U. chemistry professors Cynthia Burrows and Henry White led research team that developed a new way to detect DNA damage by adapting so-called nanopore technology used to sequence DNA and decipher genetic blueprints. Photo Credit: Lee J. Siegel, University of Utah<\/p>\n
Research Study uses a protein known as a nanopore to pinpoint missing pieces in genome.<\/p>\n
University of Utah chemists are refining a method for combing a persons genome in search of DNA damage that leads to mutations and disease. Professors Henry White and Cythnia Burrows are building on the so-called nanopore technique of sequencing DNA in which strands of genetic material are passed through a molecule-sized path, a protein known as a \"nanopore.\" <\/p>\n
\"My interest in not just sequencing the A, T, C and G [letters corresponding to the basic molecules of DNA] but changes that happen on those bases from mutations,\" said Burrows. \"A certain amount is OK because it gets fixed. That damage is ultimately where disease is caused, especially age-related diseases like cancer.\" <\/p>\n
White, who chairs the U. chemistry department, and Burrows describe their method in a string of recent studies, including one published this week in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. <\/p>\n
Strands of DNA are made of \"nucleotide bases,\" the building blocks of nucleic acids. Some stretches of DNA strands are genes, which serve as codes that are translated into proteins. <\/p>\n
The new mutation-hunting method looks for places where a base is missing known as an \"abasic site\" one of the most frequent lesions in the 3 billion-letter human genome. Such DNA damage happens 18,000 times a day in a typical human cell from exposure to countless irritants, such as sunlight, car exhaust and fast food. <\/p>\n
\"Over the course of a lifetime not every piece of damage gets repaired. You accumulate those over a lifetime. At some point you have a higher likelihood of one of these disease-causing mutations cropping up,\" Burrows said. Besides various cancers, other diseases arising from DNA damage include Huntingtons and atherosclerosis. <\/p>\n
The cost of sequencing a persons genome will soon drop to less than $1,000 and become commonplace, allowing patients greater access to their genetic predisposition to disease and responsiveness to particular treatments. It currently costs about $10,000 and takes at least a week. <\/p>\n
Burrow and Whites team adapted the nanopore sequencing technique so that it locates damage with the help of electrically charged saline-like liquids. Their method measures changes in the electrical signal as the DNA passes through the nanopore, like thread passing through the eye of a needle. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Go here to see the original: U. chemistry professors Cynthia Burrows and Henry White led research team that developed a new way to detect DNA damage by adapting so-called nanopore technology used to sequence DNA and decipher genetic blueprints. Photo Credit: Lee J. Continue reading
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