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SARS-CoV-2 differs from other betacoronaviruses in a key IRE1α/XBP1 pathway

SARS-CoV-2 differs from other viruses in the beta coronavirus family in the activation of a key pathway associated with endoplasmic reticulum stress.

3 Jan 2022

The impact of natural selection on sequence diversity in SARS-CoV-2

Recent genomic analysis demonstrates that the SARS-CoV-2 genome is under two distinct selective forces.

3 Jan 2022

Study finds critical metabolic vulnerability of diffuse large B cell lymphomas

Aggressive and relatively common lymphomas called diffuse large B cell lymphomas (DLBCLs) have a critical metabolic vulnerability that can be exploited to trick these cancers into starving themselves, according to a study from researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and Cornell's Ithaca campus.

3 Jan 2022

Olfactory receptor gene may play a role in breast cancer metastasis to the brain

An olfactory receptor gene that aids in the sense of smell may also play a role in the metastasis of breast cancer to the brain, bones and lung, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have found.

3 Jan 2022

Alzheimer’s disease risk genes disturb the brain protective mechanism

The brain has a natural protective mechanism against Alzheimer's disease, and researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and collaborating institutions have discovered that gene variants associated with risk of developing the disease disturb the protective mechanism in ways that can lead to neurodegeneration.

3 Jan 2022

Researchers discover how the sponginess of stem cell nuclei controls cell differentiation

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have discovered how the sponginess and stickiness of stem cell nuclei controls how they "differentiate" into specialized cells.

3 Jan 2022

SARS-CoV-2 infection and immunity in pregnancy and fetal development

A review conducted by a team of researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the University of Colorado, and Active Motif, Incorporated compiles information on SARS-CoV-2 virology, in utero transmission from infected pregnant mothers to fetuses, new findings on possible methods of SARS-CoV-2 cellular trafficking through exosomes, and the transcriptomic effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection, in order to inform future studies aimed at a better understanding of COVID-19 and the development of therapeutic solutions against SARS-CoV-2.

30 Dec 2021

Intestinal organoids used to explain why bats infected with viruses do not succumb to diseases

Experiments attempting to explain why bats can be infected with many viruses at a time without succumbing to diseases such as COVID-19 - knowledge that could help us to reduce the threat to humans of infectious disease - have struggled until now with the fact that live wild bats make poor research subjects.

30 Dec 2021

An integrated computational methodology for COVID drug prioritization

Researchers recently published a study in the journal Briefings in Bioinformatics wherein they integrated multiple bioinformatics and cheminformatics-based methods to prioritize drugs for the treatment of COVID-19.

29 Dec 2021

Exploring the importance of selenium in COVID-19 patients

In a new study, researchers reviewed research on the role that selenium could play in protecting individuals against coronavirus disease 2019.

29 Dec 2021

Human iPSC-derived fallopian tube organoids reveal the origins of common ovarian cancer

Stem cell scientists have revealed the origins of a common ovarian cancer by modeling fallopian tube tissues, allowing them to characterize how a genetic mutation puts women at high risk for this cancer.

29 Dec 2021

New techniques enable visualization of DNA repair machinery in detail

Each one of the trillions of cells that make up the human body suffers more than 10,000 DNA lesions every day. These injuries would be catastrophic if cells were unable to repair them, but a very delicate machinery that detects and repair genetic damage is at work to prevent DNA mutations and diseases such as cancer.

29 Dec 2021

New study targets the methylation profile of microglia from human brain

In the central nervous system, microglial cells play critical roles in development, aging, brain homeostasis, and pathology. Recent studies have shown variation in the gene-expression profile and phenotype of microglia across brain regions and between different age and disease states.

29 Dec 2021

Study sheds light on how the immune system behaves during pregnancy

Pregnancy is a challenge for the mother's immune system from the outset. Half of the genes in the fetus are foreign to her body.

29 Dec 2021

Alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 evolved mutations to evade the immune system

The Alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 - the first "variant of concern" - evolved mutations that allowed it to more efficiently suppress the immune system's early response to infection, according to a new study led by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco's Quantitative Biosciences Institute and University College London.

24 Dec 2021

Are our bowel habits written in our DNA?

In this interview, News-Medical talks to Dr. Mauro D’Amato about how there could be clues about the regularity of bowel movements within our genes.

24 Dec 2021

Researchers unravel how our organs know when to stop growing

The smallest fish in the world, the Paedocypris, measures only 7 millimeters. This is nothing compared to the 9 meters of the whale shark.

23 Dec 2021

Recently evolved region of the ‘dark genome’ provides clues to treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder

Scientists investigating the DNA outside our genes - the 'dark genome' - have discovered recently evolved regions that code for proteins associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

23 Dec 2021

Omicron has enhanced infectivity that is only weakly neutralized by vaccination or prior infection

Scientists used virus-like particles and found that Omicron showed increased infectivity, relative to the B.1 and B.1.1 strains, which was similar to the Delta variant.

23 Dec 2021

Blocking function of a blood-clotting protein may help prevent or treat periodontal disease

Blocking function of a blood-clotting protein prevented bone loss from periodontal (gum) disease in mice, according to research led by scientists at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, part of the National Institutes of Health.

23 Dec 2021