What happens to gene transcription during DNA damage?

It's well known that when the DNA in a cell is damaged, the cell responds by activating specific genes that help defend the integrity of its genome. But less well studied is the fact that the cell actually shuts down the ...

Protein complex prevents genome instability

An international collaboration between Osaka University and the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) in Switzerland is investigating the repair process of a serious form of DNA damage that can lead to ...

Researchers describe how free radicals contribute to aging

Aging in part is the result of oxidative damage to proteins caused by free radicals, a byproduct of interaction of our bodies and radiation such as sunlight. A new study by Yale scientists provides some clues into how this ...

Scientists publish the first RNA interactome of the human nucleus

Studying sequence and function of DNA has been in the focus of life sciences for decades, but now the interest of many researchers has turned to the RNA. Today, many scientists believe that RNA molecules, together with a ...

A new way of fighting bacteria?

In bacteria, toxin-antitoxin systems consist of a set of two closely linked genes. Situated on the same chromosome, they encode both a protein 'poison' and a counteracting 'antidote'. Under normal conditions, the antitoxin ...

Packaging and unpacking of the genome

DNA represents a dynamic form of information, balancing efficient storage and access requirements. Packaging approximately 1.8m of DNA into something as small as a cell nucleus is no mean feat, but unpacking it again to access ...

A barrier against brain stem cell aging

Neural stem cells generate new neurons throughout life in the mammalian brain. However, with advancing age the potential for regeneration in the brain dramatically declines. Scientists of the University of Zurich now identified ...

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