A recent study has uncovered new genetic insights into how two wild strawberries—Fragaria corymbosa and Fragaria moupinensis—have evolved to thrive in high-altitude environments.
Tag: Dna Repair
Cell Division, DNA Repair, and Cancer Progression Closely Tied to CDK9 Dysfunction
Researchers describe a newly-observed role for the protein Cyclin Dependent Kinase 9 (CDK9) in regulating DNA repair during cellular division, where errors can become the origin of cancerous tumor growth.
Metabolite tells cells whether to repair DNA
Findings from researchers at the University of Michigan Health Rogel Cancer Center, published in Cancer Discovery, show how a specific nucleotide metabolite called GTP controls responses to radiation and chemotherapy in an unexpected way.
How cells select DNA damage repair pathways
DNA is well known as the blueprint of life, necessary for an organism to facilitate living processes. DNA can be damaged by various factors such as radical metabolites, radiation, and some toxic chemicals.
A New Strategy for Repairing DNA Damage in Neurons
Researchers discover a mechanism used by neurons to repair damage that occurs during neuronal activity
Motion of DNA linked to its damage response, ability to repair itself
Indiana University researchers have discovered that the motion of chromatin, the material that DNA is made of, can help facilitate effective repair of DNA damage in the human nucleus — a finding that could lead to improved cancer diagnosis and treatment.
‘Guardian of the Genome’ and the ‘WASp’ team up to repair DNA damage
College of Medicine researchers found that replication protein A works with an ally called the WAS protein to ‘save the day’ and prevent potential cancers from developing.
“Soft” CRISPR May Offer a New Fix for Genetic Defects
Scientists have developed a CRISPR-based technology that could offer a safer approach to correcting genetic defects. The new “soft” CRISPR system makes use of natural DNA repair machinery, providing a foundation for novel gene therapy strategies with the potential to cure genetic diseases.
MD Anderson Research Highlights for August 11, 2021
Current advances include insights into anti-tumor responses, a targeted therapy combination for biliary tract cancers, biomarkers that may predict response to DNA damage repair inhibitors, a “virtual biopsy” using artificial intelligence to characterize tumors, new targeted and immunotherapy approaches for pancreatic cancer, understanding the impact of TP53 mutations on acute myeloid leukemia treatments, as well as a new strategy to overcome treatment-resistant KRAS-mutant lung cancer.
Study Identifies Never-Before-Seen Dual Function in Enzyme Critical for Cancer Growth
In developing therapies for hard-to-treat breast and ovarian cancers in patients with BRCA gene mutations, scientists aim to identify ways to keep cancer cells from using DNA break repair pathways. New findings demonstrate a previously-unknown capability for polymerase theta (pol theta) – a key enzyme in this repair function – that shows promise as a new avenue for treatment development.
An Unexpected, and Novel, Target for Prostate Cancer – Our Biological Clock
Researchers find that CRY-1, a regulator of circadian rhythms, promotes tumor progression by altering DNA repair.
Molecular Shape Shifters
Our DNA acts like a book of recipes for making proteins. But if a recipe is wrong, what does a cell do Peng Mao, PhD, and his team discovered an intricate series of events that cells use to repair our DNA as the recipes are being read. Their findings could lead to improved cancer treatments.
Study finds cancer mutations accumulate in distinct regions based on structure of genome and mutational causes
A study finds that cancer mutations occur in distinct patterns based on the 3D structure of the genome and the underlying cause of the mutation. This helps us to understand cancer better and may lead to new treatment approaches.
Genome Guardians Stop and Reel in DNA to Correct Replication Errors
Proofreading proteins prevent DNA replication errors by creating an immobile structure that calls more proteins to the site to repair the error. This structure could also prevent the mismatched region from being “packed” back into the cell during division.
Supercomputer Simulations Show How DNA Prepares Itself for Repair
Researchers from Harvard University and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston recently used the Comet supercomputer at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at the University of California San Diego to uncover the novel ways in which DNA prepares itself for repair.
Light-Activated ‘CRISPR’ Triggers Precision Gene Editing and Super-Fast DNA Repair
In a series of experiments using human cancer cell lines, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have successfully used light as a trigger to make precise cuts in genomic material rapidly, using a molecular scalpel known as CRISPR, and observe how specialized cell proteins repair the exact spot where the gene was cut.
Scientists Reveal How Mutations in Metabolism Can Drive Cancers
Yale Cancer Center scientists have identified mutations in metabolite-producing genes as a disruption of DNA repair. These mutation-driven “oncometabolites” may make cells more prone to developing cancer—but also more vulnerable to new cancer treatment strategies.
Troublemaking ‘lesion’ singled out in UV-caused skin cancer
Upon exposure to human skin, ultraviolet light from the sun almost instantly generates two types of “lesions” that damage DNA. Scientists at UW Medicine in Seattle determined which of these lesions is responsible for activating a process that may increase cancerous mutations in cells.