A new study published online this week in Nature Genetics reports the discovery of novel host targets of HIV infection identified from a high-throughput CRISPR/Cas9-based screen. This screen was performed in CD4 + T-cells and was designed to find candidate genes required for successful HIV infection, but whose inactivation did not affect cell viability. In this way, potential drug targets for anti-HIV therapy could be discovered. Read more
There has always been an emphasis on the generation of novel data in science. Being a scientist involves progressing from observation to hypothesis to experiment to output. In the past, a combination of scarce data to look at and low throughput machinery to make more has led to limited experimental outcomes. Read more
The populations that broke off from early out-of-Africa migrants may have progressively accumulated harmful genetic mutations, suggests a new study published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read more
Or so claims a new study in the Journal of Happiness Studies, by two researchers from the Varna University of Management in Bulgaria, and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The researchers believe they have established a link between genetic make-up and how happy certain populations are. Read more
Pollinators are attracted to flowers based on certain characteristics, including color, scent and morphology. Evolutionary changes in these traits correlate with changes in pollinator-plant relationships, and pollinator syndromes, or suites of floral characteristics that influence pollinator identity, can differ greatly between even closely related species. Thus, characterizing the molecular basis that underlies shifts in pollinator syndromes can lead to the discovery of speciation genes, as well as to a greater understanding of evolutionary trajectories and timelines that define the species. Read more
The American Society of Human Genetics convened for their 65th annual meeting last week in Baltimore. Over 6000 scientists and clinicians, joined by counselors, educators and patients, gathered to present, discuss and debate the latest developments in genetics research. We at Nature Genetics were fortunate enough to be in attendance and we wish to share some thoughts about this exciting and thought-provoking conference. Read more
The war in Syria has left nothing untouched, including researchers unaffiliated to any of the fighting parties. In September 2012, the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) based in Aleppo, Syria, had to move all its international staff out of Syria as the fighting intensified. After looting and attacks on the premises, the research institute had to move a lot of sensitive equipment to hide them in rented houses, before they eventually had to evacuate and move all the operation to neighbouring Lebanon in the same year. Read more
What did you do in preparation for your job application? Read more
As head of the genetics department at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis (WUSTL), what do you look for in new faculty members? Read more
Robin McGregor worked as a Research Fellow at the University of Auckland in New Zealand on a portfolio of projects related to nutrition and healthy ageing. “I set up clinical trials in middle-aged men to assess post-prandial changes in muscle protein synthesis in response to different dairy formulations,” he says. But being in a small country with only eight universities means that options are limited. Although he had a fixed term contract and had plans to stay, “there was no opportunity to move to a permanent university position. So if I wanted to persue a career in research I’d have to look elsewhere.” So he did. Read more
