Gene News and Research

RSS

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.

Scientists develop a new way to reactivate silenced genes

All cells in an organism are known to have the same genetic data but not all carry out the same function. This is because all the cells do not contain the same active genes.

19 May 2020

Smokers More Likely To Express ACE2 Protein That SARS-COV-2 Uses

Researchers report that smoking increases the gene expression of ACE2, the protein that binds SARS-CoV-2, which may promote COVID-19 infection.

19 May 2020

Genome Study Links DNA Changes To The Risks Of Breast Cancer Subtypes

Genetic studies covering 266,000 women have revealed 32 new sites on the genome where variations in DNA appear to alter the risks of getting breast cancer.

19 May 2020

Study decodes genomes of three carnivorous plants

Plants can produce energy-rich biomass with the help of light, water and carbon dioxide. This is why they are at the beginning of the food chains.

18 May 2020

Scientists study how brain cancer cells acquire radiation resistance

In a vertical climb to avoid collision with a towering mountain, a plane ejects cargo to gain altitude. Investigators at the University of Minnesota showed that cancer cells perform similar feats in escaping the killing effects of radiation.

18 May 2020

Researchers develop a reliable technique for assessing the role of lncRNAs

The discovery of a huge number of long non-protein coding RNAs, aka lncRNAs, in the mammalian genome was a major surprise of the recent large-scale genomics projects.

18 May 2020

Aging neurons build up DNA damage, study finds

MIT neuroscientists have discovered that an enzyme called HDAC1 is critical for repairing age-related DNA damage to genes involved in memory and other cognitive functions.

18 May 2020

Researchers Find New Breast Cancer Gene In Young People

Over the years, our knowledge of diseases has improved, and several hereditary gene variants have been found that may predispose to the development of cancer.

18 May 2020

Blood Cells Could Serve As A 'Thermometer' To Detect Breast Cancer

Immune system cells in the blood of breast cancer patients undergo alterations early in the disease course, according to a study.

18 May 2020

Genome-wide pattern found in glioblastoma tumors predicts patient survival

For the past 70 years, the best indicator of life expectancy for a patient with glioblastoma (GBM) -- the most common and the most aggressive brain cancer -- has simply been age at diagnosis.

15 May 2020

Study reveals nuanced role for oncogene in contact inhibition

Like subway com muters on a crowded train, cells generally prefer not to be packed in too tightly. In fact, they have set up mechanisms to avoid this, a phenomenon called "contact inhibition."

15 May 2020

Researchers discover group of genes with altered expression in autism

Autism has long been associated only with behavioral and environmental factors, but the role of genetics in its development is now increasingly evident. Some 100 genes have been found to play a role in autism spectrum disorder, and another thousand are being studied to the same end.

15 May 2020

Mouse model helps track organism’s development, cell by cell

Scientists at the Stem Cell Research program at Boston Children's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School have devised a mouse model that lets researchers track every cell in the body, from the embryonic stage until adulthood.

15 May 2020

Coronavirus attacking microRNA numbers reduce with age

A group of tiny RNA that should attack the virus causing COVID-19 when it tries to infect the body are diminished with age and chronic health problems, a decrease that likely helps explain why older individuals and those with preexisting medical conditions are vulnerable populations, investigators report.

14 May 2020