Accessing DNA in the cell's powerhouse to treat disease
For the first time, a synthetic compound has been made that can bind to DNA in the cells' energy powerhouses, suppressing a gene associated with nerve and muscle disease.
Jul 11, 2017
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Researchers show how a cancer gene protects genome organization
UNC School of Medicine researchers have cracked a long-standing mystery about an important enzyme found in virtually all organisms other than bacteria. The basic science finding may have implications for understanding cancer ...
Microbes seen controlling action of host's genes
All animals—from sea sponges to modern-day humans—evolved in a world already teeming with microbes. These single-celled microorganisms now cover practically every surface of our bodies and are as much a part of our biology ...
Researchers disprove the assumption that parents conflict with one another during a plant's embryonic development
The Arabidopsis thaliana is a tiny, inconspicuous and herbaceous offshoot of the family of cruciferous plant that one might easily overlook in a meadow, yet the plant has the potential to disrupt a common school of thought: ...
Scientists reveal how epigenetic changes in DNA are interpreted
A new study in Science from Karolinska Institutet maps out how different DNA-binding proteins in human cells react to certain biochemical modifications of the DNA molecule. The scientists report that some 'master' regulatory ...
Tweaking the transcriptome to tackle stress
Single-celled plankton known as dinoflagellates are shown to cope with stress using an unexpected strategy of editing their RNA rather than changing gene expression levels.
Gene transcription found to increase after death for some cells
(Phys.org)—An international team of researchers has found that gene transcription in an organism that has died continues for several days. In their paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Biology, the team describes ...
Designer switches of cell fate could streamline stem cell biology
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed a novel strategy to reprogram cells from one type to another in a more efficient and less biased manner than previous methods.
DNA structure influences the function of transcription factors
Substances known as transcription factors often determine how a cell develops as well as which proteins it produces and in what quantities. Transcription factors bind to a section of DNA and control how strongly a gene in ...
Breakthrough in understanding how stem cells become specialized
Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) have made a major advance in understanding how the cells of an organism, which all contain the same genetic information, come to be so diverse. A study ...
