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Directing immune development to curb sky-rocketing disease

Once upon a time it was infectious diseases like polio, measles or tuberculosis that most worried parents. With these threats now largely under control, parents face a new challenge – sky-rocketing rates of non-infectious diseases such as asthma, allergies and autism.

Common and Rare Genetic Variants That Could Contribute to Severe Otitis Media in an Australian Aboriginal Population

Our goal was to identify genetic risk factors for severe otitis media (OM) in Aboriginal Australians.

Reduced socs1 expression in lung fibroblasts from patients with ipf is not mediated by promoter methylation or mir155

The interleukin (IL)-6 family of cytokines and exaggerated signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)3 signaling is implicated in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) pathogenesis, but the mechanisms regulating STAT3 expression and function are unknown. Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)1 and SOCS3 block STAT3, and low SOCS1 levels have been reported in IPF fibroblasts and shown to facilitate collagen production. Fibroblasts and lung tissue from IPF patients and controls were used to examine the mechanisms underlying SOCS1 down-regulation in IPF.

Anti-Interleukin-10 Unleashes Transcriptional Response to Leishmanial Antigens in Visceral Leishmaniasis Patients

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL; Leishmania donovani) cases produce interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor in response to soluble leishmanial antigen in whole-blood assays. Using transcriptional profiling, we demonstrate the impact of interleukin-10, a cytokine implicated in VL, on this response.

Zika Virus Changes Methylation of Genes Involved in Immune Response and Neural Development in Brazilian Babies Born With Congenital Microcephaly

The recent increase in babies born with brain and eye malformations in Brazil is associated with Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in utero. ZIKV alters host DNA methylation in vitro. Using genome-wide DNA methylation profiling we compared 18 babies born with congenital ZIKV microcephaly with 20 controls. We found ZIKV-associated alteration of host methylation patterns, notably at RABGAP1L which is important in brain development, at viral host immunity genes MX1 and ISG15, and in an epigenetic module containing the causal microcephaly gene MCPH1. Our data support the hypothesis that clinical signs of congenital ZIKV are associated with changes in DNA methylation.

Decades-old work picked up by Google’s DeepMind leads to global scientific breakthrough

A researcher's work from 20 years ago has helped to crack one of biology’s biggest mysteries.

Immunogenetics of Parasitic and Bacterial Disease

Here we focus on more recent well-powered genome-wide association studies, including malaria, leprosy, tuberculosis, and visceral leishmaniasis

Reference genotype and exome data from an Australian Aboriginal population for health-based research

This data set provides a useful reference point for genomic studies on Aboriginal Australians

Candidate gene analysis supports a role for polymorphisms at TCF7L2 as risk factors for type 2 diabetes in Sudan

Multiethnic associations between T2D and SNPs at TCF7L2, CAPN10 and HHEX extend to Sub-Saharan Africa, specifically Sudan

The rare and undiagnosed diseases diagnostic service – application of massively parallel sequencing in a state-wide clinical service

The Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases Diagnostic Service refers to a genomic diagnostic platform operating within the Genetic Services of Western Australia