Inside mitochondria and their fascinating genome

Mitochondria are present in all eukaryotic cells: in our cells, in mammalian cells, in the cells of plants and even of fungi. Mitochondria produce energy for cells to function as multicellular organisms, and are known as ...

Research team spins the Sleeping Beauty transposase

EMBL scientists have developed a new variant of the so-called Sleeping Beauty transposase. It has dramatically improved biochemical features, including enhanced stability and intrinsic cell penetrating properties. This transposase ...

Line-1 modes of nuclear entrance and retrotransposition

In a new SLAS Discovery auto-commentary, two authors of an article recently published in eLife ("LINE-1 Protein Localization and Functional Dynamics During the Cell Cycle") explain their general views on their novel discoveries ...

Repetitive elements shape embryonic chromatin landscape

Retrotransposons are repetitive elements that form almost half of the mammalian genome. Even though they are so common, they have previously been considered to be fairly insignificant. Together with colleagues from the USA, ...

An evolutionary breakpoint in cell division

Japanese researchers from Osaka University have discovered that the interaction between two proteins, M18BP1/KNL2 and CENP-A, is essential for cell division in various species except for mammals including human.

Sex of a baby? Ancient virus makes the call

The sex of human and all mammalian babies may be determined by a simple modification of a virus that insinuated itself into the mammalian genome as recently as 1.5 million years ago, a new Yale University-led study has found.

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