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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.

Advanced simulations show how to improve efficiency of gene therapy

Diseases with a genetic cause could, in theory, be treated by supplying a correct version of the faulty gene.

20 Apr 2020

Stem Cells In Embryos Commit To Specialization Surprisingly Early

The point when human embryonic stem cells irreversibly commit to becoming specialized has been identified by researchers at the Francis Crick Institute.

20 Apr 2020

Histones Are Crucial For Adaptation To Cell Stress

The genetic material, DNA, of plants, animals, and humans is stored inside the cell, and DNA packing is guaranteed by proteins called histones.

20 Apr 2020

Genetics Linked To Childhood Problems

Emotional, social and psychiatric problems in children and adolescents have been linked to higher levels of genetic vulnerability for adult depression.

20 Apr 2020

Cancer Drug Resistance Study Raises Immune Red Flags

Sooner or later, most cancer patients develop resistance to chemotherapy drugs designed to kill their cancer, forcing oncologists to seek alternatives.

20 Apr 2020

Novel protein facilitates a critical event in mammalian fertilization

Fertilization is a fundamental process in sexual reproduction when the combination of male and female gametes blends genetic material to create a new unique individual. Now, researchers from Japan have identified a new factor that may help orchestrate this vitally complex life event.

From Osaka University 17 Apr 2020

Sensitive technique makes it possible to study the delivery of RNA drugs

In recent years, RNA molecules, with the ability to affect or turn off pathogenic genes, have become promising drug candidates in several areas.

17 Apr 2020

Newly-discovered mitochondrial small protein is essential for energy production

A newly-discovered small protein in mitochondria is essential for energy production, report Duke-NUS researchers and their colleagues in the journal Nature Communications.

17 Apr 2020

Study clears potential obstacle to using gene drive strategy to control mosquitoes

New research from entomologists at UC Davis clears a potential obstacle to using CRISPR-Cas9 "gene drive" technology to control mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever and Zika.

From The University of California, Davis 17 Apr 2020

Rare structural genetic variants could play a role in schizophrenia

Most of the research focused on the genetics of schizophrenia has aimed at understanding the function played by genes in the development and heritability of schizophrenia.

17 Apr 2020

Mitochondrial protein contributes to degenerative diseases

Scientists and their collaborators from Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke NUS) have recently identified a novel small protein in mitochondria, which is essential for energy production.

17 Apr 2020

Gene Variant Staves Off Alzheimer's In Some People

People with a gene that puts them at risk for Alzheimer's disease are protected from its debilitating effects if they also carry a variant of a different gene.

17 Apr 2020

Diagnostics, Meet CRISPR

The simplicity of urine sampling has been combined with the excellent sensing abilities of CRISPR to improve diagnostic testing for kidney transplant patients.

17 Apr 2020

Whole Genome Sequencing Reveals Secrets Of Schizophrenia

Most research about the genetics of schizophrenia has sought to understand the role that genes play in the development and heritability of schizophrenia.

17 Apr 2020

Molecular network underlies the structures of critical cellular compartments

Networks are at the heart of everything from communications systems to pandemics. Now researchers have found that a unique type of network also underlies the structures of critical cellular compartments known as membraneless organelles.

16 Apr 2020

Study shows how vulnerable cells armor themselves against infection

Cells in some of the body's most vulnerable entry routes to bacterial infection buffer themselves when the immune system detects danger by reorganizing the cholesterol on their surfaces, a new study led by UTSW scientists suggests.

16 Apr 2020

New study on transposable elements could help advance understanding of genetic evolution

There has been very little knowledge of ways in which transposable elements play a role in gene regulation. Transposable elements are small DNA pieces with the ability to replicate and scatter themselves in the genome.

16 Apr 2020

New algorithm predicts the evolution of genetic mutations in species

David McCandlish and Juannan Zhou, both quantitative biologists at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, have designed a new algorithm that has predictive power, providing researchers the ability to observe the way particular genetic mutations combine to make crucial proteins change over the duration of a species’ evolution.

16 Apr 2020

Genetic architecture of life span is context dependent, study finds

Scientists believe about 25 percent of the differences in human life span is determined by genetics -- with the rest determined by environmental and lifestyle factors. But they don't yet know all the genes that contribute to a long life.

15 Apr 2020

Molecular causes of brain asymmetry revealed

Scientists may have solved one of the most puzzling and persistent mysteries in neuroscience: why some people are "right-brained" while others are "left-brained."

15 Apr 2020