Genetics and Genomics News and Research

Latest Genetics and Genomics News and Research

Lipe Gene Plays Pivotal Role in Retinal Health, Study Finds

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a gene called Lipe that appears to be pivotal to retinal health, with mutations spurring immune activation and retinal degeneration.

12 Jul 2023

New Insights Into How Genes Are Activated

Genetic information contained within DNA has to be read by specific proteins that enable the process of gene activation to begin – but in many cases, these proteins can't access their targets because DNA strands are bundled up to control what genes are used in the wide range of different cell types.

12 Jul 2023

Glucose-Sensing Neurons May Play a Role in Regulating Blood Sugar

The body's blood glucose level needs to be maintained in a relatively narrow range. It cannot be too high, as it can lead to diabetes, and it cannot be too low because it can cause fainting or even death.

12 Jul 2023

Whole Genome Sequencing More Effective Than Targeted Gene Sequencing in Detecting Genetic Disorders

A new national study, led by researchers at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, has found whole genome sequencing (WGS) to be nearly twice as effective as a targeted gene sequencing test at identifying abnormalities responsible for genetic disorders in newborns and infants.

12 Jul 2023

Live Broadcasting of “Growth Factor Signaling” Proteins Inside Living Cells

The “live reporter” technology, developed by synthetic biologists at Princeton University and Rice University, has shown that it is possible to expose, with a great deal more accuracy than is now possible, the functioning of networks of signaling proteins in living cells.

11 Jul 2023

AMP Releases CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 Genotyping Assay Recommendations

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), the world’s leading professional society for molecular diagnostics, released consensus recommendations today to aid in the design and validation of clinical CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 genotyping assays, encourage standardization of testing across labs, and better patient care.

11 Jul 2023

New Insight Into the Physiology of NO-Reducing Microorganisms

Nitric oxide (NO) is a central molecule in the global cycling of nitrogen, and also toxic. Little is known about if and how microbes can use NO as a substrate for growth.

11 Jul 2023

New Culture System may Improve Efficiency and Safety of Genome Editing in HSCs

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are rare cells found in the bone marrow that produce red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

11 Jul 2023

Mapping Immune Microenvironments in Human Placenta

Until recently, scientific evidence on the ability of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, to replicate in the human placenta has been inconclusive.

10 Jul 2023

T cells are Sensitive to Genetic Disturbances Within Mitochondrial Power Plants

All cells have their own power plants, called mitochondria. There are often more than 100 mitochondria per cell and each possesses their own genome, which in turn contains genes responsible for energy production.

7 Jul 2023

Genetic Changes in Maize Reveal Trade-Offs in Heat Tolerance

The ability of crops to withstand heat is critical to our food system's resilience to climate change. A study published in the open access journal PLOS Genetics by Aaron Kusmec at Iowa State University; Ames, Iowa, United States and colleagues suggests that trait selection through plant breeding has increased maize's tolerance to moderate heat stress over time; however, its tolerance to severe heat stress has decreased.

7 Jul 2023

Fragile Symbiosis Between Fungus and Bacteria Revealed

A new study on the coexistence of bacteria and fungi shows that a mutually beneficial, functioning symbiosis can be very fragile.

7 Jul 2023

USDA Funds Texas A&M AgriLife Research to Develop “Holy Grail” of Tomatoes

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has funded a new Texas A&M AgriLife Research project expected to bring researchers even closer to developing the "holy grail" of tomatoes.

7 Jul 2023

Synthetically Constructed Minimal Cell Shows That Life Finds a Way

"Listen, if there's one thing the history of evolution has taught us is that life will not be contained. Life breaks free.

6 Jul 2023

Researchers Develop New Way to Genetically Suppress Malaria-Carrying Mosquitoes

Malaria remains one of the world's deadliest diseases. Each year malaria infections result in hundreds of thousands of deaths, with the majority of fatalities occurring in children under five.

6 Jul 2023

Study Uncovers Candidate Genes That may Drive Inflammatory Bowel Disease

A study of the genetic variation that makes mice more susceptible to bowel inflammation after a high-fat diet has identified candidate genes which may drive inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in humans.

6 Jul 2023

New Method Reveals How Hepatitis C Virus Evades Immune System

With a new method for examining virus samples researchers from the University of Copenhagen have solved an old riddle about how Hepatitis C virus avoids the human body's immune defenses.

6 Jul 2023

Glutaminase 2 Plays a Key Role in Glucose Homeostasis

Glutaminase 2 (GLS2) is a master regulator of glutaminolysis. GLS2 converts glutamine to glutamate, thereby playing a role in cellular energy production. GLS2 is abundant in the liver, and is also found in pancreatic β-cells. However, the role of GLS2 in pancreatic islets – in which both ɑ- and β- cells are present – associated with glucose metabolism is currently unknown.

6 Jul 2023

Negative Modulation of Arabidopsis Salinity Tolerance by CONSTANS Protein

Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana)’s photoperiodically controlled flowering and circadian pathways are primarily regulated by CONSTANS (CO), a well-known B-box family member.

5 Jul 2023

6mA Modification Genomic Distribution and Evolutionary Patterns in Plants

One of the epigenetic alterations is the amino acid N6-methyladenine (6mA). Although 6mA and 5-methylcytosine (5mC) were both found at the same time, eukaryotes have only lately begun to pay attention to it, primarily because of the limits of detection technologies.

5 Jul 2023