Genetic Trigger of depression

Researchers from Yale University have identified a gene that may contribute to the onset of depression and a target for new antidepressants. When a person suffers from depression, this new found gene appears to block the pathway neural pathways.

After testing 21 deceased individuals diagnosed with depression 18 had the gene MKP-1 more abundant in the brain tissues. The gene inactivates a molecular pathway crucial to survival and function of neurons and other disorders. More interestingly after they were able to knock out the gene in mice, the mice were more resilient to stress and if gene was activated they would mimic symptoms of depression. The interesting fact about curing depression, a rather common mental disorder is that it has so many symptoms and differs among individuals. The most commonly used antidepressant works to inhibit the uptake of serotonin. By narrowing down the cause of depression, we scientists present a more precise method of treatment without the possible side effects.

Depression is a rather interesting topic because as of a few years ago it wasn’t completely understood, and treatment was difficult. Defining such an ‘emotional’ and dilapidating disorder due to a chemical imbalance was amazing and the ability to actually pinpoint and possibly silence the gene that causes it might just make for the creation stress resilient humans.

Christine Otieno

Source: http://www.neurointerests.com/?p=481

A Genetic Road Map

Using your DNA as a GPS system seems a bit far-fetched in today's scientific world, but researchers at the University of California did exactly that. Taking DNS from over 1000 people of European descent, they mapped out the diverse genetic history onto a grid. The outcome surprised everyone.

"The result was a map of Europe-- fuzzy, but unmistakable. 'I couldn't believe the picture was so clear,' says Carlos Bustamante, senior author and statistical geneticist at Cornell University. 'I, for one, fell off my chair.' Italy and Spain clearly had their own cluster of genetically similar individuals, for example, and there were even distinctions between French-, German-, and Italian- speaking populations within Switzerland." According to Bustamante, these results make sense. Due to shared language and geographical closeness, it is much more likely to marry and mate with someone from a similar gene pool because of their proximity on the globe. The physics law of "like-repels-like" does not necessarily apply with humans.

Using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that reveal subtle differences from person to person, the research team assembled their test subjects and made a genetic map of Europe. The use of SNPs is becoming more commonplace because of the ability to help reveal genetic risk factors such as heart disease and diabetes, or help investigators catch a suspect in a recent Anthrax case (http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2008/812/1). This genography mapping could lead to a number of practical applications for those searching for their ancestral heritage. It could also open new doors for forensic scientists to identify victims of crime and catch suspects using their own DNA. 

Although people have long speculated that genes were related to geography, such detailed proof has never before been displayed. The SNPs can reveal the minute differences between Europeans, but Paolo Menozzi, an evolutionary geneticist at the University of Parma in Italy, cautions that, "overall, Europeans' genetics do not vary vastly from country to country." On a whole, "their genes are much more similar than they are different," he says. 

http://allsciencetime.blogspot.com/2008/09/genography-puts-european-ancestry-on.html