Author Archives: Alex

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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Transcription-associated mutation promotes RNA complexity in highly expressed genes — a major new source of selectable variation

February 2018 Authors: Shengkai Pan, Michael Bruford, Yusong Wang, Zhenzhen Lin, et al. Info: In this project, researchers studied transcriptomes in falcons, mice, and chickens and found that highly expressed genes are more likely to alternatively spliced. They also studied … more »

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Podcast: Blogger Keith Robison on the State of Sequencing

A new podcast from Mendelspod takes a look at the state of sequencing in 2018. It’s a lively and interesting discussion about the current and future landscape of genomics between host Theral Timpson and Keith Robison, founder of the Omics! … more »

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Assembly and RNA‐free annotation of highly heterozygous genomes: The case of the thick‐billed murre (Uria lomvia)

January 2018 Authors: Anna Tigano, Timothy Sackton, and Vicki Friesen Info: Researchers at Queen’s University and Harvard teamed up for an effort to assemble the highly heterozygous genome of an arctic colonial seabird. The found that the platanus assembler outperformed … more »

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