Table of contents
April 2006 Vol 7 No 4
Research Highlights
Evolution: The advantages of sex | PDF (89 KB)
p240 | doi:10.1038/nrg1851
Ethics watch
Controls over plant genetic resources — a double-edged sword | PDF (136 KB)
p241 | doi:10.1038/nrg1833
Chromosome biology: Even chromosomes have their weaknesses | PDF (136 KB)
p241 | doi:10.1038/nrg1846
Genetic variation: When more is more | PDF (115 KB)
p242 | doi:10.1038/nrg1842
Synthetic biology: Building up a picture of gene regulation | PDF (115 KB)
p242 | doi:10.1038/nrg1844
RNA world: Behind the scenes | PDF (60 KB)
p242 | doi:10.1038/nrg1852
In brief
Evolution | Evo–Devo | Human Disease | Epigenetics | PDF (65 KB)
p243 | doi:10.1038/nrg1848
In the news
Keeping up with the Grewcocks | PDF (105 KB)
p244 | doi:10.1038/nrg1841
Neurogenetics: A male gene for a male brain | PDF (105 KB)
p244 | doi:10.1038/nrg1843
Cancer genetics: From expression signatures to their regulators | PDF (105 KB)
p244 | doi:10.1038/nrg1845
In brief
Technology | Network Biology | Lifespan | PDF (67 KB)
p245 | doi:10.1038/nrg1849
Human evolution: Following the signposts of selection | PDF (114 KB)
p246 | doi:10.1038/nrg1850
Evolution: A small leap for adaptation | PDF (60 KB)
p246 | doi:10.1038/nrg1853
Focus on: Monogenic disorders
Reviews
Human monogenic disorders — a source of novel drug targets
Ryan R. Brinkman, Marie-Pierre Dubé, Guy A. Rouleau, Andrew C. Orr & Mark E. Samuels
p249 | doi:10.1038/nrg1828
Pharmaceutical industry and medical professionals have been concerned by the lack of novel drugs and drug candidates in the pipeline. These authors discuss evidence to indicate that human monogenic disorders are a valuable, but so far largely neglected, source of novel drug targets.
Genetic medicines: treatment strategies for hereditary disorders
Timothy P. O'Connor & Ronald G. Crystal
p261 | doi:10.1038/nrg1829
More than 1,800 genes are known to cause hereditary disorders in humans. This review discusses the use of genetic medicines to treat monogenic hereditary disorders, and the technical, regulatory and economic challenges that genetic medicine must confront to become a reality.
Perspective
Opinion
Mendelian disorders deserve more attention
Stylianos E. Antonarakis & Jacques S. Beckmann
p277 | doi:10.1038/nrg1826
Multifactorial disorders have grabbed the limelight in recent years, at the expense of research on monogenic traits. This shift in emphasis might not be fully justified, given the insight that seemingly 'simple' disorders can bring to genome function and complex disease aetiology.
Reviews
Left–right asymmetry in the vertebrate embryo: from early information to higher-level integration
Ángel Raya & Juan Carlos Izpisúa Belmonte
p283 | doi:10.1038/nrg1830
How left–right asymmetries are established in vertebrate embryos has fascinated developmental biologists for decades. Recent evidence from a range of species provides insights into the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that are involved, particularly in the early stages of generating left–right asymmetry.
Genetic susceptibility to infectious disease: lessons from mouse models of leishmaniasis
Marie Lipoldová & Peter Demant
p294 | doi:10.1038/nrg1832
Studies of susceptibility to leishmaniasis illustrate the power of mouse genetics to increase our understanding of host responses to infection. Mouse models have begun to reveal a network of genetically regulated responses, some of which overlap with those triggered by other infections.
Genetics of Parkinson disease: paradigm shifts and future prospects
Matthew James Farrer
p306 | doi:10.1038/nrg1831
Genetic studies of Parkinson disease have stimulated progress in understanding many aspects of this debilitating neurodegenerative disorder. A combination of mapping disease genes in humans and studying their functions in model organisms provides new hope for treatment and prevention.
Perspective
Timeline
From teratocarcinomas to embryonic stem cells and beyond: a history of embryonic stem cell research
Davor Solter
p319 | doi:10.1038/nrg1827
The recent eruption of interest in embryonic stem cell research is fuelled by the promise and potential of this work. But current work is firmly grounded in several decades of fascinating research that are engagingly summarized here by the author.