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The Role of DNA Repair Pathways in Antibody Somatic Hypermutation

In a recent online publication in SCIENCE CHINA Life Sciences, researchers from the laboratory of Leng-Siew Yeap at the Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine published a review article entitled "Molecular Mechanisms of DNA Lesion and Repair During Antibody Somatic Hypermutation". This review comprehensively summarizes the mechanisms involved in the generation of antigen-specific diversified antibodies, with a particular focus on the mechanisms that generate high-frequency point mutations and low-frequency deletions and insertions (indels) in antibody genes.

22 Aug 2024

Honeybees Contribute to Bumble Bee Virus Prevalence

Honey bees might contribute to rising virus levels in wild bumble bees each spring, according to Penn State researchers who studied seasonal patterns of parasite and virus transmission in bees.

22 Aug 2024

Bad Bacteria Use Electric Signals to Find Entry Points in the Gut

How do bad bacteria find entry points in the body to cause infection? This question is fundamental for infectious disease experts and people who study bacteria.

21 Aug 2024

Fungal Pathogen Behind Banana Wipeout Identified

The fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense (Foc) tropical race 4 (TR4) is the source of the disease Fusarium wilt of banana (FWB), which is threatening to functionally wipe out the bananas in the supermarket and consumed as breakfast.

19 Aug 2024

New Approach for Targeted Genome Editing in Wild Populations

Researchers from Macquarie University and the California Institute of Technology have discovered a novel method that, when published in Nature Communications on August 13th, 2024, might make it easier and more controllable for scientists to modify the genetic composition of wild populations than when using gene drives.

14 Aug 2024

From CRISPR-Cas to Fanzor system: New frontiers in gene editing

The features of various CRISPR-Cas systems, including CRISPR-associated transposons (CASTs) and the eukaryotic equivalent of CRISPR-Cas systems, Fanzor systems.

9 Aug 2024

Study Reveals 70 Million Years of Host-Parasite Genetic Arms Race

Hosts and their parasites are in constant competition. Through genetic diversity, the host can change in such a way that infection is no longer possible.

8 Aug 2024

Genetic Analysis of Potato and Phytophthora infestans During and After the Irish Potato Famine

In an examination of the genetic material found in historic potato leaves, North Carolina State University researchers reveal more about the tit-for-tat evolutionary changes occurring in both potato plants and the pathogen that caused the 1840s Irish potato famine.

6 Aug 2024

Geographic Origin Plays Key Role in Tuberculosis Infection, Harvard Study Finds

For some forms of tuberculosis, the chances that an exposed person will get infected depend on whether the individual and the bacteria share a hometown, according to a new study comparing how different strains move through mixed populations in cosmopolitan cities.

2 Aug 2024

New CRISPR-Based Test Achieves Rapid Detection of Tuberculosis

The rapid detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the etiological agent of tuberculosis.

1 Aug 2024

Swabbing Technique Reveals Diversity of Immune Cells in the Upper Airway

Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) have published the first-ever, in-depth analysis of immune cell memory in the upper airways of adult volunteers. Among these immune cells, the researcher spotted "tissue resident" memory cells, which stand ready to defend the airway from SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory diseases.

1 Aug 2024

CRISPR-Cas Vs. Anti-CRISPR Proteins: The Battle Over Antibiotic Resistance In Bacteria

The relationship between antibiotic resistance in bacteria and the interactions between the CRISPR-Cas system and anti-CRISPR proteins.

30 Jul 2024

Researchers Discover Link Between Neolithic Farming and Brucellosis

Scientists believe the bacterial infection brucellosis, which affects millions of people every year and causes significant harm to the welfare of livestock, may have evolved along with the development of farming. They came to this conclusion after performing analyses of ancient DNA extracted from an 8,000-year-old sheep bone, in which the Brucella melitensis pathogen was detected.

29 Jul 2024

Harvard Researchers Crack the Code on Western Equine Encephalitis Decline

The story of the rise and fall of western equine encephalitis as a lethal disease offers essential lessons about how a pathogen can gain or lose its ability to jump from animals to humans.

29 Jul 2024

New RNA Sequencing Dataset Reveals Genetic Diversity Across Global Populations

An open-access dataset of RNA sequences from lymphoblastoid cell lines of 731 individuals spanning 26 populations and five continental groups.

24 Jul 2024

Decoding Dengue: The Use of Less Efficient Codons for Viral Advantage

Mosquito-borne viral infections once confined to tropical regions are spreading. Dengue virus infects up to 400 million people worldwide each year according to World Health Organization estimates, and no available treatments exist for this disease.

24 Jul 2024

How Tiny Freshwater Animals Utilize Bacterial DNA to Fight Fungal Infections

A group of small, freshwater animals protect themselves from infections using antibiotic recipes "stolen" from bacteria, according to new research by a team from the University of Oxford, the University of Stirling and the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), Woods Hole.

19 Jul 2024

Vps21 Pathway's Role in Morphological Transitions and Mating of Candida albicans

This study was led by Dr. Guanghua Huang (School of Life Sciences, Fudan University). The team discovered that the conserved Vps21 signaling pathway plays critical roles in the regulation of white-opaque switching and mating in Candida albicans, a major human fungal pathogen.

18 Jul 2024

Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensors: Transforming Drug Development and Clinical Diagnostics

The latest developments in SPR-based biosensors and their applications in drug discovery.

15 Jul 2024

UQ Researchers Reveal Mechanism of Immune Evasion by Haemophilus influenzae

Researchers from The University of Queensland have identified how a common bacterium is able to manipulate the human immune system during respiratory infections and cause persistent illness.

12 Jul 2024