Gene News and Research

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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.

Plant tissue succulence engineering can be used to improve drought and salinity tolerance

After several years of experimentation, scientists have engineered thale cress, or Arabidopsis thaliana, to behave like a succulent, improving water-use efficiency, salinity tolerance and reducing the effects of drought.

3 Jul 2020

COVID-19 makes platelets 'hyperactive' and more prone to form deadly blood clots

Changes in blood platelets triggered by COVID-19 could contribute to the onset of heart attacks, strokes, and other serious complications in some patients who have the disease, according to University of Utah Health scientists.

2 Jul 2020

Discovery of novel mechanism associated with cancer could lead to new therapies

Cancer cases have been rising over the years and according to the statistics, the number of people living with cancer will continue to increase.

2 Jul 2020

Researchers discover protein involved in protecting B cells

Whenever a germ gets into the human body, the immune system usually responds immediately to fight off the enemy attacker. One of our defense system's most important strategies involves B lymphocytes, also known as B cells, which produce antibodies that target and neutralize pathogens.

2 Jul 2020

Discovery of new step in brain cell mechanism could lead to new treatments for epilepsy

Researchers have identified a critical new step in how brain cells function in people with one of the most common forms of epilepsy.

2 Jul 2020

Scientists develop CRISPR-assisted method to detect RNA-binding proteins in living cells

While scientists still don't fully understand the diverse nature of RNA molecules, it is believed that the proteins binding to them, called RNA-binding proteins, are associated with many disease formation.

2 Jul 2020

Study reveals how and where cells suppress transcription across the whole genome

All life depends on a genome, which acts as an instruction manual for building all the products essential for development and survival. But knowing which of these individual instructions - or genes - need to be read, and when, is key for a properly functioning organism: so how does life get this right?

1 Jul 2020

Researchers develop a series of APOBEC-Cas9 fusion-induced deletion systems

Many small regulatory elements, including miRNAs, miRNA binding sites, and cis-acting elements, comprise only 5~24 nucleotides and play important roles in regulating gene expression, transcription and translation, and protein structure, and thus are promising targets for gene function studies and crop improvement.

1 Jul 2020

COVID-19 virus can infect heart cells in a lab dish, study shows

A new study shows that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus), can infect heart cells in a lab dish, indicating it may be possible for heart cells in COVID-19 patients to be directly infected by the virus.

1 Jul 2020

Glitches in DNA replication can lead to genetic diseases

Researchers have discovered that a living cell’s system meant for avoiding genetic damage can fail so much that it would be better off without it.

1 Jul 2020

Singapore researchers discover protein that drives cancer progression

Cancers arise when the genetic code of normal cells is altered, causing excessive growth. Researchers from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at the National University of Singapore have discovered a protein that drives the growth of cancers of the esophagus or liver by altering the genetic code in a novel way.

30 Jun 2020

Genome sequencing reveals signposts in DNA for cancer, disease risk

By sequencing entire genomes for DNA modifications, and analyzing both cancer tissues and healthy ones, Hackensack Meridian Health researchers and doctors have found what could be a key to risks for cancer and other diseases: specific locations in the DNA where those expression changes (methylation) are imbalanced, according to a new publication.

30 Jun 2020

Researchers show how gut microbiome helps people resist cholera

Cholera can kill within hours if left untreated, and it sickens as many as 4 million people a year. In a new article in the journal Cell, researchers describe how gut bacteria helps people resist the disease.

30 Jun 2020

Antibiotic resistance genes persist in E. coli through 'genetic capitalism', study shows

We have known for some time that over-use of antibiotics is causing a frightening increase in antibiotic resistance in bacteria, through the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance genes.

29 Jun 2020

Researchers identify osmotic stress as stimulator of cellular waste disposal

Cellular waste disposal, where autophagy and lysosomes interact, performs elementary functions, such as degrading damaged protein molecules, which impair cellular function, and reintroducing the resulting building blocks such as amino acids into the metabolic system.

29 Jun 2020