GenWatch: Athletism and Nucleosomes January 22, 2007

After MedWatch, I start a new system called GenWatch with the most recent and interesting news on genes or genetics itself. The first “issue” is about the possible link between fatigue, genes and athletic performance:

Scientists at the University of Portsmouth are investigating whether endurance athletes with a specific type of gene are less likely to suffer fatigue. The results from the study may mean identifying the super athletes of tomorrow could be as simple as taking blood from a pin prick.

Dr Robson-Ansley’s latest research looks at whether ‘fatigue resistant’ endurance athletes have a slight variation of the gene responsible for IL-6 (a messenger molecule in the body that is released when the body is under stress). Previous studies have found that people a C-type variation of the gene produced less IL-6 during infection than those with the G-type of the gene.

The second GenWatch finding is the role of nucleosomes, that are spherical packing units for DNA, in the human genome:

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers have developed a powerful method for charting the positions of key gene-regulating molecules called nucleosomes throughout the human genome. The mapping tool could help uncover important clues for understanding and diagnosing cancer and other diseases, the scientists say

Of course, I didn’t want to steal the name of the GeneWatch journal… (Actually I did, but couldn’t.)