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New type of molecular editor can make precise changes in mitochondrial DNA

The genome in mitochondria -- the cell's energy-producing organelles -- is involved in disease and key biological functions, and the ability to precisely alter this DNA would allow scientists to learn more about the effects of these genes and mutations.

9 Jul 2020

New spatial mapping method pinpoints new potential therapeutic targets for lupus

A team of researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia used a new method of pinpointing potential disease-causing changes in the genome to identify two new potential therapeutic targets for lupus, while also paving the way for more accurately identifying disease-causing variations in other autoimmune disorders.

9 Jul 2020

Integrating metabolomics and genomics to improve patient diagnosis

A patient and family walk into a doctor's office. They hope that the latest tests will reveal what is causing the patient's illness and end the diagnostic odyssey they have been going through for years.

8 Jul 2020

Protein PRC1 acts as a 'viscous glue' during cell division, research shows

An over-abundance of the protein PRC1, which is essential to cell division, is a telltale sign in many cancer types, including prostate, ovarian, and breast cancer.

8 Jul 2020

Salk researchers discover genetic 'dial' to fine-tune the immune response

The human immune system is a finely-tuned machine, balancing when to release a cellular army to deal with pathogens, with when to rein in that army, stopping an onslaught from attacking the body itself.

8 Jul 2020

Researchers map non-coding, 'functional' genome in maize during early development

Growth and development of all organisms depends on coordinated regulation of gene expression in time and space, and this is largely controlled by non-coding sequences in the genome.

8 Jul 2020

DNA repair tool is tailored to deal with specific type of complex break, study shows

Our cells are constantly dividing, and as they do, the DNA molecule - our genetic code - sometimes gets broken. DNA has twin strands, and a break in both is considered especially dangerous.

7 Jul 2020

Study highlights the role of hematopoietic immune cells in gene regulation

More often, the human body is viewed as a “machine” containing specialized components: immune cells protect against pathogens, organs contribute physiological functions, and soft tissue and bones give structure.

6 Jul 2020

Molecular landscape of myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms revealed

Myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms (MDS/MPN) is a group of rare malignancies with overlapping features from myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), that include a variety of diseases depending on their phenotype (hematological and morphological characteristics).

3 Jul 2020

Researchers discover protein involved in protecting B cells

Whenever a germ gets into the human body, the immune system usually responds immediately to fight off the enemy attacker. One of our defense system's most important strategies involves B lymphocytes, also known as B cells, which produce antibodies that target and neutralize pathogens.

2 Jul 2020

Study reveals how and where cells suppress transcription across the whole genome

All life depends on a genome, which acts as an instruction manual for building all the products essential for development and survival. But knowing which of these individual instructions - or genes - need to be read, and when, is key for a properly functioning organism: so how does life get this right?

1 Jul 2020

Researchers develop a series of APOBEC-Cas9 fusion-induced deletion systems

Many small regulatory elements, including miRNAs, miRNA binding sites, and cis-acting elements, comprise only 5~24 nucleotides and play important roles in regulating gene expression, transcription and translation, and protein structure, and thus are promising targets for gene function studies and crop improvement.

1 Jul 2020

Study shows promise for developing novel COVID-19 therapeutics

A protein known as polymerase is used by SARS-CoV-2—the coronavirus that is responsible for causing the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic—to replicate its genome within the infected human cells.

1 Jul 2020

Region-specific atlas reveals genome linked to human embryonic brain development

An adjusted sequence of genetic events should occur to allow the budding brain of a human embryo to turn into the organ that regulates human consciousness.

1 Jul 2020

Anammox bacteria show ability to 'breathe' solid-state matter

A type of anaerobic bacteria responsible for more than 50 percent of nitrogen loss from marine environments has been shown to use solid-state matter present outside their cells for respiration.

30 Jun 2020

Genome sequencing reveals signposts in DNA for cancer, disease risk

By sequencing entire genomes for DNA modifications, and analyzing both cancer tissues and healthy ones, Hackensack Meridian Health researchers and doctors have found what could be a key to risks for cancer and other diseases: specific locations in the DNA where those expression changes (methylation) are imbalanced, according to a new publication.

30 Jun 2020