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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.

Mapping T Cell Targets to Fight Coronaviruses and Beyond

Most vaccines are designed to provide immunity against just one pathogen. Vaccines for chicken pox (caused by varicella-zoster virus) were only developed to fight that one disease, for example.

8 Aug 2025

Salk Scientists Use CRISPR to Uncover Microproteins Linked to Obesity

The obesity rate has more than doubled in the last 30 years, affecting more than one billion people worldwide.

8 Aug 2025

Smaller Scale Mutations in HNF1A Gene Nudge Millions Toward Type-2 Diabetes

Mutations in a single gene, HNF1A, are known to cause MODY3, a rare, early onset form of diabetes.

7 Aug 2025

Parkinson’s Gene Mutation Blocks Vital Neuroprotective Signals

GBA1 mutations impair ciliary Hedgehog signaling in Parkinson's disease, reducing neuroprotective factors and highlighting a shared pathogenic pathway.

7 Aug 2025

Ribosome Levels Drop During Early Brain Development

A team led by UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists has identified a specific stage of neurodevelopment when differentiating neural cells produce fewer ribosomes, which are responsible for making proteins.

6 Aug 2025

Uncovering How Cells Precisely Control Protein Production

It's known as biology's central dogma: All living organisms' genetic information is stored in DNA, which is transcribed into RNA, which is translated into proteins that perform nearly all essential tasks in a cell.

6 Aug 2025

New Computational Tool Reveals How Long Non-Coding RNAs Control Gene Expression

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) are a type of RNA molecule that do not carry instructions to make proteins. Instead, they influence how other genes are expressed.

6 Aug 2025

Case Western Researchers Use Stem Cells to “Shut Off” Nerve Cell Strain

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), sometimes known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is an incurable neurological disease that affects motor neurons, which are nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that regulate voluntary muscle movement and breathing.

6 Aug 2025

Prime Editing Reverses Symptoms of Severe Childhood Neurological Disease

Scientists use a precise form of gene editing called prime editing to correct the most common genetic mutations that cause alternating hemiplegia of childhood, a rare and severe neurological disorder that begins in infancy.

From The Jackson Labs 6 Aug 2025

UCLA Researchers Reprogram Stem Cells to Produce Continuous Cancer-Fighting T Cells

In a first-of-its-kind clinical trial, UCLA scientists have shown it's possible to reprogram a patient's blood-forming stem cells to generate a continuous supply of functional T cells, the immune system's most powerful cancer-killing agents.

5 Aug 2025

Small Changes in Brain Enzyme May Have Shaped Modern Human Behavior

The evolutionary success of our species may have hinged on minute changes to our brain biochemistry after we diverged from the lineage leading to Neanderthals and Denisovans about half a million years ago.

5 Aug 2025

New Genetic Research Reveals Hibernation Secrets Hidden in Human DNA

Animals that hibernate are incredibly resilient. They can spend months without food or water, muscles refusing to atrophy, body temperature dropping to near freezing as their metabolism and brain activity slow to a crawl.

1 Aug 2025

Newly Evolved Genes in Peach Offer Clues to Crop Adaptation

The emergence of new genes plays a critical role in driving species-specific traits and adaptive evolution.

1 Aug 2025

Mitochondrial Gene Found to Regulate Wood Formation in Poplar

Mitochondria are widely known as the "powerhouses" of the cell, generating the energy needed for life. But in plants, their role goes far beyond metabolism.

31 Jul 2025

Gene-Edited Mosquitoes Block Malaria Transmission

Genetic modification of mosquitoes with the FREP1Q224 allele shows significant promise for malaria elimination, maintaining fitness and reducing infections.

31 Jul 2025

Researchers Identify Key Gene for Restoring Fertility in Hybrid Peppers

Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) systems have revolutionized hybrid seed production by eliminating the need for manual pollen removal.

30 Jul 2025

Bacterial Battle Strategies Involve Durable Amyloid Armor

Amyloids are perhaps best known as a key driver of Alzheimer's disease.

30 Jul 2025

Proteins as a Natural Weapon Against Predatory Bacteria

Amyloids are perhaps best recognized as a major cause of Alzheimer’s disease.

30 Jul 2025

Blocking TG2 Could Help Immune Cells Attack Ovarian Tumors

The study reveals TG2's role in ovarian cancer metastasis, suggesting that its inhibition could re-educate the immune system for better anti-tumor efficacy.

30 Jul 2025

scLT-kit Empowers Single-Cell Lineage Tracing with Automated Analysis

Researchers at Tsinghua University have released a novel Python toolkit, scLT-kit, which automates the processing and analysis of single-cell lineage tracing data, delivering clear insights into how individual cells develop, differentiate, and respond to treatments.

29 Jul 2025