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A gene is a unit of heredity in a living organism. It normally resides on a stretch of DNA that codes for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. All living things depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains.

Machine learning techniques help create real genomes for imaginary humans

Thanks to innovative algorithms and developments in computer technology, machines can currently learn complicated structures and even produce high-quality synthetic data, like photo-realistic images as well as resumes of fictional human beings.

9 Feb 2021

Researchers identify genes that determine a person’s facial profile

A research team, headed by the University College London, has discovered genes that establish the shape of an individual’s facial profile.

From University College London 9 Feb 2021

Hidden genes in bacteriophages may be key to the development of new antibiotics

A study from the Center for Phage Technology, part of Texas A&M's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Texas A&M AgriLife Research, shows how the "hidden" genes in bacteriophages -- types of viruses that infect and destroy bacteria -- may be key to the development of a new class of antibiotics for human health.

8 Feb 2021

Study shows how microbiomes may recover from biodiversity loss

For many years, researchers have fought with opposing theories to describe how inter-species interactions, including competition, affect biodiversity.

5 Feb 2021

Study provides a causal link between the Alzheimer's risk gene and COVID-19

A City of Hope-led research team found that the same gene that increases the risk for Alzheimer's disease, ApoE4, can increase the susceptibility to and severity of COVID-19.

5 Feb 2021

Ancestral backgrounds can influence Alzheimer's disease risk, finds study

Genetics contributes to the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, and the APOE gene is the strongest genetic risk factor, specifically the APOE4 allele.

5 Feb 2021

Genetic burden of retrogene mutations is greater than originally believed

According to a new study performed by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plön, Germany, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, the possible genetic burden of mutations emerging from retrogenes is considerably greater than originally believed.

3 Feb 2021

Scientists identify new drug target for treating Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome

Researchers have discovered a promising treatment method for Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS)—a debilitating genetic disorder that accounts for rapid and premature aging in children.

3 Feb 2021

Researchers gain a deep insight into the evolutionary history of bitter receptors

To evaluate the chemical composition of food from a physiological point of view, it is important to know the functions of the receptors that interact with food ingredients. These include receptors for bitter compounds, which first evolved during evolution in bony fishes such as the coelacanth.

3 Feb 2021

Researchers study the formation of reinforced, patterned cell walls during proto-xylem development

Trees are by far the tallest organisms on Earth. Height growth is made possible by a specialized vascular system that conducts water from the roots to the leaves with high efficiency, while simultaneously providing stability.

3 Feb 2021

Noncoding RNA plays key role in sepsis, regulates inflammatory gene expression

Sepsis can result when the body’s immune response to a specific infection gets out of control.

From University of California Santa Cruz 2 Feb 2021

Severe genetic immunodeficiency reversed by a rare DNA change

Researchers have revealed how a rare DNA change rebalanced the immune system of patients with a life-threatening genetic immunodeficiency.

2 Feb 2021

Scientists discover the origin of rare genetic syndrome

Improvements in DNA sequencing have revealed a rare syndrome triggered by changes in the SATB1gene.

29 Jan 2021

Ocean acidification could be affecting lobsters on a molecular scale

The American lobster, which supports the most valuable fishery in North America, maybe more susceptible to the effects of climate change than previously thought, according to a new study published in Ecology and Evolution.

29 Jan 2021

3D genome study reveals molecular regulatory mechanisms of human brain evolution

A team led by Prof. SU Bing from the Kunming Institute of Zoology (KIZ) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Prof. LI Cheng from Peking University, and Prof. ZHANG Shihua from the Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science of CAS has reported the highest resolution by far of the 3D genome of the primate brain, and demonstrated the molecular regulatory mechanisms of human brain evolution through cross-species multi-omics analysis and experimental validation. The study was published in Cell.

29 Jan 2021

Research shows how breast cancer cells evade immune attacks

Scientists from Indiana University have discovered how breast cancer cells evade immune cells to survive.

28 Jan 2021

Researchers produce a high-quality reference sequence of the switchgrass genome

Gardeners and farmers around the country recognize that crop varieties grow best in certain regions. Most plant species have adapted to their local environments; for example, crop and ornamental seeds sold for the upper Midwest are often very different than those bred for Texas.

28 Jan 2021

LEAFY protein licenses cell reprogramming to floral fate

Cells don't express all the genes they contain all the time. The portion of our genome that encodes eye color, for example, doesn't need to be turned on in liver cells. In plants, genes encoding the structure of a flower can be turned off in cells that will form a leaf.

28 Jan 2021

Genetic changes in tumors could help predict patient's response to immunotherapy drugs

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute, the UCL Cancer Institute, and the Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence have identified genetic changes in tumours which could be used to predict if immunotherapy drugs would be effective in individual patients.

28 Jan 2021

New computational method simplifies the analysis of gene-environmental interactions

Scientists from Weill Cornell Medicine and the Ithaca campus at Cornell University have designed a novel computational technique for analyzing environmental and genetic interactions and how they affect disease risk.

28 Jan 2021