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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.

New Discovery in Mitochondrial DNA Regulation May Halt Heritable Disease Onset

University of Queensland researchers have discovered a mechanism in DNA that regulates how disease-causing mutations are inherited.

23 Aug 2024

New SPARXS Technique Revolutionizes DNA Sequence Analysis

"DNA, RNA and proteins are the key players to regulate all processes in the cells of our body," Leiden Professor John van Noort explains. "To understand the (mis-)functioning of these molecules, it is essential to uncover how their 3D structure depends on their sequence and for this it is necessary to measure them one molecule at a time. However, single-molecule measurements are laborious and slow, and the number of possible sequence variations is massive."

23 Aug 2024

New Research Reveals Infrared Radiation as a Mosquito Host-Seeking Trigger

While a mosquito bite is often no more than a temporary bother, in many parts of the world it can be scary. One mosquito species, Aedes aegypti, spreads the viruses that cause over 100,000,000 cases of dengue, yellow fever, Zika, and other diseases every year. Another, Anopheles gambiae, spreads the parasite that causes malaria. The World Health Organization estimates that malaria alone causes more than 400,000 deaths every year. Indeed, their capacity to transmit disease has earned mosquitoes the title of deadliest animal.

23 Aug 2024

Mitochondrial DNA 'Jumps' to Chromosomes, Potentially Impacting Lifespan

As direct descendants of ancient bacteria, mitochondria have always been a little alien.

23 Aug 2024

The Complex Link Between DNA Modification and ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease which remains incurable. The disease is characterized by the selective degeneration of upper motor neurons in the motor cortex as well as the lower motor neurons in the brainstem and spinal cord. The cause of ALS remains unknown in 90 percent of cases, which are referred to as sporadic ALS because there is no family history for the disease. Cumulative evidence suggests that sporadic ALS may result from complex interactions between genetic susceptibility and aging.

23 Aug 2024

Study Reveals Dual Role of Skin Proteins in Strength and Cell Signaling

An extensive family of proteins that gives human skin mechanical strength also appears to organize molecular signals that control skin cell activity, a study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers shows.

22 Aug 2024

Enzyme Therapy Shows Promise for Parkinson's Disease

A preclinical investigation conducted by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers has shown an unexpectedly important role for an enzyme called PGK1 in the synthesis of chemical energy in brain cells.

22 Aug 2024

UChicago Team Secures $7.4 Million Grant to Study Cellular Adaptation

Cells use a variety of processes to adapt to changes and stressors in their environment, like increased temperature.

21 Aug 2024

Breakthrough Discovery in DNA Spatial Grammar Could Reshape Gene Activity Studies

A newly discovered code within DNA – coined "spatial grammar" – holds a key to understanding how gene activity is encoded in the human genome.

21 Aug 2024

Ancient Viral Remnants Serve as Accurate Aging Clock

DNA markers linked to retroelements - remaining pieces of ancient viral genetic material - in human genes have been found by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and the epigenetics startup TruDiagnostic.

20 Aug 2024

Discovery of Ancient Stem Cells in Sea Anemones Offers Clues to Immortality and Regeneration

The sea anemone Nematostella vectensis is potentially immortal. Using molecular genetic methods, developmental biologists led by Ulrich Technau from the University of Vienna have now identified possible candidates for multipotent stem cells in the sea anemone for the first time.

20 Aug 2024

Chloroplast Genome Research Enhances Identification and Breeding of Tea-Oil Camellia Species

A research team sequenced and analyzed the complete chloroplast genomes of C. oleifera and C. meiocarpa, uncovering significant differences that clarified their phylogenetic relationship.

20 Aug 2024

Novel Drug Targets in Gardnerella Vaginalis: A Bioinformatics Approach to Combat Bacterial Vaginosis

A computational approach to identify proteins in G. vaginalis that could be potential drug targets.

20 Aug 2024

Advancing Cardiovascular Drug Discovery: Translational Framework Leverages Genetic and Proteomic Insights

A validated framework to translate these recent advances in genoproteomics into clinical applications in cardiovascular drug development.

19 Aug 2024

Flavivirus Hijacks Importin-7 for Nuclear Transport and Replication

Viruses of the family Flaviviridae, including Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), Dengue virus (DENV), Zika virus (ZIKV), West Nile virus (WNV), and Tick-borne encephalitis virus, are significant arthropod-borne pathogens.

15 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

Study Reveals Mechanisms Behind Lineage Restriction in Cell Development

A team of researchers from multiple institutions including the University of Chicago and VectorBuilder, has made a significant breakthrough in the understanding of lineage restriction, a biological phenomenon foundational to multicellular lifeforms as it secures the functional identities of the myriad cell types in the body.

14 Aug 2024