Human Genetic Variation Alters Anthrax Toxin Sensitivity
Martchenko, Candille et al., PNAS
Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine show that genetic variation affecting capillary morphogenesis gene 2, or CMG2, dramatically alters toxin sensitivity in humans. In its analysis, the team reports on "a CMG2 single-nucleotide polymorphism occurring frequently in African and European populations [that they found] independently altered toxin uptake." The group goes on to suggest "testing of genomically characterized human cell populations may offer a broadly useful strategy for elucidating effects of genetic variation on infectious disease susceptibility."
Search Spit for Signs of Aging
November 24, 2009
By comparing the salivary proteomes of younger and older women, John Yates and his colleagues find that protein expression is age-dependent. As they report in the Journal of Proteome Research, they fractionated parotid saliva from 14 women and then analyzed the samples using mass spec and MudPIT. They identified 532 proteins, but found that half were only expressed in a particular age group. "It is critical to take into consideration these normal differences in protein expression when searching for clinically relevant, disease specific biomarkers," the authors write. In a related news story, author James Melvin adds, "Because several diseases that affect women, in particular autoimmune disorders, are age-dependent, we wanted to determine the background levels of protein changes that you'd expect to see in normal aging."