Transcription Factors News and Research

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Scientists directly convert skin cells from healthy adults into motor neurons

Scientists working to develop new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases have been stymied by the inability to grow human motor neurons in the lab. Motor neurons drive muscle contractions, and their damage underlies devastating diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and spinal muscular atrophy, both of which ultimately lead to paralysis and early death.

7 Sep 2017

Scientists identify novel role for retrotransposons in shaping 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.

30 Aug 2017

Researchers reveal reason for reduced release of satiety hormones in obese people

Individuals with severe overweight have an inhibited sense of satiation - they release fewer satiety hormones than people of normal weight.

29 Aug 2017

Biomedical engineering researchers aim to attack two banes of cardiovascular disease

Biomedical engineering researchers will attack two banes of cardiovascular disease -; heart failure after heart attacks and the scourge of resistant high blood pressure -; with $4.8 million in National Institutes of Health grants that begin this fall.

26 Aug 2017

Researchers uncover novel role for Gata4 in reducing post-heart attack fibrosis

During a heart attack, blood stops flowing into the heart; starved for oxygen, part of the heart muscle dies.

14 Aug 2017

Dendritic-specific Golgi plays key role in early neuropathy of degenerative brain disease

A joint research team of DGIST have identified the early neuropathic mechanism of polyglutamine brain disease, one of the representative degenerative brain diseases, and suggested a way to restore.

10 Aug 2017

Study demonstrates potential nanoparticle-based therapeutic strategy for deadly brain tumors

Early phase Northwestern Medicine research has demonstrated a potential new therapeutic strategy for treating deadly glioblastoma brain tumors.

13 Jul 2017

Synthetic compound that reads mitochondrial DNA could lead to treatments for nerve, muscle diseases

For the first time, a synthetic compound has been made that can bind to DNA in the cells' energy powerhouses, suppressing a gene associated with nerve and muscle disease.

11 Jul 2017

Scientists resolve 3D protein structures to combat dangerous infectious diseases

An international team of scientists including the Computation Institute has determined the 3-D atomic structures of more than 1,000 proteins that are potential targets for drugs and vaccines to combat some of the world's most dangerous emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.

22 Jun 2017

Early life stress encodes lifelong susceptibility to depression through alterations in brain reward region

Early life stress encodes lifelong susceptibility to stress through long-lasting transcriptional programming in a brain reward region implicated in mood and depression, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published June 15 in the journal Science.

15 Jun 2017

Researchers bioengineer human liver tissues that mimic natural development

An international team of researchers bioengineering human liver tissues uncovered previously unknown networks of genetic-molecular crosstalk that control the organ's developmental processes – greatly advancing efforts to generate healthy and usable human liver tissue from human pluripotent stem cells.

15 Jun 2017

Microbes can manipulate molecular machinery of host cells to influence health

All animals -- from sea sponges to modern-day humans -- evolved in a world already teeming with microbes. These single-celled microorganisms now cover practically every surface of our bodies and are as much a part of our biology as our own tissues and organs.

17 May 2017

Researchers identify cells that drive autoimmune disease

Researchers at National Jewish Health have identified a trigger for autoimmune diseases such as lupus, Crohn's disease and multiple sclerosis.

11 May 2017

Lost function of genes impairs development of motor skills in maturing mice

Scientists report in Neuron the lost function of two genes prevents infant laboratory mice from developing motor skills as they mature into adults. Researchers also suggest in their study that people with certain motor development disabilities be tested to see if they have mutant forms of the same genes.

3 May 2017

Researchers discover molecular compound that targets nucleus of allergen-sensitized cells

Transcription factors, the tiny proteins that switch genes on or off in the nucleus of cells, are considered unreachable molecular targets for drugs attempting to treat medical conditions.

18 Apr 2017

High level of protein appears to diminish energy burning power of brown fat

Too much of a protein already associated with prostate cancer appears to also diminish the energy burning power of brown fat, scientists report.

10 Apr 2017

MSK scientists discover epigenetic mechanism promoting breast cancer

Researchers from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) have identified, for the first time, an epigenetic mechanism promoting breast cancer.

24 Mar 2017

York researchers move closer to finding new treatments for chronic bladder diseases

Using human cells, they have mapped how different proteins bind along the DNA to control which genes are active during barrier formation.

14 Mar 2017

Researchers identify genetic variants that may contribute to schizophrenia

New research has identified sections of DNA associated with altered regulation of gene expression underlying schizophrenia.

27 Feb 2017

MGH researchers discover regulators of gene expression programs in medulloblastoma

Massachusetts General Hospital researchers have identified a mechanism that controls the expression of genes regulating the growth of the most aggressive form of medulloblastoma, the most common pediatric brain tumor. In their report published online in Cancer Discovery, the team also identifies potential targets for future treatments.

24 Feb 2017