Genetic News and Research

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Plants evolve defensive systems through a combination of environmental factors

According to research plants acquire unique defensive compounds through the collective effects of genes, geography, and environmental circumstances.

17 Jun 2021

Study reveals the key role of motor proteins in mitotic spindle elongation

Proper chromosome segregation into two future daughter cells requires the mitotic spindle to elongate in anaphase. However, although some candidate proteins are implicated in this process, the molecular mechanism that drives spindle elongation in human cells has been unknown, until now!

16 Jun 2021

New method reveals high-resolution structure of biomolecules

A new study integrates molecular dynamics simulations and experimental data to inspect biomolecules in their natural environment.

16 Jun 2021

Researchers identify genetic variant discrepancies between two genome references

Advances in technology have supported the development of updated reference genomes used for sequencing ever since the Human Genome Project.

16 Jun 2021

Single mutation leads to rare genetic muscle disease

The origin of rare, severe muscle disease has been uncovered by an international team of researchers headed by the University of Bonn (Germany).

16 Jun 2021

Ethnically diverse genetic study expands understanding about potential causes of type 2 diabetes

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine (KSOM) of USC are among the contributors to a large-scale ethnically diverse genetic study that has expanded what we know about potential causes of type 2 diabetes.

15 Jun 2021

How to stop the alarming decline in nature's genetic diversity

AZoLifeSciences speaks to Sean Hoban and Colin Khoury about the decline in natures genetic diversity and how we can work to protect it.

15 Jun 2021

Study reveals molecular factors that allow birds to fly

For many years, researchers, adventure-seekers, and aeronautical designers have attempted to simulate the characteristics that enable birds to fly, particularly balance and wing structure.

15 Jun 2021

Misfolded tau proteins cause progressive degeneration in Alzheimer's disease

According to a study performed by researchers from the Van Andel Institute and the University of Pennsylvania, misfolded proteins that impair neurons in Alzheimer’s disease travel the “roads” of the brain, similar to a supply truck crossing the countryside.

11 Jun 2021

Study sheds new light on the early stages of viral evolution

Scientists from the Universities of York and Leeds, in association with Hilvert Laboratory at the ETH Zurich, have investigated the evolution, structure, and assembly of virus-like particles. According to the researchers, this breakthrough discovery will impact the way viruses are treated in the future.

11 Jun 2021

Scientists unravel the proteins that trigger some cancerous tumors

Even on a good day, DNA is constantly getting damaged. Nicks, scratches, breaks: the delicate strands that carry life's genetic code take a beating as they jumble about in the course of their work. If left untreated, errors accumulate, with fatal consequences -- such as cancerous tumors -- for the cell and the organism.

11 Jun 2021

Novel platform may lead to more improved gene therapies

Researchers from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences have developed polypeptide-based materials that serve as effective vectors in delivering gene therapies.

11 Jun 2021

SARS-CoV-2 virus does not spread on hospital surfaces

By observing what was going on across the world in early 2020, researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine knew that their region will soon be flooded with patients infected with COVID-19—the disease caused by the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

From UC San Diego 11 Jun 2021

Study reveals a preliminary genetic link to dyspraxia

Researchers from Oxford Brookes University have found certain genes that can potentially reveal critical information about the biology of developmental coordination disorder (DCD), also called dyspraxia.

11 Jun 2021

ASU study reveals how diets high in saturated fats cause colon cancer

For decades, physicians and dieticians have urged people to limit their intake of high fat foods, citing links to poor health outcomes and some of the leading causes of death in the U.S., such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

10 Jun 2021

Pre-trained viruses are more effective in countering antibiotic resistance

The risk of antibiotic resistance increases as bacteria continue to evade even the most powerful contemporary medicinal treatments. Antibiotic-resistant microorganisms threaten to take more than 10 million lives by 2050, as present-day treatments prove ineffective.

9 Jun 2021

International travelers may pick up AMR genes from different destinations

According to a research work published in the Genome Medicine journal, travelers abroad may contract bacteria and other vectors with genes that confer antibiotic resistance, which linger in the travelers’ gut when they return home.

9 Jun 2021

Developing computational tools to illuminate how genetic factors impact the brain

Liang Zhan, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering, received a $500,000 CAREER award from the National Science Foundation to develop computational tools that improve our understanding of the human brain.

From University of Pittsburgh 8 Jun 2021

Consuming large amounts of daily caffeine may increase the risk of glaucoma

Consuming large amounts of daily caffeine may increase the risk of glaucoma more than three-fold for those with a genetic predisposition to higher eye pressure according to an international, multi-center study.

8 Jun 2021

Single biomarker in the blood can accurately indicate underlying neurodegeneration

Levels of a protein called neurofilament light chain (NfL) in the blood can identify those who might have neurodegenerative diseases such as Down's syndrome dementia, motor neuron disease (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia, when clinical symptoms are not definitive.

8 Jun 2021