Psychiatric genetics: a frightful chromosome.

A duplication of part of chromosome 15q, apparently inherited in a non-Mendelian fashion, has been found to be strongly associated with phobic disorders. This unusual genetic mechanism may partly explain the heritability of phobias and other complex traits.     

Forest-tree genetics research:Populus L.

The genus Populus, because of its considerable economic importance coupled with favorable experimental characteristics, has attracted the interest of many investigators of tree genetics and may truly be called the “guinea pig” of forest-tree breeding.     

Behavioral genetics: anxiety under interrogation.

Recent genetic mapping experiments in the mouse have made significant inroads into understanding the complex genetics of behavior and, in particular, anxiety.     

Forest-tree genetics research:Quercus L.

Oaks are the sources, not only of the most valuable timber among broad- leaved trees of the northern hemisphere, but also of cork, tannin, a dye, and food for man and beast. Their prolonged pre-flowering periods and other factors have discouraged genetic investigation of them, but what little is known in that direction is here summarized.     

Students online: learning medical genetics.

It is possible to focus medical genetics education by using a model that integrates the skills of end-user searching of the medical literature into the traditional course content. Since 1988, 313 first-year medical students were studied as they accessed MEDLINE to retrieve information about biochemical genetic disorders. Their search behavior was studied by analyzing data from the National Library of Medicine's traffic files. The skills that they initially learned were reinforced as they searched clinical genetics problem cases in the second-year pathology course, and these skills were consolidated in the third year when the students addressed specific patient-care questions in pediatrics. The students' perception of the value of this model was studied by analyzing questionnaires completed during the exercise. It was demonstrated that when students were taught the skills of accessing MEDLINE by computer, they could formulate a question, retrieve current information, critically review relevant articles, communicate effectively, and use these skills to contribute to patient care.     

Evolutionary genetics: The economics of mutation.

The presence of mutator genotypes in populations of bacteria may be favoured by selection because they produce rare beneficial mutations and thereby increase the rate of adaptive evolution. Recent work, however, shows that the relationship between mutation rates and adaptive evolution is more complicated.     

Wilms' tumour: reconciling genetics and biology.

Wilms' tumour, a paediatric malignancy of the kidney, is a striking example of the relationship between aberrant development and cancer. Several different genetic loci have been implicated in the aetiology of the tumour; genomic imprinting also plays a role. One Wilms' tumour predisposition gene (WT1), encoding a zinc finger protein, is expressed in a limited set of tissues, including developing nephrons and gonads. The biology and genetics of Wilms' tumour underline the developmental relationship between kidneys and gonads.     

Alcohol and genetics: new animal models.

In recent years, it has become increasingly evident that there is a genetic component to alcoholism. Attempts to isolate alcoholism genes have met with modest success, in part because alcoholism is a multigenic trait. Recently, experimental animal models and novel genetic manipulations have provided several clues as to the specific genes involved in alcoholism, and extensive research has identified many genes that might influence responses to alcohol. Although not all of these might be proven to influence drug sensitivity, research has provided evidence for the involvement of a few genes. Ultimately, findings from animal models that investigate the function of specific genes could aid the development of pharmacotherapies to treat alcohol dependence.