https://phys.org/biology-news/biotechnology en-us Phys.org provides the latest news on biotechnology Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have developed and implemented a new way to better understand how human cells communicate with each other, how this communication is disrupted in human diseases and how this can be corrected pharmacologically. https://phys.org/news/2020-07-artificial-genes-cellular-responses-drugs.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 06 Jul 2020 13:29:16 EDT news513260953 A new platform technology can assess water safety and quality with just a single drop and a few minutes. https://phys.org/news/2020-07-pregnancy-fast-easy-results-quality.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 06 Jul 2020 11:00:01 EDT news513232599 For the first time, scientists have shown that the bacterium that causes the tick-borne disease anaplasmosis interferes with tick gene expression for its survival inside cells and to spread to a new vertebrate host. Girish Neelakanta of Old Dominion University and colleagues report these findings in a study published July 2nd in PLOS Genetics. https://phys.org/news/2020-07-anaplasmosis-bacterium-tinkers-gene-hosts.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 02 Jul 2020 14:00:04 EDT news512887371 New technologies capable of sequencing single molecules in fine detail will help scientists better understand the mechanisms of rare nucleotides thought to play an important role in the progression of some diseases. https://phys.org/news/2020-07-sequencing-technology-scientists-decipher-disease.html Biotechnology Thu, 02 Jul 2020 12:26:25 EDT news512911579 University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers have developed a safer and more efficient way to deliver a promising new method for treating cancer and liver disorders and for vaccination—including a COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna Therapeutics that has advanced to clinical trials with humans. https://phys.org/news/2020-07-tiny-mineral-particles-vehicles-gene.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 02 Jul 2020 10:17:56 EDT news512903869 While scientists still don't fully understand the diverse nature of RNA molecules, it is believed that the proteins binding to them, called RNA-binding proteins, are associated with many types of disease formation. Research led by biomedical scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has led to a novel detection method, called CARPID, to identify binding proteins of specific RNAs in living cells. It is expected that the innovation can be applied in various types of cell research, from identifying biomarkers of cancer diagnosis to detecting potential drug targets for treating viral diseases. https://phys.org/news/2020-07-crispr-assisted-method-rna-binding-proteins-cells.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 01 Jul 2020 12:45:25 EDT news512826319 Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research have uncovered new information about vital structures inside cells which are responsible for organizing our DNA. https://phys.org/news/2020-07-scientists-dna-organised.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 01 Jul 2020 09:20:56 EDT news512814052 There are about 75 different types of cells in the human brain. What makes them all different? Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have developed a new set of computational tools to help answer this question. Although different cell types from the same organism carry the same DNA, they look and function differently because a different set of genes is active or inactive in each. Cells switch genes on or off by using epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, which involves tagging genes with methyl chemical groups. https://phys.org/news/2020-07-software-reveals-molecular-barcodes-distinguish.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 01 Jul 2020 03:54:10 EDT news512794446 Epigenetic regulation of gene expression is associated with switching between chromatin states characterized by distinct histone modifications. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-histone-epigenetic.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Tue, 30 Jun 2020 08:06:51 EDT news512723206 Scientists have developed new image processing techniques for microscopes that can reduce post-processing time up to several thousand-fold. The researchers are from the National Institutes of Health with collaborators at the University of Chicago and Zhejiang University, China. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-faster-cutting-edge-fluorescence-microscopy-accessible.html Biotechnology Mon, 29 Jun 2020 12:53:20 EDT news512653981 A type of anaerobic bacteria responsible for more than 50 percent of nitrogen loss from marine environments has been shown to use solid-state matter present outside their cells for respiration. The finding by KAUST researchers adds to knowledge of the global nitrogen cycle and has important energy-saving potential for wastewater treatment. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-anammox-bacteria-energy-wastewater.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Mon, 29 Jun 2020 11:57:58 EDT news512650674 University of East Anglia scientists have helped find a way to control different plant processes—such as when they grow—using nothing but colored light. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-reveals-power.html Plants & Animals Biotechnology Mon, 29 Jun 2020 11:00:11 EDT news512645125 Leiden chemists have developed a new technique with which they can determine the role of kinases—a group of proteins—in a living cell. This technique makes it easier to find new drug targets for diseases such as cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. The team published the findings in the journal Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-technique-chemists-unprecedented-drug.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 29 Jun 2020 10:23:32 EDT news512645009 Three teams working independently to test the possibility of using CRISPR–Cas9 gene editing to remove genetic defects in human embryos report finding unwanted changes in the genomes. The first team, working at the Francis Crick Institute, edited mutations that can have a major impact on fetal development. The second, working at Columbia University tried to use the gene editor to fix a mutation known to cause blindness. And the third was a team working at Oregon Health & Science University—they were attempting to fix a mutation known to cause a certain heart problem. All three groups have written papers describing their efforts and findings, and have posted them on the bioRxiv preprint server while they await peer-review. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-unwanted-human-embryo-genome-crispr-cas9.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 29 Jun 2020 09:50:01 EDT news512642786 CRISPR-Cas9 has become one of the most convenient and effective biotechnology tools used to cut specific DNA sequences. Starting from Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9), a multitude of variants have been engineered and employed for experiments worldwide. Although all these systems are targeting and cleaving a specific DNA sequence, they also exhibit relatively high off-target activities with potentially harmful effects. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-crispr-cas9-dna-scissors.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 26 Jun 2020 09:29:04 EDT news512382538 Among the most easily recognizable features of any nervous system is the synapse. While the question of how synapses evolved has been a longstanding mystery, it can now largely be solved. In a nutshell, it appears that the synapses between neurons evolved directly from the original cell-to-cell contacts, namely, the adherence junctions and other bonds that linked the primitive epithelial sheets of early multicellular organisms. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-evolution-synapse.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 26 Jun 2020 09:10:01 EDT news512374495 Whole genome duplication followed by massive gene loss has shaped many genomes, including the human genome. Why some gene duplicates are retained while most perish has puzzled scientists for decades. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-gene-duplicates-retained-perish.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 25 Jun 2020 14:00:02 EDT news512288748 Life depends on an intricate game of hide-and-seek taking place inside the cell. New research, now published in the journal Nature, sheds light on the mechanisms with which DNA-binding proteins search the genome for their specific binding sites. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-vital-game-hide-and-seek-elucidated-single-molecule.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 24 Jun 2020 12:00:01 EDT news512218794 As the SARS-CoV-2 puts new focus on zoonotic pathogens, a Washington State University researcher has developed a method to use environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect disease in the vast international trade of aquatic animals. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-environmental-dna-pathogens-pet.html Ecology Biotechnology Wed, 24 Jun 2020 05:00:01 EDT news512191333 How do plants know when it is time to flower? Researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have studied this question and identified two genes that are key to this process. They were able to show that the ELF3 and GI genes control the plants' internal clock, which monitors the length of daylight and determines when it is the right time to flower. The findings could help to breed plants that are better adapted to their environments. The study was published in The Plant Journal. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-chronobiology-genes.html Plants & Animals Biotechnology Tue, 23 Jun 2020 06:44:43 EDT news512113478 The role genetics and gut bacteria play in human health has long been a fruitful source of scientific enquiry, but new research marks a significant step forward in unraveling this complex relationship. Its findings could transform our understanding and treatment of all manner of common diseases, including obesity, irritable bowel syndrome, and Alzheimer's disease. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-reveals-human-genes-gut-bacteria.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Mon, 22 Jun 2020 12:41:02 EDT news512048458 Whilst most organisms try to stop their DNA from mutating, scientists from the UK and China have discovered that a common fungus found on bread actively mutates its own DNA as a way of fighting virus-like infections. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-bread-mould-infection-mutating-dna.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 22 Jun 2020 12:10:59 EDT news512046649 Sometimes, when something is broken, the first step to fixing it is to break it even more. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-enigmatic-protein-sculpts-dna.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 22 Jun 2020 10:21:15 EDT news512040063 Cabbage plants defend themselves against herbivores and pathogens by deploying a defensive mechanism called the mustard oil bomb: when the plant tissue is damaged, toxic isothiocyanates are formed and can effectively fend off attackers. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology and the University of Pretoria have now been able to show in a new study that this defense is also effective to some extent against the widespread and detrimental fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. However, the pathogen uses at least two different detoxification mechanisms that enable the fungus to successfully spread on plants defended in this way. The metabolic products thus formed are non-toxic to the fungus, allowing it to grow on these plants. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-fungal-pathogen-disables-defense-mechanism.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 19 Jun 2020 09:52:24 EDT news511779141 Researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) have shed light on the reproductive role of 'dark matter' DNA—non-coding DNA sequences that previously seemed to have no function. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-dark-dna-vital-rice-reproduction.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 19 Jun 2020 09:52:14 EDT news511779129 Protocols that allow the transformation of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines into organoids have changed the way scientists can study developmental processes and enable them to decipher the interplay between genes and tissue formation, particularly for organs where primary tissue is not available. Now, investigators are taking this technology and applying it to study the developmental effects of Neandertal DNA. The findings are reported June 18 in the journal Stem Cell Reports. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-neandertal-dna-modern-humans-stem.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 18 Jun 2020 11:00:02 EDT news511679842 The results of new research published this week in Scientific Reports reveal insights that may have profound effects on the use of medicinal leeches in hospital-based medicine. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-bloody-good-medicinal-leech-genome.html Plants & Animals Biotechnology Thu, 18 Jun 2020 05:29:21 EDT news511676953 Plants are some of nature's most extraordinary chemists. Unlike animals, they can't run from predators or pathogens. They can't uproot themselves to seek out a mate or spread their seeds. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-marvelous-chemists-gardenia-dna.html Plants & Animals Biotechnology Thu, 18 Jun 2020 03:19:34 EDT news511669165 The Earth hosts an abundance of life forms—from well-known animals and plants to small, more hardy life forms such as archaea, viruses and bacteria. These life forms are fundamentally different all the way down to the cell level—or so scientists thought. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-earth-species-common-previously-believed.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 17 Jun 2020 11:07:30 EDT news511610845 DNA and all. After centuries of breeding, what was once a South American berry roughly the size of a pea now takes all sorts of shapes and sizes, from cherry-like to hefty heirloom fruit. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-tomato-hidden-mutations-revealed-varieties.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Wed, 17 Jun 2020 11:00:06 EDT news511592678