New insights in the regulation of genetic information exchange

Within every cell in our body, our DNA is tightly bundled with proteins to form structures known as chromosomes. The commonly known shape of a chromosome relates to an X-shaped appearance in many organisms. The formation ...

Nematode proteins shed light on infertility

In a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, University of Utah (the U) biologists have developed a method for illuminating the intricate interactions of the synaptonemal complex in the ...

A NICER approach to genome editing

The gene editing technique CRISPR/Cas9 has allowed researchers to make precise and impactful changes to an organism's DNA to fix mutations that cause genetic disease. However, the CRISPR/Cas9 method can also result in unintended ...

Evidence for new theory of genetic recombination

In most higher organisms, including humans, every cell carries two versions of each gene, which are referred to as alleles. Each parent passes on one allele to each offspring. As they are linked together on chromosomes, adjacent ...

E3 ubiquitin ligase plays essential role during rice meiosis

Synaptonemal complex (SC) assembly between paired homologous chromosomes plays a vital role in ensuring correct homologous recombination during meiosis. However, the mechanisms underlying the genetic regulation of SC assembly ...

Meiosis: Mind the gap

Scientists from the lab of Franz Klein from the Department of Chromosome Biology at the Max Perutz Labs, a joint venture of the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna, have now discovered that cells sometimes ...

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