Inherited diseases of metabolism and immunity have more in common than previously recognized, according to a new study published in the journal Science Immunology. The findings point to a new set of metabolic genes that are important for the function of immune system T cells, and they offer insights that could improve care for patients with these disorders.
Tag: genes
Your Best Friend From High School? Here’s Why Their Genes Mattered
Peer social genetic effects – the influence of a social partner’s genotype on the observable traits of another – influence risk for addiction and psychiatric disorders later in life, a Rutgers researcher finds
Johns Hopkins Medicine’s Center for Inherited Disease Research Renews 7-Year Award for Up to $98 Million
With renewed funding of up to $98.8 million for seven years, Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists will continue to be a worldwide resource for discovering the genes and their variations that contribute to human disease.
From genes to growth: the science behind miniature apple trees
A significant study has uncovered the genetic mechanisms behind apple rootstock dwarfing, a practice pivotal for efficient and high-yield apple farming. The research delves into the role of the MdARF3 gene and its regulatory impact on plant growth, offering new insights into the genetic control of plant stature.
Tiny Worm Helps Uncover Long-lasting Prenatal Effects from Amphetamines
During pregnancy, the effects of therapeutical doses of amphetamine have been investigated on birth outcomes in humans. However, a thorough investigation of the mechanisms underlying the long-term effects of embryonal exposure to addictive doses of amphetamine remains largely unexplored.
CRISPR Gene Editing Leads to Improvements in Vision for People With Inherited Blindness, Clinical Trial Shows
BRILLIANCE trial results showed 11 out of 14 treated participants experienced some improvements in vision and quality of life measures. CRISPR-based therapy was found safe with no dose-limiting toxicities reported. Mass Eye and Ear researchers say their findings support continued…
Expert available to discuss transgenic cow capable of producing human insulin in milk
A new study in Biotechnology Journal describing a transgenic cow capable of producing human proinsulin and insulin in her milk could have wide-reaching implications for millions of diabetics worldwide. The advancement provides proof-of-concept for a system that would require refinement…
Genes affect your blood pressure from early childhood
Certain genes associated with hypertension affect blood pressure from early in life, and they increase the risk of cardiovascular disease as you get older. However, you can do something about it.
Scientists discover hidden army of lung flu fighters
Scientists have long thought of the fluid-filled sac around our lungs merely as a cushion from external damage.
The end of genes: routine test reveals unique divergence in genetic code
Scientists testing a new method of sequencing single cells have unexpectedly changed our understanding of the rules of genetics.
The end of genes: routine test reveals unique divergence in genetic code
Scientists testing a new method of sequencing single cells have unexpectedly changed our understanding of the rules of genetics.
Impact of genes linked to neurodevelopmental diseases found in Stanford Medicine-led study
Stanford Medicine investigators and their colleagues sifted through a jumble of genes implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders and identified dozens of disparate troublemakers with similar effects.
Researchers develop first method to study microRNA activity in single cells
MicroRNAs are small molecules that regulate gene activity by binding to and destroying RNAs produced by the genes. More than 60% of all human genes are estimated to be regulated by microRNAs, therefore it is not surprising that these small molecules are involved in many biological processes including diseases such as cancer.
Researchers Identify Genes that Directly Influence What We Eat
In one of the first large-scale studies of genes related to diet, researchers have uncovered almost 500 genes that appear to directly influence the foods we eat. The findings represent an important step toward using a person’s genetics to develop precision nutrition strategies that help improve health or prevent disease.
Gene variation makes apple trees ‘weep,’ improving orchards
Plant geneticists have identified a mutation in a gene that causes the “weeping” architecture – branches growing downwards – in apple trees, a finding that could improve orchard fruit production.
Faster progression of multiple sclerosis associated with newly identified genetic variant
In a new study of more than 22,000 people with multiple sclerosis (MS), an international team identified for the first time a genetic variant associated with faster progression of the disease and accumulation of disability. Despite the development of effective…
Rethinking the Protein Inhibitor Approach to Cancer Therapy
A new method than enables researchers to dial up or tone down the amount of a certain metastatic protein inhibitor (BACH1) within a cell could provide a new path in cancer research that reassesses the effectiveness of protein inhibitors to treat disease.
Artificial Intelligence Catalyzes Gene Activation Research and Uncovers Rare DNA Sequences
Biologists have used machine learning, a type of AI, to identify “synthetic extreme” DNA sequences with specifically designed functions in gene activation. They tested 50 million DNA sequences and found synthetic DNA sequences with activities that could be useful in biotechnology and medicine.
Researchers zero in on potential new function of lymphatic system: producing blood
Scientists investigating the causes of lymphoedema have made a major discovery, revealing that lymphatic vessels can produce red and white blood cells.
People with additional X or Y chromosome at increased risk for dangerous blood clots
People with an additional X or Y chromosome—a genetic condition known as supernumerary sex chromosome aneuploidy—have an increased risk of developing blood clots known as venous thromboembolism (VTE), a Geisinger study found.
Experts from 14 Nations Discuss Global Gene Drive Project Registry
UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science led 70 participants from 14 nations in a discussion on the ways in which a gene drive project registry could both contribute to and detract from the fair development, testing and use of gene-drive modified organisms.
Cleveland Clinic Researchers Identify Diabetes Drug Metformin as Potential Atrial Fibrillation Treatment in Collaborative Research
Cleveland Clinic researchers have identified a common diabetes medication, metformin, as a possible treatment for atrial fibrillation.
The study, published in Cell Reports Medicine, built on ongoing collaborative Cleveland Clinic research to support further investigation into metformin as a drug repurposing candidate. Researchers used advanced computation and genetic sequencing to determine that metformin’s targets overlap significantly with genes dysregulated in atrial fibrillation.
$1.8 Million NIH Grant Supports Head and Neck Cancer Research
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers Lluis Morey, Ph.D., and Ramiro Verdun, Ph.D., have received a $1.8 million NIH R01 grant to study the epigenetic mechanisms that drive head and neck cancers.
Blood cancer scientists developing powerful new tools to improve diagnosis and treatment for patients
Australian researchers will use new technology to improve the diagnosis and treatment of blood cancers, which affect 1.24 million people globally, including 720,000 who die from leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma each year.
Study of Body Weight-associated Genes in Rats May Inform Regulation of Obesity in Humans
Article title: Transcriptome-wide analyses of adipose tissue in outbred rats reveal genetic regulatory mechanisms relevant for human obesity Authors: Wesley L. Crouse, Swapan K. Das, Thu Le, Gregory Keele, Katie Holl, Osborne Seshie, Ann L. Craddock, Neeraj K. Sharma, Mary…
FAU Receives NSF Grant to Explore Trait Evolution Across Species
The NSF grant will enable scientists to elucidate trait evolution across species using statistical and supervised machine learning approaches to vigorously and accurately predict general and specific evolutionary mechanisms that also will be applicable to various genomic and transcriptomic data for evolutionary discovery.
Food Science Meets Cell Science in Bid to Explain Inner Workings of Membrane-Free Cell Compartments
Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report that food science principles have helped them determine how unusual droplets within cells stay organized and avoid dissolving into the rest of the cell’s gelatinous interior.
Massive Study Links Nearly 600 Genomic Regions to Self-Regulating Behaviors
Researchers identified 579 locations in the human genome associated with a predisposition to self-regulation-related behaviors, such as addiction. With data from 1.5 million people of European descent, the effort is one of the largest genome-wide association studies to date.
Juicy past of favorite Okinawan fruit revealed
Citrus fruits from the mandarin family have important commercial value but how their diversity arose has been something of a mystery Researchers analyzed the genomes of the East Asian varieties and found a second center of diversity in the Ryukyu…
Comprehensive clinical sequencing opens door to the promise of precision medicine
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital study highlights the power of comprehensive whole genome, whole exome and RNA sequencing to better understand and treat each patient’s cancer.
Mount Sinai researchers develop novel therapy that could be effective in many cancers
New York, NY (July 23, 2021) — Mount Sinai researchers have developed a therapeutic agent that shows high effectiveness in vitro at disrupting a biological pathway that helps cancer survive, according to a paper published in Cancer Discovery , a…
Untwisting DNA reveals new force that shapes genomes
Transcription generates a force that moves across DNA strands like ripples through water
Study on chromosomal rearrangements in yeast reveals potential avenue for cancer therapy
Researchers from Osaka University uncover a mechanism by which chromosomal rearrangements occur, with implications for novel cancer therapies
Geneticists reveal how mutation causes childhood cancer; use drug to reverse its effects
Geneticists from Trinity College Dublin have discovered how a specific genetic mutation called H3K27M causes a devastating, incurable childhood cancer, known as diffuse midline glioma (DMG), and – in lab studies working with model cell types – successfully reverse its…
Cattle losing adaptations to environment, MU researchers find
Researchers pave the way for genetic tests of cattle that can look for the presence of specific adaptations, such as heat resistance
Precision treatment for severe asthma targets a specific mutation
Drug blocks a cell receptor that is mutated disproportionately in people of color
Toward one drug to treat all coronaviruses
Safe and effective vaccines offer hope for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the possible emergence of vaccine-resistant SARS-CoV-2 variants, as well as novel coronaviruses, make finding treatments that work against all coronaviruses as important as ever. Now, researchers…
Chromosomes separation under focus
A UNIGE team has identified important regulatory mechanisms of the protein responsible for chromosome separation during cell division.
Study identifies MET amplification as driver for some non-small cell lung cancers
CU Cancer Center researchers get positive results treating patients with MET-inhibitor drug crizotinib
Recovering DNA from challenging forensic evidence in forensic genomics
New Rochelle, NY, July 19, 2021–Duct tape and items retrieved from the water are common pieces of evidence in forensic cases. A new study evaluates the recovery of DNA from folded duct tape that has been submerged in ocean water…
No IgA leads to intestinal inflammation in mice
Tokyo, Japan – While researchers have known for years that immunoglobulin A (IgA) is important for gut health, it has remained unclear exactly what role it plays in preventing infection and disease. But now, researchers from Japan have found that…
Scientists uncover drivers of phenotypic innovation and diversification in gymnosperms
Determining the major drivers of species diversification and phenotypic innovation across the Tree of Life is one of the grand challeges in evolutionary biology. Facilitated by the Germplasm Bank of Wild Species of the Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB) of…
CNIO researchers clarify the role of the two isoforms of KRAS, the most common oncogene in humans
These findings suggest that for therapies to be effective, they must be targeted at both gene products
Genetics/biotech expert offers comments & availability on IVG (in vitro gametogenesis) major breakthrough
A groundbreaking study demonstrating the most advanced form of in vitro gametogenesis (making eggs from stem cells, IVG) was published Thursday in Science. See STAT’s coverage of the study. Regarding the study and breakthrough, Dr. Kevin Doxzen offers the below comments…
The virus trap
Hollow nano-objects made of DNA could trap viruses and render them harmless
Children’s National Hospital joins the Mendelian Genomics Research Consortium, receiving $12.8 million
The National Institutes of Health’s National Human Genome Research Institute award will help discover inherited rare diseases and conditions in children
Modified yeast inhibits fungal growth in plants
External application could reduce agricultural reliance on fungicides
Role of subnuclear NSrp70 in immunity-studied at Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology
Scientists report that the alternative-splicing regulator NSrp70 influences immune T cell development
The path(way) less traveled in DNA double-strand break repair
Researchers from Osaka University find that protein phosphatase 1 helps protect the ends of double-strand DNA breaks to promote their repair through the non-homologous end joining pathway
Long-term memory setup requires a reliable delivery crew
Synaptic plasticity depends on molecular hauler KIF5C, carrier of more than 650 RNAs, study finds