Talk

This edition’s theme is, loosely, Genetics 2.0. Let’s start with the landscape:

Genomes and Haplotypes and SNPS - oh my! Everyone’s who needs to read Keith’s post at Omics! Omics!. He’s given us the perfect primer for everyone who’s read a press release about a new fill-in-the-blank genome-related discovery, and wondered what they were leaving out … of the press release, and their data. This post should be required reading for everyone in my industry.

“Do Genetic Association Studies Matter?” Once you’ve done your Omics homework, read Thomas’ post at Epidemix. The short answer: No. Yes. Maybe. Stay tuned. Like many, I’ve stopped blogging about “this gene association just found!” as the press release pile up, and am holding out for “this association just confirmed by multiple, world-wide population studies.” Now the challenge is how to track the studies until a critical mass is reached remains.

One Man’s Junk Is Another Man’s Treasure: GrrlScientist at Living the Scientific Life has a lovely, readable-for-the-non-scientist post about how so-called “junk” DNA actually plays a powerful role in how the genome functions. We’ll keep watching the Encode project to see.

(Dare I mention the growing trend of SNPs associated with risk in non-coding regions, say…TCF7L2 and diabetes risk. Oops did that just slip out?)

Now, what 2.0 might mean for you and your genes:

Watson Wouldn’t, Would You? Short Sharp Science reports on James Watson’s decision to leave one tiny bit of info about his genome a secret: his ApoE genes. The discussion this post has prompted illustrates the old “there are two kinds of people in the world” adage.

Genes and Bipolar Disorder. Not surprisingly, recent research points toward multiple-gene involvement in manic depression. Dr. Deb reports on a new genome-wide linkage study of 98 bipolar pedigrees in Molecular Psychiatry. It pains me to think that people still believe bipolar disorder is simply a result of “weak character, laziness or other ignorance-based notions.”

Fifth Gene Responsible for Joubert Syndrome. The discovery of a mutation in the gene (RPGRIP1L) now paves the way for definitive DNA testing that can more conclusively diagnose JS in some patients, and also identify asymptomatic carriers who might unknowingly pass the condition to their future children.

Nutrigenomics, a Vision for the Future? Last year, nutrigenomic testing was declared not-ready-for-prime-time. MedJournalWatch is keeping tabs on the research and crafting a vision of the future.

Which inevitably leads us to policy concerns…

“Should genetic information be disclosed to insurance companies?” The U.S. and the U.K. seem to be taking opposite perspectives. What do you think? Hsien’s taking a poll at Eye on DNA. Whether you’re a genetics professional or genetics enthusiast, read her post and weigh-in.

And a post-script:

Because today is Father’s Day, I have to conclude with a link to my post about an ode to the Y chromosome and those little engines that could, sperm cells.

The next edition of Gene Genie is over at Genomicron on July 1. If you’re talking about genes, go on and submit a post. Thanks to everyone who submitted, especially Berci!

This entry was posted on Monday, June 18th, 2007 at 8:32 am and is filed under Human Genome, Miscellaneous. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.