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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).

Epigenetic Switch Found to Activate Genes in Embryos

Researchers led by the Institute of Molecular Biology have found that 5-formylcytosine (5fC), a DNA alteration, acts as an activating epigenetic switch to activate genes during the early stages of embryonic development.

19 Sep 2024

Study Expands Potential of Retrons for DNA Editing

Within bacterial cells, specialized immune systems known as retrons fend off viral attacks. But that's not all they can do.

18 Sep 2024

New Guidelines Enhance Accuracy of DNA-Protein Interaction Studies

Researchers at University of California San Diego have published new guidelines that could help scientists significantly improve their results when quantifying the interactions between DNA and proteins.

17 Sep 2024

New Guidelines for Accurate Spike-In Normalization in DNA-Protein Interaction Studies

New criteria developed by researchers at the University of California San Diego may greatly enhance the accuracy of results obtained by scientists when assessing the interactions between proteins and DNA.

16 Sep 2024

Research Sheds Light on Plant-Microbe Interactions and Auxin Hormone Effects

Gazing out on a freshwater pond, you may see tiny green plants with oval shaped leaves floating in clusters.

16 Sep 2024

Study Reveals Key Role of SAR11 Bacteria in Marine Nutrient Cycles

If you were to collect all the organisms from the ocean surface down to 200 meters, you'd find that SAR11 bacteria, though invisible to the naked eye, would make up a fifth of the total biomass.

12 Sep 2024

A Powerful New Tool for Biomedical Research

Scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar (WCM-Q) have built a comprehensive molecular map of the human body and its complicated physiological processes by analyzing thousands of molecules found in 391 volunteers' blood, urine, and saliva samples.

12 Sep 2024

Global Ocean Microbiome Catalogue Opens New Frontiers In Marine Bioprospecting

Recent advancements in sequencing have led to the GOMC, a comprehensive catalog of marine microbiomes, enhancing prospects for biotechnological applications.

12 Sep 2024

Study Reveals Genes Influencing Menopause and Cancer Risk

New research has found four genes with some of the largest known effects on the timing of menopause discovered to date, providing new insight into links between menopause timing and cancer risk.

12 Sep 2024

Ribose-Water Interactions Stabilize RNA Structures

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a biological molecule that plays an important part in organismal genetics as well as the creation and development of life.

11 Sep 2024

A New Approach to Engineering Complex Organoids

A novel molecular engineering technology can precisely control the formation of organoids. Microbeads composed of precisely folded DNA are utilized to deliver growth factors or other signal molecules into tissue structures.

11 Sep 2024

Revolutionizing Protein Analysis with Enhanced Mass Spectrometry

Mass spectrometry is a sophisticated technology that allows scientists to break down and identify the constituents of almost anything by measuring the mass of the microscopic particles that make it up.

11 Sep 2024

Developing Techniques for Imaging Biomolecules

Scientists are working to create quicker, more quantitative, and more publicly available methods of seeing biomolecules in living cells to speed up biotechnology discoveries, such as the production of lifesaving drugs.

11 Sep 2024

Research Uncovers Dynamic Epigenetic Switch for Gene Expression Control

One of the most fascinating discoveries in biology is that cells have mechanisms for dynamically regulating genetic expression.

11 Sep 2024

Automated DNA Separation for Sexual Assault Cases: A Breakthrough in On-Site Forensic Analysis

This study presents a digital microfluidics approach for rapid DNA extraction from sexual assault samples, significantly improving forensic analysis efficiency.

11 Sep 2024

Fruit Fly Research Sheds Light on Stem Cell Depletion and Aging Process

Scientists from the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR) have identified key changes to both chromosome structure and gene expression that affect stem cell function during aging.

10 Sep 2024

Crystal Structure of i-Motif DNA Opens Doors for Targeted Drug Design

The first crystal structure of an alternative DNA shape from the insulin gene has been revealed by a UCL-led research team.

9 Sep 2024

A New Approach to Understanding Enhancer-TF Interactions

Every cell in the human body has the same DNA, yet liver cells differ from brain cells, and skin cells from muscle cells.

9 Sep 2024

Researchers Uncover Hundreds of New Potential Cancer Driver Genes

Researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) have discovered hundreds of potential new cancer driver genes.

4 Sep 2024

Inflammation-Induced Epigenetic Changes Limit Intestinal Stem Cell Regeneration

Researchers from the University of Michigan, Baylor College of Medicine, and other affiliated institutions have found that intestinal stem cells (ISCs) are permanently altered by inflammation in the gut, which limits the cells' capacity to repair the gut even after the inflammation has subsided.

4 Sep 2024