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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.

Research provides insight into the regulation of heartbeats

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have mapped gene control elements in specialized cardiac cells responsible for coordinating heartbeats. The findings of the genome exploration study, published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, provide insight into how heartbeats are regulated and could impact diagnosis and risk prediction for a variety of common arrhythmias.

14 Feb 2023

Study reveals the mechanisms that prevent effective cancer cell death

Cancer is a disease driven by gene mutations. These mutated genes in cancer fall into two major categories: tumor suppressors and oncogenes. Mutations in tumor suppressor genes can allow tumors to grow unchecked – a case of no brakes – while mutations in oncogenes can activate cell proliferation, pushing the gas pedal all the way to the floor.

14 Feb 2023

New software helps identify genes that play vital roles in the development

Computer software developed at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis can predict what happens to complex gene networks when individual genes are missing or dialed up more than usual.

14 Feb 2023

Engineering a phage's DNA by introducing modified CRISPR-Cas machinery genes

Bacteriophages (or phages) are viruses that infect bacteria. They are the most abundant biological entity, and they can be found wherever bacteria live. To propagate themselves, phages inject their DNA into their bacterial hosts.

13 Feb 2023

A treatment strategy to hasten cancer cell death

Gene mutations are the cause of cancer. Tumor suppressors and oncogenes are the two main groups of these altered genes in cancer. Mutations in oncogenes can drive cell proliferation, pushing the gas pedal to the floor, whereas mutations in tumor suppressor genes can cause tumors to grow unchecked—a situation in which there is no control.

13 Feb 2023

Rare disease involving speech and motor coordination difficulties identified

Scientists from the National Institutes of Health recently identified a new neurological condition characterized by issues with motor coordination and speech. Their observations were published in the journal npj Genomic Medicine.

From National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) 13 Feb 2023

Research reveals gene expression changes in two brain regions of individuals with cocaine use disorder

Individuals with cocaine use disorder exhibit gene expression changes in two brain regions: the nucleus accumbens, a region associated with reward, and the caudate nucleus, a region mediating habit formation, according to research conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published February 10 in Science Advances.

13 Feb 2023

Pancreatic islet microexons play key role in islet function and glucose homeostasis

When cells copy DNA to produce RNA transcripts, they include only some chunks of genetic material known as exons and throw out the rest.

10 Feb 2023

Prolonged alcohol use and its detrimental effects on blood protein snapshot

Jon Jacobs, a biochemist, has examined the blood of people suffering from diseases including Ebola, cancer, TB, hepatitis, diabetes, Lyme disease, brain damage, and influenza.

10 Feb 2023

Genetic variants that increase the risk of ADHD identified

Why are some people diagnosed with ADHD while others are not? And when is the seed of ADHD sown, in life or the womb?

10 Feb 2023

A protein in the lung forms a natural protective barrier against SARS-CoV-2 infection

University of Sydney scientists have discovered a protein in the lung that blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection and forms a natural protective barrier in the human body.

10 Feb 2023

Unique genes create new species of monkeyflower

Monkeyflowers glow in a rich assortment of colors, from yellow to pink to deep red-orange. But about 5 million years ago, some of them lost their yellow.

10 Feb 2023

Researchers pioneer a new approach to study mosquito's DNA

When it comes to DNA, one pesky mosquito turns out to be a rebel among species.

10 Feb 2023

UVA researchers discover a key trigger for common liver disease

University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have discovered a key trigger for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a mysterious condition that causes fat to build up in the liver for no clear reason.

10 Feb 2023

Researchers address new quantitative approaches to better define cancer epigenetic landscape

It is now widely understood that cancer is a disease of acquired defects in genes and gene function.

10 Feb 2023

Large-scale differentiation of iPSC-derived motor neurons from ALS patients

A new Cedars-Sinai study in collaboration with the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and the Answer ALS consortium has examined the expression of thousands of genes in stem cell generated motor neurons that are known to die in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a fatal neurological disorder known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.

10 Feb 2023

Reshuffling of gene clusters drives the evolution of sunscreen pigments in lichens

Lichens are diverse and colorful organisms that can be found in nearly every environment on Earth, from the arctic tundra to tropical rainforests.

10 Feb 2023

U.S. people show interest in using genetic technologies to improve offspring education

An article published today in the journal Science indicates that a substantial proportion of Americans are willing to use an essentially unregulated reproductive genetic technology to increase the chances of having a baby who is someday admitted to a top-100 ranked college.

10 Feb 2023

Researchers report the genome-wide atlas of chromatin-accessibility during stomatal development

Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Washington have elucidated a mechanism that makes tiny plant stem cells destined to give rise to stomata, cellular valves of plants that facilitate global carbon cycles.

9 Feb 2023

Protein-rich droplets in cells linked to many unresolved diseases

Most proteins localize to distinct protein-rich droplets in cells, also known as "cellular condensates". Such proteins contain sequence features that function as address labels, telling the protein which condensate to move into.

9 Feb 2023

Gene News and Research

Further Reading

Research provides insight into the regulation of heartbeats

Study reveals the mechanisms that prevent effective cancer cell death

New software helps identify genes that play vital roles in the development

Engineering a phage's DNA by introducing modified CRISPR-Cas machinery genes

A treatment strategy to hasten cancer cell death

Rare disease involving speech and motor coordination difficulties identified

Research reveals gene expression changes in two brain regions of individuals with cocaine use disorder

Pancreatic islet microexons play key role in islet function and glucose homeostasis

Prolonged alcohol use and its detrimental effects on blood protein snapshot

Genetic variants that increase the risk of ADHD identified

A protein in the lung forms a natural protective barrier against SARS-CoV-2 infection

Unique genes create new species of monkeyflower

Researchers pioneer a new approach to study mosquito's DNA

UVA researchers discover a key trigger for common liver disease

Researchers address new quantitative approaches to better define cancer epigenetic landscape

Large-scale differentiation of iPSC-derived motor neurons from ALS patients

Reshuffling of gene clusters drives the evolution of sunscreen pigments in lichens

U.S. people show interest in using genetic technologies to improve offspring education

Researchers report the genome-wide atlas of chromatin-accessibility during stomatal development

Protein-rich droplets in cells linked to many unresolved diseases

Driving Support for Pharmaceutical Testing Through Continuous Innovation

From Memory to Metaplasticity: Unraveling the Brain's Secrets

Revolutionizing Mass Spectrometry: A Deep Dive into Plasmion’s SICRIT® Technology

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