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Some DNA viruses express abundant non-coding RNAs, but their function has been mostly unknown. Several recent reports show how viruses can use non-coding RNAs to tackle host defences and control their gene expression levels.
The Gene Ontology project has provided a powerful tool for interpreting the biological significance of both experimental and computational data. However, some appreciation of how the database works is essential to avoid misinterpretations.
Progress in understanding the genetic basis of susceptibility to multiple sclerosis — a debilitating and genetically complex disease — is being obtained by a combination of advances in genome studies (through genome-wide association studies) and powerful systems-level approaches.
Psychiatric genetics has been fraught with controversy owing to the irreproducibility of many claimed risk factors. There is now some cause for optimism thanks to larger sample sizes and the incorporation of intermediate traits, rare mutations and environmental risk components into the analyses.
How are the complex and varied roles of retinoic acid orchestrated at multiple developmental stages? Recent studies have highlighted the importance of tightly regulating its distribution, of switching the activities of its nuclear receptors, and of interactions with other key developmental signalling molecules.
RNAi, a common gene knockdown technique, has been widely used in a variety of genetic screens. As part of our 'art and design of genetic screens' series, the authors discuss RNAi assay design and analytical approaches for large-scale screening experiments in cells and whole-animal experiments.
