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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).

Study finds new data about dMMR's hereditary basis in rectal cancer

Up to 15 percent of colorectal cancers show a genetic mutation known as DNA mismatch repair deficiency, or dMMR.

19 Jul 2016

Mutations in STN1 gene cause Coats plus syndrome

A team of Israeli researchers has discovered that mutations in STN1, a gene that helps maintain the ends of chromosomes, cause the rare, inherited disorder Coats plus syndrome.

18 Jul 2016

Modifications to RUNX3 protein may promote cancer progression

Scientists from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at the National University of Singapore have discovered that modifications to a protein called RUNX3 may promote cancer progression.

18 Jul 2016

Study produces most detailed picture to date of genetics underlying type 2 diabetes

The largest study of its kind into type 2 diabetes has produced the most detailed picture to date of the genetics underlying the condition.

18 Jul 2016

Biologists develop new method for analyzing brain regions

Using the example of the fruit fly, a team of biologists led by Prof. Dr. Andrew Straw has identified patterns in the genetic activity of brain cells and taken them as a basis for drawing conclusions about the structure of the brain.

18 Jul 2016

New mass spectrometry imaging protocol allows analysis of metabolite composition of tissues

In biomedical research, working with tissue samples is indispensable because it permits insights into the biological reality of patients, for example, in addition to those gained from Petri dishes and computer simulations.

18 Jul 2016

UC Davis scientists show how cells control DNA synthesis in mitochondria

Aging, neurodegenerative disorders and metabolic disease are all linked to mitochondria, structures within our cells that generate chemical energy and maintain their own DNA. In a fundamental discovery with far-reaching implications, scientists at the University of California, Davis, now show how cells control DNA synthesis in mitochondria and couple it to mitochondrial division.

18 Jul 2016

Salk scientists propose new molecular criteria for generating naïve stem cells

Salk scientists and colleagues have proposed new molecular criteria for judging just how close any line of laboratory-generated stem cells comes to mimicking embryonic cells seen in the very earliest stages of human development, known as naïve stem cells.

17 Jul 2016

Inability to turn off genes in the brain can affect learning and memory

Every time you play a game of basketball, make a cup of coffee or flick on a light switch, you are turning on genes in your brain. These same genes typically are turned off when the activity ceases - but when that doesn't happen, damaging consequences can occur.

14 Jul 2016

Review highlights interconnected roles of apoptosis, cellular senescence in cancer and aging

A common feature of cancer and aging is cells' reduced ability to respond to stress-induced damage to DNA or cellular structures.

14 Jul 2016

Researchers develop new detection systems for genotyping DNA and RNA with naked eye

DNA polymerases are the “Xerox machines” that replicate our DNA. They must work with great precision to keep errors from creeping into our genes.

14 Jul 2016

The Wistar Institute and partners receive HIV cure research grant to test novel immunotherapies

The Wistar Institute is pleased to announce that the National Institutes of Health has awarded a nearly $23 million Martin Delaney Collaboratories for HIV Cure Research grant to the BEAT-HIV: Delaney Collaboratory to Cure HIV-1 Infection by Combination Immunotherapy, a consortium of top HIV researchers led by co-principal investigators Luis J. Montaner, D.V.M., D.Phil., director of the HIV-1 Immunopathogenesis Laboratory at The Wistar Institute Vaccine Center, and James L. Riley, Ph.D., research associate professor at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

13 Jul 2016

Researchers discover new biological pathway involved in Alzheimer's disease

Researchers have identified a new biological pathway involved in Alzheimer's disease. In experiments using fruit flies, blocking the pathway reduced the death of brain cells, suggesting that interfering with the pathway could represent a promising new strategy to treat the disease in human patients.

13 Jul 2016

Researchers study how skin stem cells respond to forces

All cells share the same genetic code, no matter if they are skin or brain cells. However, these cells are exposed to very different types of mechanical environments and mechanical stresses.

13 Jul 2016

Scientists identify timing of major metabolic shift in developing neurons

Our brains can survive only for a few minutes without oxygen. Salk Institute researchers have now identified the timing of a dramatic metabolic shift in developing neurons, which makes them become dependent on oxygen as a source of energy.

13 Jul 2016

Researchers investigate role of OXTR gene in binge eating

A study by York University researcher Caroline Davis and her colleagues at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is the first to demonstrate that variants of the Oxytocin Receptor gene contribute to why some of us overeat or engage in episodes of binge eating.

13 Jul 2016

Italian researchers identify new variant of emerging antibiotic resistance mechanism

A team of Italian investigators has discovered a new variant of an emerging antibiotic resistance mechanism. The new variant, dubbed mcr-1.2, confers resistance to colistin, a last-resort antibiotic against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens.

13 Jul 2016

New streamlined approach to genetic testing benefits women with ovarian cancer

A new streamlined approach to genetic testing for women with ovarian cancer provides testing rapidly and affordably, allowing many more patients to benefit from personalised cancer management and their relatives to benefit from cancer prevention strategies.

13 Jul 2016

Scientists use machine learning to interpret mosquito genome

Scientists are using machine learning to identify important sequences of DNA within the mosquito genome that regulate how the insect's cells develop and behave.

12 Jul 2016

MS patients have different patterns of gut microorganisms than healthy counterparts

A connection between the bacteria living in the gut and immunological disorders such as multiple sclerosis have long been suspected, but for the first time, researchers have detected clear evidence of changes that tie the two together.

12 Jul 2016