PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 12-May-2014 Contact: Dr. Ralf Dahm press@imb-mainz.de 49-613-139-21455 Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz Ren Ketting is a leading expert on the biology of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). His research group uses C. elegans and zebrafish as model systems to study mechanisms of development and disease, focusing on three specific questions in epigenetics: how are ncRNAs able to silence the expression of certain genes, how do they regulate gene activity by changing chromatin (the way DNA is packaged), and how do they stop transposons, short bits of DNA that can move within the genome. Transposon movement can impact the stability of genetic material and cause mutations, so understanding how ncRNAs prevent it is particularly important for genome integrity. Ketting's election to EMBO membership comes as the organisation is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2014. "In the past decades, many of the concepts, techniques and insights of molecular biology have been applied to fundamental questions in other disciplines of the life sciences," EMBO Director Maria Leptin said in a prepared statement. "Molecular explanations are now emerging for the origins and functions of complex systems like the brain and the living world around us. We wanted to reflect more of these exciting developments … Continue reading →

May 11, 2014 Wellcome Trust Single-cell genomics could provide new insight into the biology of Malaria parasites, including their virulence and levels of drug resistance, to ultimately improve treatment and control of the disease, according to new research funded by the Wellcome Trust and the National Institutes of Health. The findings are revealed in a study by researchers at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute and published today in the journal Genome Research. Malaria infections commonly contain complex mixtures of Plasmodium parasites which cause the disease. These mixtures, known as multiple genotype infections (MGIs), can alter the impact of the infection due to parasites competing with one another and can drive the spread of drug resistance. MGIs are extremely common in regions with high levels of malaria infection but their biology is poorly understood. Up to 70 per cent of infections in sub-Saharan Africa are MGIs and we currently dont know how many genotypes are present and whether parasites come from a single mosquito bite or multiple mosquito bites says Shalini Nair, first author on the paper. Current genome sequencing techniques involve the chemical disintegration of samples of red blood cells from infected patients to obtain parasite DNA, which are then … Continue reading →