DNA News and Research

RSS

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA).

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

Study Reveals Widespread Gene Misbehavior in Healthy Humans

Scientists have uncovered that ‘gene misbehaviour’ – where genes are active when they were expected to be switched off – is a surprisingly common phenomenon in the healthy human population.

29 Jul 2024

Scientists Find Way to Regulate Bacterial Mutation Rates to Combat Antibiotic Resistance

Scientists have discovered a way to control mutation rates in bacteria, paving the way for new strategies to combat antibiotic resistance.

29 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

Effective Plasmid DNA Delivery Achieved with Zwitterionic Polymer Complex

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have created a new drug delivering molecule, a zwitterionic polymer complex that can help get plasmid DNA inside cells when injected into skeletal muscle, a crucial step in the expression of therapeutic RNA and proteins. The new compound effectively bound to plasmid DNA without affecting its structure. Injected into mouse muscles, the team observed widespread gene expression, promising applications to treatments of serious muscle diseases.

29 Jul 2024

Plant-Based Diet Slows Down Biological Aging Markers

Eating a vegan diet for eight weeks is associated with reductions in biological age estimations based on levels of DNA methylation -; a type of chemical modification of DNA (known as an epigenetic modification) that alters gene expression but not DNA itself. Previous research has reported that increased DNA methylation levels are associated with aging. The findings, which are based on a small randomized controlled trial of 21 pairs of adult identical twins, are published in BMC Medicine.

29 Jul 2024

Unraveling the Complexities of X Chromosome Inheritance

A new study published in Nature Genetics by the Lymphoid Development Group at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences has reveals that the contribution of cells expressing maternal or paternal X chromosomes can be selectively skewed in different parts of the body.

26 Jul 2024

Cost-Effective Array Sheds Light on Imprinted Gene Regulation

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed an array that assesses methylation levels of genes located in imprint control regions (ICRs) within the human genome. The array represents a cost-effective, efficient method for exploring potential links between environmental exposures and epigenetic dysregulation during the early developmental origins of diseases and behavioral disorders.

26 Jul 2024

New Insights into the Mechanisms of Gene Misbehavior

Researchers have discovered that a startlingly widespread occurrence in the healthy human population is "gene misbehavior," or the state in which genes are active when they should be inactive.

25 Jul 2024

DNA Sequence Variants Drive Link Between Methylation and Gene Expression

The relationship between DNA methylation and gene expression is driven by sequence variants, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at deCODE Genetics, an Amgen subsidiary.

25 Jul 2024

NanoRanger Offers Rapid, Precise Diagnosis for Genetic Diseases

An effective long-read sequencing method that looks for intricate genomic variations can quickly and accurately diagnose genetic disorders molecularly.

24 Jul 2024

Macrolones Offer Promising Strategy for Combating Resistant Bacteria

New research from the University of Illinois Chicago suggests that a novel antibiotic that disrupts two distinct cellular targets would make it 100 million times harder for bacteria to evolve resistance.

24 Jul 2024

New Assay Fast-Tracks Virucidal Testing

An innovative technique that can quickly ascertain whether a virus is contagious or not has the potential to completely transform how humans respond to pandemics in the future.

24 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

Developing DNA Test to Eliminate Inherited Blindness in English Shepherd Dogs

Researchers at Cambridge have discovered the genetic mutation that causes English Shepherd Dogs to suffer from progressive retinal atrophy, an irreversible form of blindness.

22 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