Genetic News and Research

RSS

Understanding the World Beyond DNA and Genes

Curled up inside every single one of the trillions of cells in the human body is six feet of DNA, spooled tightly and carrying the genetic instructions that govern so much of who a person becomes.

17 Feb 2025

Scientists Uncover Mechanism Linking OPN3 to Food Intake Regulation

Scientists discovered years ago that the hypothalamus - which helps to manage body temperature, hunger, sex drive, sleep and more - includes neurons that express the protein opsin 3 (OPN3).

17 Feb 2025

Hospital Sink Drains: A Hidden Bacteria Hotspot Despite Cleaning

Researchers from Spain conducted a study on sink drains across various wards in a contemporary university hospital that follows advanced cleaning protocols.

17 Feb 2025

New Atlas Maps How Aging Breast Tissue Contributes to Cancer Risk

Aging is a privilege, but it also brings risks-including an increased likelihood of developing age-related diseases including cancer.

14 Feb 2025

Infant Cystic Fibrosis Linked to Stunted Microbiome Development

Findings from a new Dartmouth-led study, published in the journal mBio, highlight key differences in the gut microbiome (communities of bacteria) of infants with cystic fibrosis (CF) compared to that of healthy infants, and how these alterations may adversely affect their health.

14 Feb 2025

How Bacteriophages Build a Protein-Based Nucleus to Outsmart Bacteria

Jumbo phages utilize a complex protein import system, with Imp1 as a key gatekeeper, to transport proteins into their protective nucleus-like compartment.

14 Feb 2025

Symbiotic Bacteria Accompany Single-Celled Protists in the Ocean's Upper Layer

Just as the human body serves as a habitat for bacteria and other microbes, diverse, tiny organisms known as protists host their own microbiomes.

13 Feb 2025

New Research Sheds Light on How Cells Manage Fat Recycling

Accumulation of fat molecules is detrimental to the cell. Researchers from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), have made a breakthrough in understanding how our cells manage to stay healthy by recycling important fat molecules.

13 Feb 2025

Understanding the Complex Architecture of the Minor Spliceosome

In human cells, only a small proportion of the information written in genes is used to produce proteins. How does the cell select this information? A large molecular machine called the spliceosome continuously separates the coding and non-coding regions of our genes – and it's doing this even as you read these lines.

13 Feb 2025

PanK4 Protein Could Be Key to Better Control of Blood Sugar and Metabolism

Physical activity is not only important for fitness, but also for health. This is confirmed by a new study conducted under the direction of Prof. Dr. Maximilian Kleinert at the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE). His team discovered that the protein PanK4 plays a crucial role in the energy metabolism of skeletal muscles.

13 Feb 2025

DNA Methylation Governs Citric Acid Production in Lemons

Lemons owe their signature tang to citric acid, yet the molecular mechanisms governing its accumulation have long remained a mystery.

12 Feb 2025

Genetic Improvements Offer Pathways to Boost Livestock Productivity in Africa

African livestock producers have a unique opportunity to improve the production of meat, milk and eggs through modern breeding technologies and innovations being tested in Africa, according to a recent perspective paper published in Nature Genetics.

12 Feb 2025

Scientists Discover Hidden Role of RNA Introns in Cellular Stress Response

Scientists have discovered that some tiny segments of RNA thought to be junk instead have a functional role in suppressing production of certain messenger RNAs and appear to help cells respond to oxidative stress.

12 Feb 2025

Mismatch Repair Genes Found to be Key Drivers of Huntington's Disease

A new UCLA Health study has discovered in mouse models that genes associated with repairing mismatched DNA are critical in eliciting damages to neurons that are most vulnerable in Huntington's disease and triggering downstream pathologies and motor impairment, shedding light on disease mechanisms and potential new ways to develop therapies.

12 Feb 2025

Single-Cell Analysis Reveals Critical Kidney Cell Types Involved in Disease

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine have published a new study in the journal Science that suggests over 1,000 genes could be potential targets for kidney disease treatment.

12 Feb 2025

Fruit Fly Immune Responses May Help Predict Human Susceptibility to New Viruses

Study on Drosophilidae shows positive correlations in viral susceptibility, highlighting evolutionary trends that may predict novel virus threats to humans.

12 Feb 2025

Researchers Uncover Genomic Drivers Behind Aggressive Breast Cancer

Breast cancers can be classified into subgroups that hint at the aggressiveness of the cancer and the likelihood that the patient will experience a recurrence years after their initial diagnosis.

11 Feb 2025

Population Genetics Reveals Key Traits for Plant Climate Resilience

As climate change accelerates, plants face mounting pressure to adapt to shifting ecosystems and environmental conditions.

11 Feb 2025

Researchers Cultivate an Ultrasmall Bacterial Strain Parasitizing Archaea

AIST researchers, in collaboration with JAMSTEC, Hokkaido University and Tohoku University, have succeeded in cultivating an ultrasmall bacterial strain parasitizing archaea and classified the strain PMX.108T as new species and genus of Minisyncoccus archaeiphilus.

11 Feb 2025

Novel Biorecycling Method Transforms Nylon Waste into Bioplastics

A group of researchers from the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences – Biotechnology at Forschungszentrum Jülich, in collaboration with the company Novonesis, has successfully engineered a bacterium capable of “eating” individual building blocks of various types of nylon and converting them into value-added products.

11 Feb 2025