Gene News and Research

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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.

Research identifies how neuronal transmission is disrupted in ALS

Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, lose muscle control as nerve cells or neurons in the brain and spinal cord degenerate and can no longer send signals to muscles.

29 May 2020

gnomAD Consortium releases first set of discoveries on human genetic variation

For the last eight years, the Genome Aggregation Database Consortium (and its predecessor, the Exome Aggregation Consortium, or ExAC), has been working with geneticists around the world to compile and study more than 125,000 exomes and 15,000 whole genomes from populations around the world.

29 May 2020

Research project launched to find new treatments for rare genetic diseases

The University Carlos III Madrid, Almirall, S.A. and the MEDINA Foundation have launched a project to find new treatments for recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa and other genetic diseases caused by nonsense mutations.

29 May 2020

Chicken cells show promise for producing more effective human antibodies

Antibodies meant for potential drug applications can be produced quickly in chicken cells cultured in laboratories.

29 May 2020

Gene linked to dementia increases the risk of developing severe COVID-19

Having a faulty gene linked to dementia doubles the risk of developing severe COVID-19, according to a large-scale study.

From University of Exeter 28 May 2020

New CRISPR-Cas9 based method for directed protein evolution

"Directed evolution" is the process by which scientists produce tailor-made proteins for cell biology, physiology and biomedicine in the laboratory.

28 May 2020

Study highlights crucial role of immune-system molecule in Huntington's disease

More than a decade before people with Huntington's disease show symptoms, they can exhibit abnormally high levels of an immune-system molecule called interleukin-6 (IL-6), which has led many researchers to suspect IL-6 of promoting the eventual neurological devastation associated with the genetic condition.

28 May 2020

Damped circadian oscillations observed in the absence of KaiA protein in cyanobacterium

Circadian rhythms are driven by a highly autonomous, self-sustaining circadian clock in our cells, telling us when to sleep or wake up in a 24-hour cycle.

27 May 2020

Nanodevices give unprecedented peek into how cells change with time

For the first time, scientists have introduced minuscule tracking devices directly into the interior of mammalian cells, giving an unprecedented peek into the processes that govern the beginning of development.

From University of Bath 27 May 2020

New minimally invasive method allows cells to be sampled over time

At any given moment, a variety of dynamic processes occur inside a cell, with many developing over time. Because current research methods for gene profiling or protein analysis destroy the cell, study is confined to just that one moment in time, and researchers are unable to return to the cell to examine how things change beyond that snapshot.

27 May 2020

Study reveals the favorable effect of Neanderthal gene in child-bearing women

According to a new study, one in three women in Europe has inherited the progesterone receptor from Neanderthals.

27 May 2020

Mechanically rejuvenated fibroblasts show promise in stem cell engineering

Fibroblasts synthesize the collagen, creating the structural framework for animal tissues, and play a significant role in the process of wound healing.

27 May 2020

New sequencing method helps map the spatial arrangement of DNA

A sequencing technique helps to map the spatial arrangement of DNA in the cell nucleus, revealing which regions of the genome are at greater risk of mutation.

27 May 2020

Pre-existing genes can promote metastasis

Cancer can sometimes remain dormant, but it usually metastasizes and spreads to new sites in the body.

27 May 2020

Bariatric surgery may change gene expression in fat tissue

Altered gene expression in fat tissue may help explain why individuals who have regained weight after weight loss surgery still experience benefits such as metabolic improvements and a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.

26 May 2020

Gene associated with thinness may play a role in resisting weight gain

Some people can remain slim easily, irrespective of their diet, while others might be dieting and working out at the gym to maintain their shape.

25 May 2020

Compounds in Brazilian shrub can reduce the virulence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Researchers have discovered that the Brazilian peppertree—an invasive, weedy shrub found in Florida—contains specific compounds that lower the virulence of Staphylococcus bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.

25 May 2020

Genetic 'memory' of ancestral homelands helps organisms adapt to environmental change

Organisms carry long-term "memories" of their ancestral homelands that help them adapt to environmental change, according to a new study that involved raising chickens on the Tibetan Plateau and an adjacent lowland site.

22 May 2020

Researchers identify the smallest gene to study the evolution of metazoans

St Petersburg University researchers have successfully interpreted the Intoshia variabili gene, which happens to be the smallest representative of the parasite belonging to Orthonectida group.

22 May 2020

Study uncovers more than 200 genetic factors associated with arrhythmias

Hundreds of new links have been found between people's DNA and the heart's electrical activity, according to a study of almost 300,000 people led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

22 May 2020