Genomics

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Modular super-enhancer regulates gene expression involved in retina development

Enhancers are regions of DNA that do not code for proteins, but control how genes are expressed. Super-enhancers are clusters of enhancers that together regulate genes with important roles in cell identity.

11 Jan 2022

Hybrid incompatibilities can be dependent on the environment, fish study suggests

You're likely familiar with the idea of the sterile mule: a hybrid animal born of a horse and a donkey that is unable to breed.

10 Jan 2022

Researchers identify gene expression signatures linked to suicide risk

Is risk of suicide in our genes? Findings of an international scientific team led by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope, suggest that gene expression studies could offer insights into the underlying causes of suicide, a highly complex public health problem that takes the lives of more than 800,000 people each year worldwide.

10 Jan 2022

Common member of the gut microbiome found to have specific preference for blood group A antigens

Researchers have discovered that a common member of the human gut microbiome has a specific preference for blood group A antigens.

10 Jan 2022

Dual-receptors help widespread dissemination of SARS-CoV-2

Researchers demonstrate the role of integrins in the establishment of the SARS-CoV-2 infection.

9 Jan 2022

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron belongs to new antigenic cluster compared to all other VOCs

Researchers investigate SARS-CoV-2 antigenic drift by evaluating the neutralizing activity of sera from patients infected with all five SARS-CoV-2 VOCs.

6 Jan 2022

Study reinforces the link between microglia and some cases of brain disease

Certain subtle differences in DNA sequences are known to raise the chances a person may develop Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.

6 Jan 2022

Scientists discover a division of labor between genetic switches

Two X chromosomes are actually one too many. Female mammalian cells hence switch off one of them – but only when the cells start to specialize into tissues.

5 Jan 2022

Horizontal gene transfer between viruses and hosts plays a major role in driving evolution

The first comprehensive analysis of viral horizontal gene transfer (HGT) illustrates the extent to which viruses pick up genes from their hosts to hone their infection process, while at the same time hosts also co-opt useful viral genes.

5 Jan 2022

Folic acid-like drug reprograms DNA methylome of aggressive brain tumors

A folic acid-like drug, L-methylfolate, when administered alongside the standard therapy for patients with recurrent glioblastoma, changed aDNA process within their brain tumors, according to results from a phase 1 clinical trial.

5 Jan 2022

New CRISPR-based assay can non-invasively detect a biomarker of acute kidney rejection in urine

When a patient receives a kidney transplant, doctors carefully monitor them for signs of rejection in several ways, including biopsy. However, this procedure is invasive and can only detect issues at a late stage.

5 Jan 2022

Integrin/TGF-β1 inhibitors highly effective in attenuating COVID-19 severity

New study results suggest that integrin inhibitors have the potential to both prevent infection with SARS-CoV-2, including the Delta and Omicron variants, and to decrease TGF-β levels, resulting in a decrease in COVID-19 severity, hospitalization, and death, especially in vulnerable and unvaccinated populations.

5 Jan 2022

Unique nanoparticle can deliver genome editing technology to endothelial cells

The lab of Youyang Zhao, PhD, from Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago developed a unique nanoparticle to deliver genome editing technology, including CRISPR/Cas9, to endothelial cells, which are cells that line blood vessel walls.

4 Jan 2022

Novel insight into the immune characteristics of bats

Many studies have indicated that bats are significant reservoirs of innumerable viruses, such as influenza, coronaviruses, and rabies. These studies have also reported that bats predominantly remain asymptomatic or develop mild diseases during viral infections caused by henipaviruses, Ebola virus, coronaviruses, etc.

4 Jan 2022

Research provides compelling insights into the complex nature of genomic imprinting in mice

Mammalian offspring inherit two versions, or alleles, of each gene with one allele from each biological parent. However, gene expression is tightly regulated and certain genes undergo the phenomenon of "genomic imprinting", which is where only the allele received by the male or the female parent is expressed.

4 Jan 2022