Genes News and Research

RSS

Largest-ever genetic analysis provides insight into domestications and origin of traits in grapevine

In the largest ever genetic analysis of grapevine varieties, including samples from previously undocumented specimens in private collections, researchers provide new insights into how, when, and where wine and table grapevines were domesticated, which has been a longstanding question.

3 Mar 2023

New insights into the underlying mechanism that causes arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy

Researchers from the group of Eva van Rooij in collaboration with the UMC Utrecht identified a new mutation that leads to the cardiac disease arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM).

3 Mar 2023

CRISPR/Cas method could help save rice crops threatened by climate change

A review of gene editing techniques suggests that the CRISPR/Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/Cas) method could be a possible 'savior' for rice crops threatened by climate change and high food demand.

3 Mar 2023

New signals of natural selection in humans identified

A team of global experts has discovered new signals of natural selection in humans.

2 Mar 2023

Novel way to block the death of nerve cells in MND

Scientists have found a novel way to block the transportation of mutant RNA and subsequent production of toxic repeat proteins which lead to the death of nerve cells in the most common subtypes of motor neurone disease (MND) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

2 Mar 2023

New model, C. elegans, helps pursue research on Parkinson's disease

A tiny worm called the C. elegans is enabling scientists to explore the emerging theory that Parkinson's disease starts in the gut.

1 Mar 2023

Study shows how pesticides render certain strawberries bland

Have you ever bitten into a plump, red strawberry, only to find it bland and watery? Certain pesticides might be responsible. A team reporting in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry has found that two common strawberry fungicides can impact cellular mechanisms, creating berries with subdued flavor and sweetness, as well as a lower nutritional value.

28 Feb 2023

New method can rapidly detect COVID-19 infections with near-perfect accuracy

By inspecting the body's immune response at a molecular level, a research team has developed a new way to test patients for COVID-19.

28 Feb 2023

Effective and faster methodology detects RNA viruses based on the triplex-forming probe technology

Experts from the University of Barcelona, the Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC), the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM-CSIC) and the Aragon Nanoscience and Materials Institute of Aragon (INMA) -;a joint institute of the CSIC and the University of Zaragoza-; have developed a new method to detect RNA viruses based on the triplex-forming probe technology.

28 Feb 2023

Study reveals why the FMO5 gene produces an enzyme with a different activity

Our body produces lots of enzymes that break down toxic substances. One class of such enzymes are the flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs), which are present in all tetrapods. Humans have five different FMO genes, of which the first four display the same activity. However, the fifth FMO gene triggers a different breakdown reaction. University of Groningen biochemists have succeeded in resurrecting the ancestral genes of all tetrapod FMOs to show how this divergence has occurred. Their results appear on 24 February in Nature Communications.

28 Feb 2023

Women over 50 with genetic BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation face a high risk of cancer

Although genetic mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 are associated with a younger onset of breast and ovarian cancer, women with these genetic mutations continue to face a high risk of cancer incidence after age 50, even if they have not been previously diagnosed with cancer.

27 Feb 2023

New molecular understanding of how head injury may contribute to glioma risk

Researchers from the UCL Cancer Institute have provided important molecular understanding of how injury may contribute to the development of a relatively rare but often aggressive form of brain tumor called a glioma.

27 Feb 2023

Study shows why a specific gene mutation has opposite effects on mice and human cancers

A small but significant metabolic difference between human and mouse lung tumor cells, has been discovered by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers, explaining a discrepancy in previous study results, and pointing toward new strategies for developing cancer treatments.

27 Feb 2023

New model simplifies the understanding of vascular malformations

Our bodies are made up of 60,000 miles of complex pipes that play a vital role in transporting nutrients throughout our bodies, performing waste disposal, and supplying our organs with fresh oxygen and blood.

27 Feb 2023

Herpesvirus infection boosts host cellular immunity: Study

A new editorial was published in Genes & Cancer on January 19th, 2023, entitled, "Severe herpesvirus infection beats adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma."

27 Feb 2023

Single gene controls a switch between two alternative cell fates in sea anemone

When scientists disabled a single regulatory gene in a species of sea anemone, a stinging cell that shoots a venomous miniature harpoon for hunting and self-defense shifted to shoot a sticky thread that entangles prey instead, according to a new study.

24 Feb 2023

Genes can be used to better predict the likelihood of kidney cancer recurrence

A decade-long international study into kidney cancer has shown that doctors can predict the likelihood of a patient's disease returning by looking at DNA mutations in their tumors.

24 Feb 2023

New genetic research could make growing wheat in drought conditions easier in future

Growing wheat in drought conditions may be easier in the future, thanks to new genetic research out of the University of California, Davis.

24 Feb 2023

Whole genome sequencing might help better assess tumor evolution

To develop the most efficacious, personalized treatment plans for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma or other cancers, researchers and clinicians must first understand the genetic changes that cause cancer to develop.

23 Feb 2023

Robust method for induced pluripotent stem cell culture

Different types of cells, such as the heart, liver, blood, and sperm cells, have characteristics that help them perform their specific functions in the body. In general, those traits are hard-wired. A heart cell will not randomly transform into a liver cell if not stimulated.

23 Feb 2023