21. November 2006 11:49
EuroDYNA conference magnifies small components for big issues: finding the answer to human disease
At a recent EuroDYNA conference in Brno, Czech Republic 60 scientists from nine European countries came together to present their research. A number of highly prominent researchers in the field of genetics and cell nucleus architecture discussed and debated their recent findings in the grounds where Gregor Mendel, the father of genetics, collated his research on inherited traits. Discussion ranged from the understanding of gene silencing in zebrafish to investigating the scaffolding of the nucleus. It is hoped that understanding the intricate processes of the body could lead to a better way of combating human disease.
At a recent EuroDYNA conference in Brno, Czech Republic 60 scientists from nine European countries came together to present their research. A number of highly prominent researchers in the field of genetics and cell nucleus architecture discussed and debated their recent findings in the grounds where Gregor Mendel, the father of genetics, collated his research on inherited traits. Discussion ranged from the understanding of gene silencing in zebrafish to investigating the scaffolding of the nucleus. It is hoped that understanding the intricate processes of the body could lead to a better way of combating human disease.
Gene silencing, the process by which genes are turned off, has been a hot topic in recent years. Gene silencing is of great importance in both plants and animals as it is essential for regulating genes and participates in the defence against viral infections.
Leonie Kamminga, Hubrecht Laboratory, Utrecht, has found that a protein called ziwi is linked to the presence of reproductive cells in zebrafish. When ziwi is silenced in zebrafish, the reproductive cells are absent.
Understanding cellular processes are important in understanding the cause of disease. No cellular process is 100 per cent efficient and cell division failure is harmful and can lead to tumours.
Kim Nasmyth, University of Oxford, spoke about the structure of cohesin, the substance which hold the genetic material together in the nucleus. Nasmyth described how cohesin is made up of two protein arms joined with a hinge. DNA is held in place in between the two arms. Nasmyth is working on developing a model to picture the interactions between cohesin and DNA during cell division.
The conference demonstrated that there is still much to learn about the body’s small components but that scientific synergy and pan-European collaboration could help to achieve this goal.
For more a more in depth conference account, please click here.
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Dr Astrid Lunkes
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European Science Foundation (ESF)
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Sofia Valleley
EUROCORES Communications Coordinator
European Science Foundation (ESF)
Tel: +33 (0)3 88 76 21 49
