Credit: Photo taken by Brian Coats for UT Southwestern Medical Center
DALLAS - Dec. 22, 2020 - UT Southwestern scientists have adapted a classic research technique called forward genetics to identify new genes involved in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In a study published this week in
eLife, the researchers used this approach in mice to find one such gene called KDM5A.
Approximately 1 in 54 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with ASD, a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes disrupted communication, difficulties with social skills, and repetitive behaviors. As a disease with a strong genetic component, it is hypothesized that thousands of genetic mutations may contribute to ASD. But to date, only about 30 percent of cases can be explained by known genetic mutations.
Light flips genetic switch in bacteria inside transparent worms
HOUSTON - (Dec. 22, 2020) - Baylor College of Medicine researcher Meng Wang had already shown that bacteria that make a metabolite called colanic acid (CA) could extend the lifespan of worms in her lab by as much as 50%, but her collaboration with Rice University synthetic biologist Jeffrey Tabor is providing tools to answer the bigger question of how the metabolite imparts longer life.
In a study published in eLife, Wang, Tabor and colleagues showed they could use different colors of light to turn gut bacteria genes on and off while the bacteria were in the intestines of worms. The work was made possible by an optogenetic control system Tabor has been developing for more than a decade.
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Research has shown that gut microbes can influence several aspects of the host s life, including aging. Given the complexity and heterogeneity of the human gut environment, elucidating how a specific microbial species contributes to longevity has been challenging. To explore the influence of bacterial products on the aging process, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Rice University developed a method that uses light to directly control gene expression and metabolite production from bacteria residing in the gut of the laboratory worm Caenorhabditis elegans.
They report in the journal
eLife that green-light-induced production of colanic acid by resident E. coli bacteria protected gut cells against stress-induced cellular damage and extended the worm s lifespan. The researchers indicate that this method can be applied to study other bacteria and propose that it also might provide in the future a new way to fine-tune bacterial metabolism in the host gut to deliver
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IMAGE: A UT Southwestern study identified a gene used in the cellular recycling process called autophagy that rids cells of viruses. The above illustration breaks down the steps involved in this. view more
Credit: UT Southwestern Medical Center
DALLAS - Dec. 16, 2020 - A team led by UT Southwestern researchers has identified a key gene necessary for cells to consume and destroy viruses. The findings, reported online today in
Nature, could lead to ways to manipulate this process to improve the immune system s ability to combat viral infections, such as those fueling the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Scientists have long known that cells use a process called autophagy to rid themselves of unwanted material. Autophagy, which translates as self-eating, involves isolating cellular garbage in double-layered vesicles called autophagosomes, which are then fused with single-layered vesicles known as lysosomes to degrade the materials inside and recycle them into build