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).

Mount Sinai researchers illuminate the role of DNA methylation in Alzheimer's disease

Mount Sinai researchers have published a study in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association that sheds new light on the role of DNA methylation in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

23 Feb 2023

New puzzle challenge taps into the intelligence of Eterna’s users to advance RNA therapeutics

Researchers at UC Santa Cruz working to develop novel RNA-based medicines are teaming up with a new group of collaborators-;players of the online game Eterna.

22 Feb 2023

Metabolic reactions upon activating Akt2 enzyme revealed

Takeaki Ozawa and his team from the University of Tokyo reveal the metabolic reactions upon activating an enzyme called Akt2.

22 Feb 2023

Novel model system helps studying human ovarian biology

Despite the fact that we all start out as an egg cell in one of our mother's ovaries, these human reproductive organs are surprisingly under-studied. Scientists have been working on creating in vitro models of human ovaries so that we can learn more about them and develop treatments for ovarian conditions, but most existing models use a combination of human and mouse cells, which do not faithfully replicate human ovary functions and take a long time to grow in the lab.

22 Feb 2023

Study reveals how chloroplast ATP synthase regulates ATP production in organisms

ATP, the compound essential for the functioning of photosynthetic organisms such as plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, is produced by an enzyme called "chloroplast ATP synthase" (CFoCF1).

22 Feb 2023

DNA methylation for precise gene expression regulation

If the genome is viewed as a guidebook for how a cell should operate, then annotations, highlights, and bookmarks are included on every page.

21 Feb 2023

New biomarker helps identify biological age

Once considered to be incompetent in encoding proteins due to their simple monotonous DNA repetitions, tiny telomeres at the tips of human chromosomes now appear to have a powerful biological function that could help better understand cancer and aging.

21 Feb 2023

Analyzing the existence of unknown miniproteins

Evolutionarily young miniproteins are unique in humans, and scientists have recently found thousands of them.

21 Feb 2023

"Poisoned" form of a protein could set off events that encourage cancer growth

Scientists at Scripps Research, with collaborators in Japan, have discovered how a "poisoned" form of a protein could set off a cascade of events that encourage the growth of some cancers.

17 Feb 2023

Locating genes involved in the metabolism and distribution of human fat

Researchers from the University of Minnesota Medical School and the University of Chicago discovered data identifying “jumping genes”—associated with the distribution of fat in the abdomen—that are connected to a higher risk for health problems from obesity in women.

17 Feb 2023

Improved efficacy of advanced genome editing with machine learning

Researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute have developed a new tool to estimate the probability of successfully introducing a gene-edited DNA sequence into a cell’s genome using the prime editing method.

17 Feb 2023

Reversal of ADAR1 hyper-editing with small molecule inhibitor

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, Sanford Stem Cell Institute and Moores Cancer Center report that a late-stage, pre-clinical small molecule inhibitor, called rebecsinib, reverses malignant hyper-editing by an inflammation-induced protein isoform, known as ADAR1 p150.

17 Feb 2023

New insights into genetics of sexually dimorphic fat distribution in humans

Obesity causes many health problems and worsens several chronic illnesses, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, however, some obese people are more susceptible to complications than others.

17 Feb 2023

NIH researchers release new tool to assemble complete genome sequences on-demand

National Institutes of Health researchers have developed and released an innovative software tool to assemble truly complete (i.e., gapless) genome sequences from a variety of species.

17 Feb 2023

Adding antioxidants to cell cultures for efficient production of antibodies

Researchers at the Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, India, have investigated the effects of oxidative stress on the production of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), and how antioxidants can alleviate this stress to improve their performance.

16 Feb 2023

New approach to rapidly determine biological aging

Telomeres-;the caps at the ends of chromosomes that protect our genetic materials from the brunt of cellular wear and tear-;are known to shorten and fray over time.

16 Feb 2023

Novel mechanism of DNA repair occurring in neurons uncovered

"Use it or lose it" goes the adage, applied liberally to everything from our muscles to our minds, especially as we age.

16 Feb 2023

Researchers construct the first chromosome-scale reference genome of Plantago ovata

Scientists have for the first time constructed the reference genome for the source of the popular fiber supplement, psyllium husk, which could boost supplies of the versatile plant-derived product.

16 Feb 2023

MD Anderson and Replay launch new company pioneering T cell receptor NK cell therapies

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Replay today announced the launch of Syena, a new oncology-focused product company pioneering T cell receptor (TCR) natural killer (NK) cell therapies.

15 Feb 2023

New family of pharmaceutical compounds that target RNA

In Jennifer Hines’ lab, a group of graduate and undergraduate chemistry students recently discovered a new family of compounds that can target RNA and interfere with its function. In the future, RNA-targeted treatments to treat cancer and metabolic diseases, together with bacterial and viral infections, could be developed using the chemical scaffold found in this research.

15 Feb 2023