Gene Expression News and Research

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Gene Expression is the process by which a gene gets turned on in a cell to make RNA and proteins. Gene expression may be measured by looking at the RNA, or the protein made from the RNA, or what the protein does in a cell.

Scientists create large library of mitochondrial DNA mutant models

Some of your most important life partners are the mitochondria that power all your cells. You and these little cellular powerhouses are in a 1.5-billion-year-old evolutionary relationship-but mitochondria brought some baggage.

6 Apr 2026

How gut microbes may shape heart attack damage and recovery

This review argues that gut microbes and the metabolites they produce, especially SCFAs and TMAO, may shape how the heart responds to myocardial infarction through epigenetic pathways such as DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNAs. It also outlines potential intervention routes, including diet, probiotics, postbiotics, and metabolite-targeted therapies, while noting that much of the evidence remains translational and not yet clinically definitive.

6 Apr 2026

Researchers uncover a chain of molecular events behind early brain changes in Alzheimer's

For the millions of people who carry the gene APOE4, the strongest known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, their brain activity may begin changing long before any memory problems appear.

3 Apr 2026

Study identifies a common hidden genetic cause of neurodevelopmental disorder in children

Researchers identified biallelic variants in RNU2-2 as the cause of a recessive neurodevelopmental disorder marked by intellectual disability, global developmental delay, and frequent seizures. The study suggests this condition may be the most prevalent known recessive neurodevelopmental disorder currently diagnosable by sequencing, with RNA data pointing to a loss-of-expression mechanism.

2 Apr 2026

Tumor microenvironment drives resistance to ferroptosis in pancreatic cancer

Tumors driven by cancer-driving KRAS mutations are often susceptible to ferroptosis, a type of cell death that can be harnessed for cancer therapy.

2 Apr 2026

Oral molecule prevents kidney stones and restores survival in mice

Scientists at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging have shown that an orally administered small molecule, N-propargylglycine (N-PPG), can completely prevent the formation of calcium oxalate kidney stones, protect against kidney failure, and fully restore normal survival in a mouse model of Primary Hyperoxaluria Type 2 (PH2), a rare and currently untreatable genetic disorder that causes progressive kidney failure in infants and young adults.

2 Apr 2026

Regulatory T cells may influence inflammation and behavior in autism

Two new studies from the UC Davis MIND Institute examined regulatory T cells (Tregs) and their potential role in neuroinflammation and behavioral changes associated with autism.

2 Apr 2026

How could bisphenol A raise depression risk? Study identifies six key molecular targets

An integrative Translational Psychiatry study linked BPA exposure to major depressive disorder by identifying 571 shared targets and six core genes, with genetic, transcriptomic, docking, and mouse-model data supporting plausible mechanistic pathways. The strongest signals pointed to AKT1, SRC, PLCG2, and JAK3 as potential contributors, while EGFR appeared protective.

31 Mar 2026

How vitamin D in the first 1,000 days may shape lifelong health

This narrative review argues that vitamin D is clearly important for skeletal health during the first 1,000 days of life and may also shape immune, metabolic, and selected neurodevelopmental pathways during early development. However, the authors stress that human evidence for most non-skeletal outcomes remains heterogeneous, with benefits appearing most consistent in populations with baseline deficiency.

31 Mar 2026

Excessive RNA editing enzyme alters brain circuit formation in Down syndrome

A collaborative research study co-led by scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Liber Institute for Brain Development has for the first time identified a biological process that may help explain how the brain develops differently in people with Down syndrome.

31 Mar 2026

Why vaginal microbiota transplants aren’t working yet

Vaginal microbiota transplantation without antibiotics fails to restore microbiome balance, yet engraftment suggests avenues for enhancing treatment efficacy.

31 Mar 2026

How gut imbalance may drive obesity, diabetes, and heart disease

A new review argues that gut dysbiosis is closely linked to metabolic dysfunction through intertwined effects on inflammation, oxidative stress, gut barrier integrity, microbial metabolites, and epigenetic regulation. It also highlights microbiome-targeted strategies such as high-fiber diets, probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, exercise, and fecal microbiota transplantation as promising ways to support metabolic health.

30 Mar 2026

Study proposes genetic basis for autism’s strong sex bias

Autism has a significant and enduring sex bias, with roughly four boys diagnosed for every girl. For many years, experts have believed this disparity arises primarily from diagnostic inequities because much of autism research - and the screening tools that grew out of it - has historically focused on boys, effectively setting a male standard for what autism "looks like."

30 Mar 2026

Alcohol impacts gene expression differently across brain regions

Erica Periandri and Gabor Egervari, from Washington University in St. Louis, led a study to explore how alcohol exposure in male mice influences gene expression and mechanisms that regulate gene function-or epigenetics.

30 Mar 2026

Artemin identified as marker and target in feline osteoarthritis

By comparing osteoarthritis pain pathways known to be active in dogs and humans to those in cats with degenerative joint disease (DJD), researchers found that elevation of a particular molecule, artemin, could serve as a marker of disease (and possibly pain) as well as a potential therapeutic target.

30 Mar 2026

NOX-1 identified as key molecular target to prolong ketamine's antidepressant effects

Treatment-resistant depression affects a large proportion of people with major depressive disorder, and while ketamine offers rapid relief, its antidepressant effects fade within a few weeks.

30 Mar 2026

Chronic colitis reshapes colon stem cells in ways that can accelerate tumour growth

Researchers showed that chronic colitis leaves a long-lasting epigenetic memory in colonic stem cells, persisting for more than 100 days after recovery in mice. This memory is marked by durable AP-1-linked chromatin changes and later amplifies tumour outgrowth after oncogenic mutation.

29 Mar 2026

APOE4 alters brain immunity and cognition differently in females and males

APOE4 drove sex-specific changes in meningeal immunity, lymphatic drainage, brain lipids, neuroinflammation, and cognition in mouse models, with females showing greater inflammatory and cognitive vulnerability. Suppressing innate immunity improved some cognitive outcomes in female E4/E4 mice but worsened them in male E4/E4 mice, underscoring the need for sex-tailored approaches.

29 Mar 2026

Terahertz radiation alters metabolism and signaling in melanoma cells

Terahertz (THz) radiation is increasingly explored for biomedical applications, however, its non-thermal effects on cellular metabolism and regulatory networks remain insufficiently characterized.

28 Mar 2026

Study reveals immune changes in HIV and HCV coinfected patients

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection leads to severe systemic inflammation, increasing non-AIDS morbidity and mortality risk. CD39 ectoenzyme on T-cells, which catalyzes the conversion of pro-inflammatory purines to immunosuppressive adenosine, plays an important role in inflammation control.

28 Mar 2026