A genetic analysis of transparent nematodes Caenorhabditis elegans on the International Space Station showed ‘subtle changes’ in about 1,000 genes; stronger effects were found in some genes, especially those responsible for neuronal function and cellular metabolism. Willis et al. performed comparative transcriptomic analysis of Caenorhabditis elegans responses to varying degrees …
Read More »Scientists Rename Genes
So Excel Won’t Reformat Them as Dates Microsoft Excel is an incredibly powerful program that’s just as essential in a laboratory as it is in the average office. However, scientists have had just about enough of Excel renaming genes as if they were dates. It didn’t seem likely anyone would …
Read More »Researchers Identify Two Genes Responsible for Brain’s Aging
A duo of researchers at Columbia University has identified two genes (TMEM106B and GRN) that greatly impact normal brain aging, starting at around age 65. This drawing shows several of the most important brain structures. Image credit: National Institute for Aging. “If you look at a group of seniors, some …
Read More »Inuits Inherited Cold Adaptation Genes from Denisovan-Related Species
In the Arctic, the Inuits have adapted to cold and a seafood diet. After the first genomic analysis of Greenlandic Inuits, a region in the genome containing two genes (TBX15 and WARS2) has now been scrutinized by researchers. Denisovans were probably dark-skinned, unlike the pale Neandertals. Image credit: Mauro Cutrona. …
Read More »Genes That Turn Dogs into Friendly Pets Also Linked to Human Social Disorders
A team of researchers at Linköping University in Sweden has identified two genomic regions and five candidate genes associated with dog’s human-directed social behaviors. Interestingly, four of these genes are also related to social behavior disorders in humans. The work by M.E. Persson et al is the first genome-wide study …
Read More »Scientists Discover 23 New ‘Risk Genes’ for Vitiligo
Twenty-three new genes involved in risk for autoimmune vitiligo have been identified by an international group of scientists led by the University of Colorado School of Medicine. UV photograph of a hand with vitiligo. Image credit: Chip Bobbert / CC BY-SA 4.0. Vitiligo is a chronic condition in which melanocytes …
Read More »Natural Selection Removed Many Neanderthal Genes from Human Genome, Scientists Say
According to a team of researchers at the University of California, Davis, only a very small percentage of Neanderthal DNA is present in the genomes of modern humans because, after interbreeding, natural selection removed large numbers of ‘bad’ Neanderthal gene variants. Reconstruction of a Neanderthal. Image credit: Neanderthal Museum. Neanderthals …
Read More »Researchers Develop New Method for Silencing Specific Genes in Human T-Cells
An international team of researchers led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, has developed a novel technique for gene silencing in human T-lymphocytes (T-cells), a type of immune cells. Left: an illustration of GapmeR design, cellular internalization leading to specific gene silencing. Right: super-resolution microscopy of GapmeR co-localization with SNX5 protein …
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