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Using CRISPR to Improve Forest Resilience and Productivity

Researchers at North Carolina State University used a CRISPR gene-editing system to breed poplar trees with reduced levels of lignin, the major barrier to sustainable production of wood fibers, while improving their wood properties.

14 Jul 2023

Scientists Identify "Footprints" of Participation Bias in Genetic Data

Why do some people take part in genetic studies while others do not? The answer may lie within our genetic makeup. According to a groundbreaking study by Oxford's Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science and Big Data Institute, people who participate in genetic studies are genetically more likely to do so, leaving detectable 'footprints' in genetics data. This breakthrough equips researchers with the ability to identify and address participation bias, a significant challenge in genetic research.

14 Jul 2023

Gene Recognition of CRISPR-Cas Visualized With New Method

A novel technique has been devised by researchers from the University of Leipzig and the University of Vilnius in Lithuania to monitor the smallest twists and torques of molecules in milliseconds.

13 Jul 2023

Gene Duplication Gives Sea Snakes Expanded Color Vision

An international team of scientists examining the genetic history of sea snakes has found that the species has enhanced their color vision in response to living in brighter and more colorful marine environments.

13 Jul 2023

Genome of Xerces Blue Butterfly Reveals Extinction Story

The Xerces Blue butterfly (Glaucopsyche xerces) was native to the coastal dunes of San Francisco, in the United States. As the city grew, much of the butterfly's habitat was destroyed and its population was relegated to Golden Gate National Park.

12 Jul 2023

First 'Living Digital Camera' Stores Images in DNA

In a world first, a 'biological camera' bypasses the constraints of current DNA storage methods, harnessing living cells and their inherent biological mechanisms to encode and store data.

12 Jul 2023

The Mechanism of Immune Memory Development

The memory of the immune system depends on distinctive epigenetic traits and a particular 3D arrangement of the DNA in the nucleus of memory cells, allowing for rapid activation of these cells, according to a team of researchers from the Erasmus University Medical Center, the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), and the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute.

12 Jul 2023

Lipe Gene Plays Pivotal Role in Retinal Health, Study Finds

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a gene called Lipe that appears to be pivotal to retinal health, with mutations spurring immune activation and retinal degeneration.

12 Jul 2023

New Insights Into How Genes Are Activated

Genetic information contained within DNA has to be read by specific proteins that enable the process of gene activation to begin – but in many cases, these proteins can't access their targets because DNA strands are bundled up to control what genes are used in the wide range of different cell types.

12 Jul 2023

Whole Genome Sequencing More Effective Than Targeted Gene Sequencing in Detecting Genetic Disorders

A new national study, led by researchers at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, has found whole genome sequencing (WGS) to be nearly twice as effective as a targeted gene sequencing test at identifying abnormalities responsible for genetic disorders in newborns and infants.

12 Jul 2023

New Culture System may Improve Efficiency and Safety of Genome Editing in HSCs

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are rare cells found in the bone marrow that produce red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

11 Jul 2023

T cells are Sensitive to Genetic Disturbances Within Mitochondrial Power Plants

All cells have their own power plants, called mitochondria. There are often more than 100 mitochondria per cell and each possesses their own genome, which in turn contains genes responsible for energy production.

7 Jul 2023

Genetic Changes in Maize Reveal Trade-Offs in Heat Tolerance

The ability of crops to withstand heat is critical to our food system's resilience to climate change. A study published in the open access journal PLOS Genetics by Aaron Kusmec at Iowa State University; Ames, Iowa, United States and colleagues suggests that trait selection through plant breeding has increased maize's tolerance to moderate heat stress over time; however, its tolerance to severe heat stress has decreased.

7 Jul 2023

Researchers Develop New Way to Genetically Suppress Malaria-Carrying Mosquitoes

Malaria remains one of the world's deadliest diseases. Each year malaria infections result in hundreds of thousands of deaths, with the majority of fatalities occurring in children under five.

6 Jul 2023

Study Uncovers Candidate Genes That may Drive Inflammatory Bowel Disease

A study of the genetic variation that makes mice more susceptible to bowel inflammation after a high-fat diet has identified candidate genes which may drive inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in humans.

6 Jul 2023

New Method Reveals How Hepatitis C Virus Evades Immune System

With a new method for examining virus samples researchers from the University of Copenhagen have solved an old riddle about how Hepatitis C virus avoids the human body's immune defenses.

6 Jul 2023

Glutaminase 2 Plays a Key Role in Glucose Homeostasis

Glutaminase 2 (GLS2) is a master regulator of glutaminolysis. GLS2 converts glutamine to glutamate, thereby playing a role in cellular energy production. GLS2 is abundant in the liver, and is also found in pancreatic β-cells. However, the role of GLS2 in pancreatic islets – in which both ɑ- and β- cells are present – associated with glucose metabolism is currently unknown.

6 Jul 2023