Junk DNA News and Research

RSS

In genetics, "junk DNA" or noncoding DNA describes components of an organism's DNA sequences that do not encode for protein sequences.

Koala virus could provide clues to accumulated 'junk' DNA in the human genome

A koala virus could help researchers explain millions of years of accumulated ‘junk’ DNA in the human genome.

10 Aug 2018

Imaging study shows how junk DNA activates genes

Researchers at Princeton University have used video imaging to capture the process by which junk DNA activates genes.

23 Jul 2018

Study identifies RNA molecules that regulate male hormones in prostate cancer

In most cases of prostate cancer, tumor cell growth is stimulated by the action of male hormones, or androgens, such as testosterone and dihydrotestosterone.

19 Jul 2018

USC study reveals how the cell launches emergency response to repair damaged DNA

The cell has its own paramedic team and emergency room to aid and repair damaged DNA, a new USC Dornsife study reveals.

21 Jun 2018

Researchers complete genomic map of chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Researchers have created a high-resolution map of the entire epigenome of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the most common form of leukemia.

23 May 2018

Researchers discover how 'junk DNA' plays key role in holding the genome together

Researchers at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have determined how satellite DNA, considered to be "junk DNA," plays a crucial role in holding the genome together.

11 Apr 2018

RNA-based method cures lung tumors in mice

By turning down the activity of a specific RNA molecule researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy, Sweden, have cured lung tumors in mice by 40-50 percent.

28 Feb 2018

Researchers develop model to explore hard-to-study mutations in human genome

A team of researchers led by a bioinformatician at the University of California San Diego has developed a method to help determine whether certain hard-to-study mutations in the human genome, called short tandem repeats or microsatellites, are likely to be involved in harmful conditions.

11 Sep 2017

Junk genes could one day offer framework for treating people with familial hypercholesterolemia

Scientists from UCLA and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute successfully used a gene that suppresses cholesterol levels as part of a treatment to reduce plaque in mice with a disorder called familial hypercholesterolemia.

26 Aug 2017

Scientists create stem cell-based model of rare inherited neurological condition

An international team of scientists, led by University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers, has created a human stem cell-based model of a rare, but devastating, inherited neurological autoimmune condition called Aicardi-Goutieres Syndrome (AGS).

11 Aug 2017

Linking RNA to autoimmune diseases

An interview with Dr. Chase Spurlock, CEO, discussing IQuity's research into IncRNAs and how they are linked to autoimmue diseases.

20 Mar 2017

Dietary anti-cancer compound from broccoli may work by influence on long non-coding RNAs

Researchers have discovered one of the reasons why broccoli may be good for your health.

16 Mar 2017

U of T study uncovers gene that may play key role in obesity

A University of Toronto (U of T) study on fruit flies has uncovered a gene that could play a key role in obesity in humans.

22 Feb 2017

Endogenous retroviruses may have played significant role in development of the brain

Over millions of years retroviruses have been incorporated into our human DNA, where they today make up almost 10 per cent of the total genome.

12 Jan 2017

Retinoblastoma protein plays larger role in tumor suppression, study finds

The Retinoblastoma protein (pRB) has long been studied for its role in cell growth and the prevention of cancer.

16 Dec 2016

Researchers find certain short junk DNA play key role in development of Ewing sarcoma

The stretches of DNA between genes, littered with repeating sequences, were once considered the "junk of the genome," but scientists are learning that some of this junk is far from harmless clutter.

2 Nov 2016

Scientists reveal molecular elements that bridge anxiety and metabolism

Metabolic and anxiety-related disorders both pose a significant healthcare burden, and are in the spotlight of contemporary research and therapeutic efforts. Although intuitively we assume that these two phenomena overlap, the link has not been proven scientifically.

5 Oct 2016