Table of contents
January 2006 Vol 7 No 1
From the editors
p1 | doi:10.1038/nrg1778
Research Highlights
Human genetics: Lost and found | PDF (631 KB)
p2 | doi:10.1038/nrg1785
Gene networks: E-MAPs: a thorough approach to networks | PDF (131 KB)
p3 | doi:10.1038/nrg1774
Chromosome biology: Replication origins — an unwinding story | PDF (631 KB)
p3 | doi:10.1038/nrg1788
Neurogenetics: Undoing epigenetics | PDF (146 KB)
p4 | doi:10.1038/nrg1777
In brief
Systems biology | Genomics | PDF (71 KB)
p4 | doi:10.1038/nrg1780
Epistasis: The more the merrier | PDF (607 KB)
p4 | doi:10.1038/nrg1787
Stem cells: Chromatin remodelling finds its niche | PDF (98 KB)
p5 | doi:10.1038/nrg1784
Developmental genetics: Morphogens at work | PDF (116 KB)
p6 | doi:10.1038/nrg1775
In the news
Climate Changes Penguins | PDF (52 KB)
p6 | doi:10.1038/nrg1782
DNA repair: Who's going to fix it? | PDF (160 KB)
p6 | doi:10.1038/nrg1786
In brief
Developmental Biology | Technology | Evo-Devo | Bioinformatics | PDF (74 KB)
p7 | doi:10.1038/nrg1781
Ethics watch
Policy barriers in coherent population-based research | PDF (68 KB)
p8 | doi:10.1038/nrg1776
Ageing: Sir2 function — a two-way street | PDF (106 KB)
p8 | doi:10.1038/nrg1783
Reviews
The eloquent ape: genes, brains and the evolution of language
Simon E Fisher & Gary F. Marcus
p9 | doi:10.1038/nrg1747
Traditional neuroscience and linguistic studies are being integrated with ever advancing developmental, genetic and genomic analyses, among others, and are converging on the view that human language, like many other traits, has evolved by descent with modification.
The epigenetic progenitor origin of human cancer
Andrew P. Feinberg, Rolf Ohlsson & Steven Henikoff
p21 | doi:10.1038/nrg1748
Recent years have seen a growing appreciation of the role that epigenetics has in tumorigenesis. The authors suggest that there might be a fundamentally common basis to cancer that lies in the polyclonal epigenetic disruption of stem/progenitor cells.
Filtering transcriptional noise during development: concepts and mechanisms
Alfonso Martinez Arias & Penelope Hayward
p34 | doi:10.1038/nrg1750
Even complicated networks such as those involved in eukaryotic development lead to reproducible outcomes, which indicates that there are molecular mechanisms that filter out noise. The authors describe the framework in which noise is studied and propose that Wnt signalling is a noise filter.
The role of double-strand break repair — insights from human genetics
Mark O'Driscoll & Penny A. Jeggo
p45 | doi:10.1038/nrg1746
Studies on model organisms have led to crucial advances in understanding the molecular processes that are involved in repairing DNA double-strand breaks. These have been complemented and extended by the molecular dissection of human disorders in which double-strand break repair is compromised.
Microarray data analysis: from disarray to consolidation and consensus
David B. Allison, Xiangqin Cui, Grier P. Page & Mahyar Sabripour
p55 | doi:10.1038/nrg1749
The wide range of methods for analysing microarray data can seem bewildering to researchers. This Review provides a guide to statistical analysis for the different stages of a microarray experiment, highlighting points of consensus and areas where more work is needed.
Perspectives
Science and society
Genetic profiling of newborns: ethical and social issues
Brenda Almond
p67 | doi:10.1038/nrg1745
The genetic profiling of babies could revolutionize health-care strategies. However, this possibility raises serious issues of consent, confidentiality and discrimination that need to be considered with great care.
Science and society
Human dignity: a guide to policy making in the biotechnology era?
Timothy Caulfield & Roger Brownsword
p72 | doi:10.1038/nrg1744
The authors explore how human dignity is used in debates about controversial biotechnologies, including biobanks, human gene patents, stem cell research and human cloning, in light of shifting views of what human dignity is actually taken to mean.
