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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.

Study Uncovers Principles Guiding Replication Initiation Across the Human Genome

When cells proliferate, genomic DNA is precisely duplicated once per cell cycle. Abnormalities in this DNA replication process can cause alterations in genomic DNA, promoting cellular aging, cancer, and genetic disorders.

4 Dec 2025

Study Reveals How Cells Compensate for Missing Chromosomes

A hallmark of cancerous cells is an abnormal number of chromosomes or chromosome arms, known as aneuploidy.

4 Dec 2025

New Evidence Shows Complex Life Began Far Earlier Than Previously Believed

Complex life began to develop earlier, and over a longer span of time, than previously believed, a groundbreaking new study has revealed.

4 Dec 2025

Single-Cell RNA Imaging Uncovers Four Distinct Neuron Bands in the Hippocampus

Researchers at the Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have identified a previously unknown pattern of organization in one of the brain's most important areas for learning and memory.

4 Dec 2025

Study Exposes Ancestry Biases in Current Gene Annotations

Human gene maps contain major blind spots because they were built largely from the DNA sequences of people with European ancestry, according to a study published today in Nature Communications.

4 Dec 2025

Engineered Gut Bacteria With MiRNA Nanoparticles To Reverse IBD

Biomimetic nanoparticles delivering microRNA to gut bacteria enhance protective metabolites, repair intestinal barriers, and alleviate colitis symptoms.

3 Dec 2025

Harnessing Triploid Loquat to Unlock Aneuploid Diversity for Advanced Breeding

Triploid plants are widely valued in horticulture for desirable traits such as seedlessness, yield improvement, and stress resilience.

2 Dec 2025

Unraveling How GFAP Mutations Disrupt Mitochondria in Alexander Disease

Some brain disorders are straightforward, such as the direct frontal lobe assault of a concussion or traumatic brain injury. Others, like Alexander disease, are akin to guerilla warfare.

2 Dec 2025

Ambiguous Stop Codons Expand the Genetic Code in Archaea

The beauty of the DNA code is that organisms interpret it unambiguously. Each three-letter nucleotide sequence, or codon, in a gene codes for a unique amino acid that's added to a chain of amino acids to make a protein.

2 Dec 2025

Study Uncovers How Polyploid Plants Harness Transposons for Evolutionary Innovation

Polyploidization, the combination and duplication of genomes, is a major driver of plant evolution and diversification. Yet this process causes "genome shock," leading to rapid activation of transposable elements (TEs).

2 Dec 2025

CRISPR Technologies Transform On-Site Detection of Animal Pathogens

The rapid spread of animal diseases and pathogen evolution have long posed significant threats to the healthy development of animal husbandry.

28 Nov 2025

Real-Time Visualization Reveals the Transcriptional Gearbox

Life's instructions are written in DNA, but it is the enzyme RNA polymerase II (Pol II) that reads the script, transcribing RNA in eukaryotic cells and eventually giving rise to proteins.

28 Nov 2025

Bird flu withstands human fever

Avian influenza viruses pose a specific risk to people, as they can multiply at temperatures exceeding a normal fever, which is a defense mechanism used by the body to halt viruses, according to new research conducted by Cambridge and Glasgow universities.

28 Nov 2025

New Regulatory Pathway Enhances Key Aroma Compound in Wine Grapes

β-Damascenone is a key norisoprenoid compound responsible for characteristic floral and fruity aromas in grapes and wines, particularly those from non-aromatic varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

27 Nov 2025

Gene Transcription Start Sites Identified as Hidden Mutational Hotspots

Researchers have discovered new regions of the human genome particularly vulnerable to mutations. These altered stretches of DNA can be passed down to future generations and are important for how we study genetics and disease.

27 Nov 2025

UBQLN2 Liquid Droplets Found to Catalyze Early α-Synuclein Aggregation

Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age-related, progressive neurodegenerative disorder. The hallmark of PD pathogenesis is the Lewy bodies (LBs) that accumulate in neurons in the substantia nigra region of the brain, damaging these neurons and leading to the motor symptoms of the disease. α-synuclein (α-syn), a misfolded protein, aggregates and forms fibrils, which leads to the formation of LBs.

27 Nov 2025

Scientists Uncover Inner Workings of Biomolecular Condensates Linked to ALS

Inside the cell reside many tiny assembly factories and warehouses that gather together all of the proteins and RNAs-which carry out instructions from our DNA-that a living being needs.

27 Nov 2025

Scientists Map How Transcription Factors Interpret DNA Sequences

With a new study in the journal Cell, researchers at Stanford University and Stockholm University have contributed to increased knowledge about gene regulation in human cells.

27 Nov 2025

DNA Rigidity Inside the Nucleosome Regulates INO80 Positioning

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have shown that DNA inflexibility, or rigidity, inside the nucleosome regulates the positioning of INO80. This highlights that the physical structure and shape of DNA, not just genetic information, are key components of DNA transcription.

26 Nov 2025

Discovery Reveals Unexpected Role for OTULIN in Controlling Tau Expression

Scientists have uncovered a surprising mechanism by which a brain enzyme called OTULIN controls the expression of tau, the protein that forms toxic tangles in Alzheimer's disease.

26 Nov 2025