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Discovery of Large Tandem Duplications Opens New Avenues for Cancer Treatment

Cancer researchers at the University of Chicago and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have discovered that mutations in certain genes can lead to the accumulation of DNA errors, resulting in a specific type of genetic change known as large tandem duplications (TDs) that can arise from the collision of two critical cellular processes: transcription and DNA replication.

21 Nov 2024

New Study Links Cannabis Use to DNA Methylation Changes in Mental Health Pathways

Research reveals that frequent high-potency cannabis use alters DNA methylation, affecting mitochondrial and immune genes, with implications for mental health.

25 Oct 2024

High Potency Cannabis Leaves Unique DNA Signature, Study Shows

Published in Molecular Psychiatry, this is the first study to suggest that the use of high potency cannabis leaves a distinct mark on DNA, providing valuable insights into the biological impact of cannabis use.

16 Oct 2024

Study: Vaping Alters DNA in Ways Similar to Smoking

Young adults who vape show chemical changes in their DNA similar to those found in young adults who smoke -; changes known to be linked to the development of cancer -; according to a new study just published in the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology.

26 Sep 2024

Illuminating Plant Defense Mechanisms Through Light-Activated Ion Channels

When it comes to survival, plants have a huge disadvantage compared to many other living organisms: they cannot simply change their location if predators or pathogens attack them or the environmental conditions change to their disadvantage.

29 Aug 2024

Gut Microbiome Influences Cancer Risk Through Carcinogen Metabolism

At any given time, over 10 trillion microbes call our guts their home. From breaking down nutrients in our food to strengthening our immunity against pathogens, these microbes play an essential role in how we interact with the world.

1 Aug 2024

Genetic Insights into Coffee Consumption and Health Implications

Coffee drinking is a heritable habit, and one that carries a certain amount of genetic baggage.

20 Jun 2024

Viruses Offer Efficient Delivery for Precise Plant Breeding

The application of genome editing in plant molecular breeding is hampered by the lack of straightforward and efficient methods for introducing genome editing reagents into plants, despite the technology's great potential.

20 May 2024

3D Printing Genetically Modified Plant Cells: A New Frontier in Engineered Living Materials

Scientists are harnessing cells to make new types of materials that can grow, repair themselves and even respond to their environment.

2 May 2024

UCI Researchers Receive $1.19 Million Grant to Unravel the Genetic Basis of Nicotine Addiction

A three-year, $1.19 million grant from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program will allow University of California, Irvine researchers to explore how specific sections of DNA might influence nicotine addiction.

26 Apr 2024

“Free-from-Tree” Production of Vaccine Component QS-21

For the first time, a valuable chemical extracted from the soapbark tree and utilized as a major component in vaccinations has been duplicated in a different plant host, providing the vaccine industry with hitherto unheard-of potential.

29 Jan 2024

Enhancing Photosynthesis Modulating Chlorophyll for Improved Crop Efficiency

Plants have evolved to have high chlorophyll levels in their leaves because chlorophyll is essential to photosynthesis.

4 Jan 2024

From Mice to Men: New Studies Bridge the Gap in Brain Cell Gene Expression Across Species

Despite all our cells sharing the same DNA, there are thousands of different cell types in the human brain, each with a unique structure and function.

14 Dec 2023

Role of Chloroplasts’ Dual Function From Photosynthesis to Immune Defense

For a long period, scientists have been aware of chloroplasts' role in converting solar energy into plant food.

26 Oct 2023

Plants Evolve Benzoxazinoid Biosynthesis Independently

Individual species of very different plant families produce special indole-derived defense compounds called benzoxazinoids.

10 Oct 2023

NC State Researchers Develop New Method to Produce Seedless Plants

North Carolina State University researchers have successfully transferred an important gene from one compartment of a plant cell to another to produce tobacco plants that lack pollen and viable seeds, while otherwise growing normally.

19 Sep 2023

Chloroplast Size Manipulation Unlikely to Boost Crop Photosynthesis

For the first time, RIPE scientists revealed that manipulating chloroplast size is unlikely to be an option for enhancing crop photosynthetic efficiency.

27 Jun 2023

New Approach to Revolutionize Synthetic Biology

For the first time, scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory of the Department of Energy (Berkeley Lab) have created a genome-scale method to map the regulatory role of transcription factors, proteins that are essential for controlling gene expression, and a plant’s physiological features.

22 Jun 2023