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“Topologically tunable” DNA-based material has potential applications in drug delivery, tissue regeneration

DNA is usually idealized as the “molecule of life,” but it is also a highly advanced polymer that can be used for cutting-edge materials. Apart from storing information, other interesting aspects of DNA are its topological and geometrical properties, like super-coiling and knotting.

31 May 2021

Researchers identify the biosynthesis mechanism of new DNA nucleobases

DNA is made up of nucleobases, which are depicted by the letters G, A, T, and C. They are the foundation of the genetic code.

From Institut Pasteur 13 May 2021

Supercoiling characteristic of DNA's structure controls gene expression, research shows

The two meters of -stretched- DNA contained in human cells are continuously twisting and untwisting to give access to genetic information: when a gene is expressed to generate a protein, the two strands of DNA are separated to give access to all the machinery necessary for this expression, resulting in an excessive accumulation of coiling that needs to be resolved later.

10 May 2021

Research uncovers how antibiotics target bacterial RNA Polymerase to inhibit gene transcription

The emergence and spread of new forms of resistance remains a concern that urgently demand new antibiotics. Transcription is a vital process in bacterial cell, where genetic information in DNA is transcribed to RNA for the translation of proteins that perform cellular function.

6 May 2021

“Chemical nose” smells vital variations in unusual folding of DNA structures

Small variations in the structure of DNA have been related to breast cancer and other diseases, but they have been incredibly hard to find so far.

6 May 2021

National DNA Day 2021: The Importance of DNA in Research

To celebrate National DNA Day, AZoLifeSciences speaks to Belen Hurle from the National Human Genome Research Institute about the importance of DNA in research.

From National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) 26 Apr 2021

Study reveals DNA supercoiling is involved in regulating gene expression

The (when stretched) two-meter-long DNA molecule in each human cell is continuously being unpacked and packed again to enable the expression of genetic information.

15 Apr 2021

B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 spreading quickly in the United States

The faster-spreading B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 first detected in the United Kingdom, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, is quickly on its way to becoming the dominant variant of the virus in the United States, according to a study from scientists at Scripps Research and the COVID-19 test maker Helix.

31 Mar 2021

DNA origami helps track gene-editing processes

The genetic scissors, known as CRISPR/Cas9, the finding that received a Nobel Prize in Chemistry, occasionally cut in places that they are not intended to target.

24 Feb 2021

Advanced explainable AI to solve regulatory instructions encoded in DNA

Researchers at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, in collaboration with colleagues at Stanford University and Technical University of Munich have developed advanced explainable artificial intelligence (AI) in a technical tour de force to decipher regulatory instructions encoded in DNA.

19 Feb 2021

Unusual DNA folding leads to higher mutation rates

DNA sequences that can fold into shapes other than the classic double helix tend to have higher mutation rates than other regions in the human genome.

From Penn State University 10 Feb 2021

Scientists discover the origin of rare genetic syndrome

Improvements in DNA sequencing have revealed a rare syndrome triggered by changes in the SATB1gene.

29 Jan 2021

Repair proteins can help healthy cells to avoid damage during cancer therapy

A key way radiation therapy and chemotherapy work is by making highly lethal double-strand breaks in the DNA of cancer cells.

10 Dec 2020

Scientists propose a simple model for gene regulation in higher organisms

Although the DNA and its double-helix are some of the most familiar molecules of our time, our knowledge of how cells control what genes they want to express still is rather limited. In order to create, for example, an enzyme, the information that's inscribed in our DNA about this enzyme needs to be transcribed and translated.

4 Dec 2020

Researchers determine 3D structures of RNA hybridization with artificial nucleic acids

As medical research progresses, traditional treatment protocols are being rapidly exhausted. New approaches to treat diseases that do not respond to conventional drugs are the need of the hour.

4 Dec 2020

New study refutes a major cellular process in bacteria

Despite explanations in textbooks, a new study has discovered and elucidated a cellular process that has continued to remain a mystery for researchers.

30 Nov 2020

MIT chemists determine molecular structure of SARS-CoV-2 protein

MIT chemists have determined the molecular structure of a protein found in the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This protein, called the envelope protein E, forms a cation-selective channel and plays a key role in the virus's ability to replicate itself and stimulate the host cell's inflammation response.

From Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 16 Nov 2020