Genetics and Genomics News and Research

Latest Genetics and Genomics News and Research

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 mathematical model to characterize long-term evolutionary scenarios

Species under a taxonomic umbrella often go through adaptation or face extinction when they encounter a division in the path, and the road that is taken has been hard to track.

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

Identifying Potential Drugs Earlier In Discovery

Scientists have developed a technique that could significantly reduce the time of discovering potential new antibody-based drugs to treat disease.

16 Apr 2020

Improving drug targets for asthma and rheumatoid arthritis

Researchers have found that immune T cells exhibit a range of responsiveness. This finding could offer insights into how the immune system of humans responds to infections and cancer, and what goes wrong in immune diseases.

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

Study offers insight into exchange of drug resistance genes among bacteria

Researchers have been able to identify and track the exchange of genes among bacteria that allow them to become resistant to drugs, according to a new study published today in eLife.

15 Apr 2020

How human cells recognize undesirable guests

Until now, the immune sensor TLR8 has remained in the shadows of science. A research team led by the University of Bonn has now discovered how this sensor plays an important role in defending human cells against intruders.

15 Apr 2020

Plant genes control microbiome diversity inside leaves to stay healthy

In a new study, published in the journal Nature, Michigan State University scientists show how plant genes select which microbes get to live inside their leaves in order to stay healthy.

14 Apr 2020

Clock protein moves in sync with temperature to coordinate rhythms in shoots, roots

Five years ago, researchers from the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics led by the CSIC Research Professor Paloma Mas made the breakthrough discovery that the circadian clocks in the growing tip of the plant shoot function in a similar way to the clocks in the mammalian brain, which in both cases are able to synchronize the daily rhythms of the cells in distal organs.

14 Apr 2020

New model can improve prediction of genetic modification with unintended consequences

Scientists have often demonstrated their interest in genetically modifying tree species for a wide range of applications, ranging from paper to biofuel production, while staying clear of those modifications that lead to unexpected outcomes.

14 Apr 2020

Bio-factory plant available to researchers to help combat COVID-19

At present, the Nicotiana benthamiana plant is being used as a bio-factory for various experimental vaccines against SARS-COV-2.

14 Apr 2020

Largest proteomic study reveals link between glucose metabolism proteins and AD biology

In the largest study to date of proteins related to Alzheimer's disease, a team of researchers has identified disease-specific proteins and biological processes that could be developed into both new treatment targets and fluid biomarkers.

13 Apr 2020

Combined effect of rare mutations has negative impact on health and longevity

In a study published recently in the eLife journal, researchers have reported that the combined effects of rare and damaging mutations that occur at birth itself have adverse effects on health span and longevity.

13 Apr 2020

Study reveals new mechanism that controls chromosome inheritance

During the process of each single cell division, the chromosomal genetic data should be uniformly distributed between the freshly developing daughter cells.

13 Apr 2020

Important genetic mechanism behind inflammatory bowel disease revealed

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have pinpointed a genetic variation responsible for driving the development of inflammatory bowel disease.

10 Apr 2020

Breakthrough In Unlocking Genetic Potential Of Ocean Microbes

Researchers have made a major breakthrough in developing gene-editing tools to improve our understanding of ocean microbes.

10 Apr 2020

Exposure to even low levels of air pollution can change gene expression

New data from a landmark study done by Monash University researchers in Australia raises significant concerns that even short-term exposure to low-level air pollution can affect gene expression, leaving us at risk of other diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

9 Apr 2020