Genetics and Genomics News and Research

Latest Genetics and Genomics News and Research

Genome of the earliest common ancestor of all mammals identified

From a platypus to a blue whale, all living mammals today are derived from a single ancestor that existed around 180 million years ago. Although nothing much is known about this species, an international team of experts has now computationally rebuilt how its DNA is organized.

From The University of California, Davis 28 Sep 2022

Discovery of genes lending tolerance to sugarcane from pests, cold, and drought

Saccharum spontaneum, a species of wild sugarcane with exceptional resistance to biotic stresses like nematodes, fungi, bacteria, and other pests and diseases, as well as abiotic stresses like cold, drought, salinity, and nutritionally deficient soil, was the subject of a study at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil.

28 Sep 2022

Cryo-EM solves the decades-old mystery of bacterial movement

Scientists from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and their colleagues have discovered a decades-old mystery regarding how E. coli and other bacteria move.

28 Sep 2022

The master regulator behind the fungal infection of wheat identified

The most damaging fungal disease of wheat farmed in temperate regions worldwide, Septoria tritici blotch, is brought on by the fungus Zymoseptoria tritici.

From University of Exeter 27 Sep 2022

WEHI receives $2.5 million fund to develop personalized cancer treatments

With a $2.5 million fund received from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), a new genomics project led by WEHI will develop precision medicine and customized cancer therapy for Australians.

From Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) 27 Sep 2022

Structure of family groups gives animals an incentive to help or harm as they age

The structure of family groups gives animals an incentive to help or harm their social group as they age, new research shows.

From University of Exeter 27 Sep 2022

Tiny DNA strand net in a low-cost test platform traps COVID-19 virus

According to a new study, tiny nets made of DNA strands can capture the spike protein of the virus that causes COVID-19, illuminating it for a quick yet accurate diagnostic test and preventing it from infecting cells, suggesting a new potential path to antiviral treatment.

26 Sep 2022

Carp virus provides significant insights into immunology

In an article published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research, the team led by Prof. Alain Vanderplasschen, a virologist and immunologist at the University of Liège, describes 10 years of research on how a carp virus uses a protein domain called Zalpha (Zα) to inhibit the host cell’s defense mechanisms.

26 Sep 2022

Rutgers researchers seek to develop technology for protein editing

Rutgers researchers are seeking to develop the technology to modify or "edit" protein molecules in the body-;an advance that could spur major breakthroughs in human health.

From Rutgers University 26 Sep 2022

Coral genome reveals cysteine biosynthesis pathways

Model animals, such as mice and fruit flies, have provided scientists with powerful insights into how cellular biology works. However, model animals are really just a guide, and it can be risky to generalize findings across animals from studying a selection of model organisms.

26 Sep 2022

World's terrestrial plant, animal life could already be at greater risk from genetic diversity loss

Climate change and habitat destruction may have already caused the loss of more than one-tenth of the world's terrestrial genetic diversity, according to new research led by Carnegie's Moises Exposito-Alonso and published in Science.

23 Sep 2022

An analysis of old genes’ influence on sea anemones

For the neuronal cell types’ categorization as more complicated creatures, the genetic fingerprint of Nematostella vectensis—the sea anemone—reveals that the members of this evolutionarily very ancient animal phylum employ identical gene cascades.

22 Sep 2022

Understanding the structure of the nucleus inside a cell using mathematics

Recent work shows a novel mathematical approach to start comprehending how a cell’s nucleus is structured.

21 Sep 2022

Chromosome restructuring suppresses meiotic recombination

The use of CRISPR/Cas (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) molecular scissors enables targeted editing, insertion, or suppression of genes in plants.

21 Sep 2022

Soil viruses contribute auxiliary functions to their hosts

There are billions of fungi, bacteria, and viruses, in a handful of soil, all working to support the cycle of life. Comprehending the interaction of these microbes with one another aids researchers evaluate soil carbon and nutrient cycling, soil health, and also the means through which dead insects decompose.

21 Sep 2022

Common genetic variants associated with beat synchronization identified

The first large-scale genomic study of musicality revealed 69 genetic variations linked with beat synchronization, which denotes the ability to move in time with the beat of the music.

From Vanderbilt University 20 Sep 2022

Rumen-protected lysine improves uterine health

Boosting milk yield when included in the diet at sufficient levels, lysine is an important amino acid for dairy cows. But how could lysine be advantageous for cows in other means? A new study by the University of Illinois reveals that rumen-protected lysine can enhance uterine health if given in the transition period.

20 Sep 2022

Researchers reveal key developmental difference between the brains of modern humans and Neanderthals

AZoLifesciences speaks to Dr. Anneline Pinson and Prof. Dr. Wieland B. Huttner from The Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics about their latest research which found a greater neuron production in the frontal lobe during brain development in modern humans than Neanderthals, due to the change of a single amino acid in the protein TKTL1.

From The Max Planck Institute 20 Sep 2022

Novel molecular mechanism of focal adhesion kinase inhibition in HD

Principal researchers at the Brain Science Institute (BSI) of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology were said to have discovered substantially decreased activity of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) proteins that play a significant role in neurite motility and proper synapse formation in HD patients’ brain tissues.

19 Sep 2022

Studying cell membranes’ role in allowing viruses’ spike proteins to infect cells

University of Alberta’s study demonstrates the way cell membranes perform a much bigger role than that was understood in enabling spike proteins on viruses to affect cells.

19 Sep 2022