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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).

Scientists shed light on the origins of Mimivirus and other giant viruses

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay shed light on the origins of Mimivirus and other giant viruses, helping us better understand a group of unique biological forms that shaped life on earth.

17 May 2021

Epigenetic changes drive the fate of a B cell

B cells are the immune cells responsible for creating antibodies, and most B cells produce antibodies in response to a pathogen or a vaccine, providing immunity.

14 May 2021

Scientists identify the language the body uses to marshal responses to threats

UCLA life scientists have identified six "words" that specific immune cells use to call up immune defense genes -- an important step toward understanding the language the body uses to marshal responses to threats.

13 May 2021

New CAD technology may open up new frontiers in genome research

A new Computer Aided Design (CAD) platform for whole genome design is being launched by two pioneers in the world of biotech: Genome Project-write (GP-write) and Twist Bioscience.

13 May 2021

An efficient automated method for production of synthetic DNA

Chemically synthesized short DNA sequences are extremely important ingredients with countless uses in research laboratories, hospitals, and in industry, like in the method for identifying COVID-19.

13 May 2021

Exploring the Genetic effects of Chernobyl Radiation

In this interview, AZoLifeSciences speaks to researchers from the National Cancer Institute about their latest research that investigated the genetic effects of Chernobyl radiation.

From National Cancer Institute (NCI) 13 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

Research group reveals the essential role of Knl1 gene in plants

Dr. HAN Fangpu's group from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reports the identification and functional study of the maize Knl1 gene in an article published online in PNAS.

12 May 2021

Cancer cells re-organize DNA structure to ramp up the activity of oncogenes

A lot of biological mechanisms go wrong in cancer—for example genes mutate and cells proliferate in an uncontrollable manner.

11 May 2021

The history of the Amazon Basin affects the distribution of manatees

All three species of manatee now present on Earth share a common ancestor from which they split some 6.5 million years ago, when a huge lake in Amazonia, then linked to the Caribbean, was cut off from the sea.

11 May 2021

São Tomé island has two different species of caecilians, shows new study

The Gulf of Guinea islands harbor an abundance of species found nowhere else on Earth. But for over 100 years, scientists have wondered whether or not a population of limbless, burrowing amphibians--known as caecilians--found on one of the islands is a single or multiple species.

11 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

Genomic Analysis for the Conservation of Koalas

In this interview, AZoLifeSciences speaks to Professor Parwinder Kaur about her latest research that uses genomic analysis for the conservation of koalas.

From The University of Western Australia 10 May 2021

Highly efficient method to identify the genetic “switches” that control gene expression

Scientists have created a high-throughput method to help explain and regulate gene expression for the treatment of diseases like beta-thalassemia and sickle cell disease.

7 May 2021

Study reveals that bacteria DNA signals can be read either forward or backward

Bacteria’s DNA signals have symmetry that allows them to be read either backward or forward, challenging the current understanding of gene transcription.

7 May 2021

Study suggests that bubonic plague had long-term impact on human immune genes

Scientists examining the remains of 36 bubonic plague victims from a 16th century mass grave in Germany have found the first evidence that evolutionary adaptive processes, driven by the disease, may have conferred immunity on later generations of people from the region.

7 May 2021

New open-source image library illustrates content on genome-editing and their use in plants

Are you looking for clear, accurate images to bring your content on genome-editing and genetic modification to life? The John Innes Center has launched an open-source image library for journalists, writers and picture editors seeking to illustrate content on these important technologies and their use in plants.

7 May 2021

Study unravels a crucial element that influences gene expression in blood stem cells

A complex network of biochemical pathways keeps the living organism healthy and alive.

From National University of Singapore (NUS) 7 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