Current Genomics - Volume 7, Issue 2, 2006

Genomic DNA from WBCs is widely often used for PCR. Although kits for DNA isolation are in common use, there is scarce information about their performance and about the PCR quality of the genomic DNA obtained. Hence, three different kits, QIAamp blood mini kit, High Pure PCR Template Preparation Kit and the Puregene DNA isolation kit were evaluated on these aspects. Genomic DNA was isolated from whole blood samp Read More

Determining gene functions from genomic sequences is a central goal of bioinformatics. Traditionally computational approaches to this problem are based on the detection of genes with homologous sequences. With the completion of fully sequenced genomes alternative approaches have become feasible. One such method is that of phylogenetic profiles. In this method a gene is described by its phylogenetic profile, i.e. a st Read More

Functional divergence after gene duplications is a fundamental issue for functional innovations in many organisms. As gene family proliferation (gene duplication) may have provided the raw materials for the origin of new genes, the details of how duplicate genes have preserved through functional divergence remain largely unknown. In this review paper, we discuss some recent developments about this important issue, Read More

How organismal complexity is achieved is a fundamental biological issue. The surprising revelation that complex eukaryotes have fewer than expected genes presents an important challenge for deciphering how organisms achieve complexity. The genome size and the gene number do not necessarily correlate in a consistent manner with the perceived organismal complexity. In this review, we focus on known molecular me Read More

Gene expression profiling using microarrays and SAGE is a widely used technology to elucidate important aspects of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) in order to improve the clinical management of this disease: Despite the high degree of morphological heterogeneity, epithelial ovarian cancer gene expression profiling reflects morphology and biological behaviour. Based on multiple studies, gene expression profiling results can Read More

Far from serving as an inert skeletal scaffold, bone is a dynamic tissue that cycles through tightly coordinated cycles of developmental growth and regeneration. Bone growth, which determines the overall growth of vertebrates, is well-characterized histologically and increasingly understood at the molecular level. Positional cloning strategies applied to diseases of simple Mendelian inheritance have revealed genes important in t Read More