Genetics and Genomics News and Research

Latest Genetics and Genomics News and Research

New Gene Discovery Could Revolutionize Sex Determination in Green Algae

An international team of researchers led by Dr. James Umen at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center has made a groundbreaking discovery in the world of developmental biology.

13 Jul 2023

Dad’s Genes “Remote Control” Mom’s Metabolism to Benefit Fetus

The unborn baby “remote controls” its mother’s metabolism, resulting in a nutritional tug-of-war between the two. The mother’s body requires the baby to survive, but she also needs enough glucose and fats in her system to be able to deliver the baby, breastfeed, and reproduce again.

12 Jul 2023

Genome of Xerces Blue Butterfly Reveals Extinction Story

The Xerces Blue butterfly (Glaucopsyche xerces) was native to the coastal dunes of San Francisco, in the United States. As the city grew, much of the butterfly's habitat was destroyed and its population was relegated to Golden Gate National Park.

12 Jul 2023

First 'Living Digital Camera' Stores Images in DNA

In a world first, a 'biological camera' bypasses the constraints of current DNA storage methods, harnessing living cells and their inherent biological mechanisms to encode and store data.

12 Jul 2023

The Mechanism of Immune Memory Development

The memory of the immune system depends on distinctive epigenetic traits and a particular 3D arrangement of the DNA in the nucleus of memory cells, allowing for rapid activation of these cells, according to a team of researchers from the Erasmus University Medical Center, the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), and the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute.

12 Jul 2023

Lipe Gene Plays Pivotal Role in Retinal Health, Study Finds

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a gene called Lipe that appears to be pivotal to retinal health, with mutations spurring immune activation and retinal degeneration.

12 Jul 2023

New Insights Into How Genes Are Activated

Genetic information contained within DNA has to be read by specific proteins that enable the process of gene activation to begin – but in many cases, these proteins can't access their targets because DNA strands are bundled up to control what genes are used in the wide range of different cell types.

12 Jul 2023

Glucose-Sensing Neurons May Play a Role in Regulating Blood Sugar

The body's blood glucose level needs to be maintained in a relatively narrow range. It cannot be too high, as it can lead to diabetes, and it cannot be too low because it can cause fainting or even death.

12 Jul 2023

Whole Genome Sequencing More Effective Than Targeted Gene Sequencing in Detecting Genetic Disorders

A new national study, led by researchers at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, has found whole genome sequencing (WGS) to be nearly twice as effective as a targeted gene sequencing test at identifying abnormalities responsible for genetic disorders in newborns and infants.

12 Jul 2023

Live Broadcasting of “Growth Factor Signaling” Proteins Inside Living Cells

The “live reporter” technology, developed by synthetic biologists at Princeton University and Rice University, has shown that it is possible to expose, with a great deal more accuracy than is now possible, the functioning of networks of signaling proteins in living cells.

11 Jul 2023

AMP Releases CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 Genotyping Assay Recommendations

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), the world’s leading professional society for molecular diagnostics, released consensus recommendations today to aid in the design and validation of clinical CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 genotyping assays, encourage standardization of testing across labs, and better patient care.

11 Jul 2023

New Insight Into the Physiology of NO-Reducing Microorganisms

Nitric oxide (NO) is a central molecule in the global cycling of nitrogen, and also toxic. Little is known about if and how microbes can use NO as a substrate for growth.

11 Jul 2023

New Culture System may Improve Efficiency and Safety of Genome Editing in HSCs

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are rare cells found in the bone marrow that produce red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

11 Jul 2023

Mapping Immune Microenvironments in Human Placenta

Until recently, scientific evidence on the ability of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, to replicate in the human placenta has been inconclusive.

10 Jul 2023

T cells are Sensitive to Genetic Disturbances Within Mitochondrial Power Plants

All cells have their own power plants, called mitochondria. There are often more than 100 mitochondria per cell and each possesses their own genome, which in turn contains genes responsible for energy production.

7 Jul 2023

Genetic Changes in Maize Reveal Trade-Offs in Heat Tolerance

The ability of crops to withstand heat is critical to our food system's resilience to climate change. A study published in the open access journal PLOS Genetics by Aaron Kusmec at Iowa State University; Ames, Iowa, United States and colleagues suggests that trait selection through plant breeding has increased maize's tolerance to moderate heat stress over time; however, its tolerance to severe heat stress has decreased.

7 Jul 2023