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DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA).

A brain enzyme plays an important role in waking up neural stem cells

Researchers studying an enzyme in fruit fly larvae have found that it plays an important role in waking up brain stem cells from their dormant 'quiescent' state, enabling them to proliferate and generate new neurons.

12 Feb 2021

Study reveals detailed map of glioblastoma in genetic, molecular detail

Glioblastoma is among the most aggressive and devastating of cancers. While rare compared with other cancers, it's the most common type of brain cancer.

12 Feb 2021

Study addresses multiple challenges of the pathogenesis of Huntington's disease

Recent genetic data from patients with Huntington's disease (HD) show that DNA repair is an important factor that determines how early or late the disease occurs in individuals who carry the expanded CAG repeat in the HTT gene that causes HD.

12 Feb 2021

Lifestyle changes in pregnant women linked to epigenetic alterations in babies

A study led by researchers at Lund University in Sweden showed a connection between lifestyle intervention in pregnant women with obesity and epigenetic alterations in the baby. The study is published in the journal Diabetes.

11 Feb 2021

STING activation may be a new approach to reduce graft-versus-host disease

MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researcher Yongxia Wu, Ph.D., identified a new target molecule in the fight against graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).

11 Feb 2021

Researchers discover previously-unknown function in enzyme critical for cancer growth

Considered the most lethal form of DNA damage, double-strand breaks must be repaired to prevent cell death. 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.

11 Feb 2021

Variants of nine genes induce a higher risk of developing Addison's disease

Variants of nine genes increase the risk of developing Addison's disease, a rare disease in which the immune system attacks the adrenal glands.

11 Feb 2021

New study reveals that daytime naps are partly regulated by genes

How often a person takes daytime naps, if at all, is partly regulated by their genes, according to new research led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and published in Nature Communications.

11 Feb 2021

Creating a 'library' of genetic information for future yam breeders

Yams are a staple food in West Africa, which produces over 90% of the world's yams each year. Yams play a key role in the food security, economic income, and traditional culture for the region.

11 Feb 2021

Scientists publish new analysis of most diverse genetic data set

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and their colleagues published a new analysis today in the journal Nature from genetic sequencing data of more than 53,000 individuals, primarily from minority populations.

10 Feb 2021

Polyclonal SARS-CoV-2 antibody shows potent neutralizing activity in vitro

Researchers shows a fully human immunoglobulin (IgG) that potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection.

10 Feb 2021

Cellular survival after radiation exposure depends on the specific protein behavior

Exposure to radiation can wreak indiscriminate havoc on cells, tissues, and organs. Curiously, however, some tissues are more vulnerable to radiation damage than others.

10 Feb 2021

Modified CRISPR/Cas9 complex targets specific histones

Finding a needle in a haystack is hard enough. But try finding a specific molecule on the needle.

9 Feb 2021

BMI, male sex, smoking, depression and metabolic syndrome contribute to biological aging

A 'biological age' score predicts that being male, overweight, a smoker and having depression all contribute to biological aging, a study published today in eLife reports.

9 Feb 2021

Simple blood test can detect a wide range of diseases

In diagnostic medicine, biopsies, where a sample of tissue is extracted for analysis, is a common tool for the detection of many conditions. But this approach has several drawbacks - it can be painful, doesn't always extract the diseased tissue, and can only be used in a sufficiently advanced disease stage, making it, in some cases, too late for intervention.

9 Feb 2021

Differences in gene readouts may shed light on mental disorders

A new study suggests that differences in the expression of gene transcripts - readouts copied from DNA that help maintain and build our cells - may hold the key to understanding how mental disorders with shared genetic risk factors result in different patterns of onset, symptoms, course of illness, and treatment responses

8 Feb 2021

New study describes the evolutionary tale of poisonous butterflies

The Atala butterfly (Eumaeus atala) and its five closest relatives in the genus Eumaeus like to display their toxicity.

8 Feb 2021

Compound isolated from Ophiura sarsii can be used as an affordable drug for photodynamic therapy

An unusual biologically active porphyrin compound was isolated from seabed dweller Ophiura sarsii. The substance might be used as an affordable light-sensitive drug for innovative photodynamic therapy and for targeted treatment of triple-negative breast cancer and some other cancers.

8 Feb 2021

New nanoparticle-based drug boosts the body’s innate immune system to fight tumors

A new nanoparticle-based drug can boost the body's innate immune system and make it more effective at fighting off tumors, researchers at UT Southwestern have shown.

8 Feb 2021