 2018 Authors: Emily Fowler, Irina Mohorianu, Damian Smith, Tamas Dalmay, Tracey Chapman Info: Scientists present a method for removing highly abundant rRNAs for improved analysis of small RNAs in RNA interference studies. Results showed increased resolution of sRNAs, even … more »

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The DNA Methylome of the Hyperthermoacidophilic Crenarchaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Alex

February 2018 Authors: Mohea Couturier and Ann-Christin Lindås Info: Scientists from Stockholm University investigated the impact of DNA methylation in archaeal genomes by analyzing the complete DNA methylome of S. acidocaldarius using PacBio sequencing. The team used BluePippin to remove … more »

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Draft genome assembly of the Bengalese finch, Lonchura striata domestica, a model for motor skill variability and learning

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Alex

February 2018 Authors: Bradley Colquitt, David Mets, and Michael Brainard Info: Scientists generated a high-quality draft genome and gene annotation for Bengalese finch, which has a more variable song than other finches, making it an important model for sensorimotor learning. … more »

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Ribonuclease Inhibitor 1 regulates erythropoiesis by controlling GATA1 translation

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Alex

February 2018 Authors: Vijaykumar Chennupati, Diogo Veiga, Kendle Maslowski, Nicola Andina, et al. Info: Scientists studying the ribonuclease inhibitor protein found that it controls translation of GATA1 and thereby regulates erythropoiesis, helping to explain anemia-associated diseases caused by mutations in … more »

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Oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) target cancer stem-like cells and suppress tumor organoid formation in colorectal cancer

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Alex

February 2018 Authors: Shusuke Toden, Preethi Ravindranathan, Jinghua Gu, Jacob Cardenas, Madelaine Yuchang & Ajay Goel Info: Scientists from Baylor University Medical Center studied the chemoprotective role of oligomeric proanthocyanidins, finding that they inhibited cellular proliferation and spurred apoptosis. RNA … more »

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Identification of a precursor processing protease from the spider Cupiennius saleiessential for venom neurotoxin maturation

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Alex

February 2018 Authors: Nicolas Langenegger, Dominique Koua, Stefan Schürch, Manfred Heller, Wolfgang Nentwig and Lucia Kuhn-Nentwig Info: In this paper, scientists from the University of Bern and collaborators report the identification and purification of a protease that’s an important neurotoxin … more »

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