Environment modifies RNA which modulates gene expression

I've had a long busy couple of weeks, but today I read this and simply had to take the time to share it.

New studies in neuroscience are proving that RNA is directly moderated by environmental influences and it, in turn, moderates the expression--or non-expression--of genetic coding in our DNA. Integrative biologist Daniela Kaufer found,

"Under stress, molecules outside the genome change the RNA in new ways, trimming and rearranging it to alter gene function."

Neuroscientist Darlene Francis couldn't figure out why she ended up a PhD and the kids of her friends ended up in jail. So she started experimenting. For example, she takes away puppies of mother rats bred-to-be-anxious and gives them to mom rats bred-to-be-calm, and vice versa. What happens is that the kind of nurturing care the puppies get transforms them--despite their genetic makeup. The anxious-DNA pups become calm under the care of the calm moms, and the calm-DNA pups get crazy living with the anxious moms. And what's more, they seem to pass on their newly acquired tendency to the next generation.

She's now collaborating with scientists in molecular biology, public health, psychology, and even moral reasoning--this work is going to close the traditional chasm between hard science and softer sciences.

"Americans, Francis contends, believe that poor people are poor because they
make poor decisions. Francis believes the experience of her rats points
to something very different."

Got this from an Utne magazine reprint of an article in the Alumni House publication of University of Berkeley.

Nitric oxide speeds healing diabetic wounds in mice

One of our favorite multi-use substances, nitric oxide, is doing it again. This time it's being released to work its healing magic by a new substance called iroxanadine (now being put into the works to get approved for Phase II clinical trials). A report about the study appeared recently in a financial news source online.

Given that most treatments have focused on simply preventing infection rather than effecting healing, iroxanadine could represent a whole new way to look at treating the nearly-inevitable foot sores and other problems of diabetic patients. Like stem-cell therapy, a non-invasive method that mobilizes the body's own resources--like nitric oxide--to do the work they are fully capable of doing. The manufacturer, CytRx Corporation, says: iroxanadine promotes healing by normalizing endothelial dysfunction through the molecular chaperone amplification pathway, as well as releasing endothelial nitric oxide synthase from its negative regulator caveolin."

Seems these days scientists are regularly experiencing breakthroughs like this. What a great time to be in the bioscience field.

A few other posts about NO: wound healing with light, stored blood helper, fighting TB...oh, there are too many. Just use the search box in the left margin.