Nature Reviews Genetics 10, 425 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrg2613

Author: Meera Swami

The identification of a novel class of small RNAs has provided specific insights into the function of this class, and indicates that this RNA species has a role in the DNA damage response by inhibiting protein translation.The RNAi pathway is important for dsRNA-induced and

Nature Reviews Genetics 10, 478 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrg2529

Authors: Norman Arnheim & Peter Calabrese

Surprising findings about human germline mutation have come from applying new technologies to detect rare mutations in germline DNA, from analysing DNA sequence divergence between humans and closely related species, and from investigating human polymorphic variation. In this Review we discuss how these approaches affect

Nature Reviews Genetics 10, 430 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrg2614

The 2009 March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology has been awarded jointly to Kevin Campbell of the University of Iowa and to Louis Kunkel of Harvard Medical School and The Children's Hospital, Boston, for their pioneering work in identifying the genes and proteins that

Nature Reviews Genetics 10, 426 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrg2616

Author: Mary Muers

Short untranslated transcripts regulate many biologically important processes in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes, but most studies of small RNAs (sRNAs) in microorganisms have been limited to cultured species. A transcriptomic analysis of natural microbial communities in the ocean has now revealed a myriad of novel

Nature Reviews Genetics 10, 429 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrg2618

Author: Tanita Casci

Cells — especially those in developing systems — are under a constant barrage of information from internal and external sources. Two studies highlight the influence of the physical parameters of cells, such as the volume of cells or their compartments, on gene expression patterns and

Nature Reviews Genetics 10, 495 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrg2610

Authors: Jeferson Gross & Debashish Bhattacharya

The eukaryotic organelles mitochondrion and plastid originated from eubacterial endosymbionts. Here we propose that, in both cases, prokaryote-to-organelle conversion was driven by the internalization of host-encoded factors progressing from the outer membrane of the endosymbionts towards the intermembrane space, inner membrane and finally the organelle

Nature Reviews Genetics 10, 489 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrg2606

Authors: Wolf H. Rogowski, Scott D. Grosse & Muin J. Khoury

Research in genetics and genomics has led to an expanding list of molecular genetic tests, which are increasingly entering health care systems. However, the evidence surrounding the benefits and harms of these tests is frequently weak. Here we present the main challenges to the successful

Nature Reviews Genetics 10, 457 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrg2592

Authors: Heidi Sutherland & Wendy A. Bickmore

Transcription is a fundamental step in gene expression, yet it remains poorly understood at a cellular level. Visualization of transcription sites and active genes has led to the suggestion that transcription occurs at discrete sites in the nucleus, termed transcription factories, where multiple active RNA

Nature Reviews Genetics 10, 431 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrg2594

Authors: Andrew J. Walley, Julian E. Asher & Philippe Froguel

The last few years have seen major advances in common non-syndromic obesity research, much of it the result of genetic studies. This Review outlines the competing hypotheses about the mechanisms underlying the genetic and physiological basis of obesity, and then examines the recent explosion of

Nature Reviews Genetics 10, 443 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrg2591

Authors: Eran Segal & Jonathan Widom

Complex transcriptional behaviours are encoded in the DNA sequences of gene regulatory regions. Advances in our understanding of these behaviours have been recently gained through quantitative models that describe how molecules such as transcription factors and nucleosomes interact with genomic sequences. An emerging view is

Nature Reviews Genetics 10, 467 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrg2564

Authors: Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, Samantha A. Morris & Alexander W. Bruce

The preimplantation mammalian embryo offers a striking opportunity to address the question of how and why apparently identical cells take on separate fates. Two cell fate decisions are taken before the embryo implants; these decisions set apart a group of pluripotent cells, progenitors for the

Nature Reviews Genetics 10, 426 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrg2619

Author: Elizabeth Neame

Characterizing the ancestral genome of a species is of great evolutionary interest. Computational techniques have already been used to reconstruct ancestral genomes of several species, but these methods have limitations — in one algorithm, for example, only one species or a few outgroups can be

Nature Reviews Genetics 10, 428 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrg2620

Author: Mary Muers

Viruses have an armoury of mechanisms to manipulate host gene expression and divert cellular resources to viral replication. A recent report finds that the weapon of choice for one herpesvirus is a system that increases host mRNA turnover by altering polyadenylation. This viral mechanism could

Nature Reviews Genetics 10, 425 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrg2621

Mobile elementsL1 retrotransposition occurs mainly in embryogenesis and creates somatic mosaicismKano, H.et al. Genes Dev.23, 1303–1312 (2009)This paper overturns the view that most L1 retrotransposition occurs in the germ line. Using mice

Nature Reviews Genetics 10, 424 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrg2622

Author: Louisa Flintoft

Along with changes that affect protein sequence, alterations in regulatory regions make important contributions to organismal evolution. Findings in yeast now suggest that variable tandem repeat (TR) sequences in promoter regions are a previously unrecognized cause of variability in transcription levels. This mechanism might make

Nature Reviews Genetics 10, 426 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrg2623

Author: Louisa Flintoft

Mammalian RNAs can be edited by the conversion of adenosine to inosine, which is read as guanosine, but technological constraints have limited our view of the overall contribution of RNA editing to transcriptomic diversity. A new method now allows RNA editing sites to be identified

Nature Reviews Genetics 10, 423 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrg2624

Controlling the timing, location and level of gene expression is essential for the regulation of biological processes, from cellular responses to external cues to the patterning of a complete organism. Despite huge progress in dissecting transcriptional mechanisms, fundamental questions remain about the different levels at

Nature Reviews Genetics 10, 428 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrg2627

Author: Orli G. Bahcall

Although genome-wide association (GWA) studies have reported several hundred robust associations for a range of human traits, susceptibility to infectious disease has lagged behind in this respect. Given the global prevalence and burden of infectious diseases, as well as their prioritization by some funding agencies,

Nature Reviews Genetics 10, 427 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrg2629

Human diseaseTranscriptional dysregulation in NIPBL and cohesin mutant human cellsLiu, J.et al. PLoS Biol.7, e1000119 (2009)Cornelia de Lange syndrome is caused by mutations in cohesin and other proteins associated with the chromosome cohesion