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DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA).

ICR scientists carry out first comprehensive assessment of chemical probe resources

A new report urges biomedical researchers to use online web resources very carefully, taking into account their complementary benefits and weaknesses, when selecting small-molecule chemical probes to help answer their research questions.

28 Nov 2019

Gene discovery in fruit flies could provide clues to counteract mitochondrial diseases

Scientists have identified a protein in fruit flies that can be targeted to reverse the effects of disease-causing mutations in mitochondrial genes. The discovery could provide clues about how to counteract human mitochondrial diseases, for which there is currently no cure.

28 Nov 2019

UCLA scientists discover link between a protein and human blood stem cell self-renewal

UCLA scientists have discovered a link between a protein and the ability of human blood stem cells to self-renew. In a study published today in the journal Nature, the team reports that activating the protein causes blood stem cells to self-renew at least twelvefold in laboratory conditions.

27 Nov 2019

Prostate cancer 'super responders' could live for two years or more on immunotherapy

Some men with advanced prostate cancer who have exhausted all other treatment options could live for two years or more on immunotherapy, a major clinical trial has shown.

27 Nov 2019

Review: Benefits, safety of fortifying wheat or maize flour with folic acid and health outcomes

Folate is an essential B-vitamin that is needed for DNA synthesis and cell division. Folate deficiency can lead to anemia, and deficiency early in pregnancy can lead to neural tube defects – birth defects of the brain, spine and spinal cord, including spina bifida.

27 Nov 2019

Medicinal plants: from genes to drugs

We eat plants, wear their products, burn them for fuel, and use them to build our houses. Plants are the very basis of the food chain on earth. They are also the source of oxygen in the atmosphere, and a treasure house containing a host of compounds that have biological effects on the body. Some of these chemicals are produced as self-defence, to guard against pests and diseases.

27 Nov 2019

Potential new treatment for mitochondrial diseases discovered from fruit fly genes

Researchers have discovered a way to reverse the impact of disease-causing mitochondrial mutations by targeting fruit fly gene.

27 Nov 2019

Hibernators reveal genetic clues to better understand and treat obesity, metabolic disorders

Hibernation is one of nature's strangest quirks, inducing bears and other mammals to pack on massive weight- amounts that would be unhealthy for humans - so they can survive months of slumber. Yet when these animals reemerge, they are as fit as ever.

27 Nov 2019

Study finds autism-related genetic mutations in aging brains of Alzheimer's patients

Researchers believe that autism is caused by mutations that occur sporadically in the egg or sperm or during pregnancy.

26 Nov 2019

Research could help design better flu vaccines

Each year millions of Americans become sick with the flu, hundreds of thousands are hospitalized and tens of thousands die. Getting the flu shot can reduce the chances of infection. But, at best, the vaccine is only effective 40% to 60% of the time, according to the CDC.

26 Nov 2019

The success of clownfish families linked to high-quality habitats, not shared genes

In a study published today, scientists report that the long-term success of clownfish depends more on living in a good neighborhood than it does on good genes.

26 Nov 2019

Few things to know before buying at-home genetic testing kits

At-home genetic testing kits, also known as direct-to-consumer or lab-to-consumer DNA tests, are growing in popularity - especially as holiday gifts.

26 Nov 2019

Splicing factor enhances ability of triple negative breast cancers to grow and metastasize

If your DNA is a cookbook, a single gene is a recipe. But it's a flexible recipe that if edited one way can make a pie; edited another way can make a cake. And that difference can mean cancer, as a team of researchers who looked at those gene editors writes in the 26 November issue of Cell Reports.

26 Nov 2019

Stem cells do not take the day off on national holidays

While most of us are stuffing ourselves with turkey and pumpkin pie at home on Thanksgiving Day, the staff at one Cedars-Sinai laboratory will be on the job, feeding stem cells.

26 Nov 2019

Studying the genomes of hibernating mammals could improve understanding and treatment of obesity

A discovery about mammalian genomes and hibernation could aid understanding and treatment of obesity and metabolic disorders.

26 Nov 2019

Fertility treatments cause epigenetic changes in mouse embryos, study finds

Though epigenetic disorders - diseases caused by faulty gene expression - are still rare overall, babies born using fertility treatments have up to an 11-fold higher risk of inheriting them.

26 Nov 2019

Discovery in C. difficile biology opens new window to developing treatments for dangerous infections

A process called sporulation that helps the dangerous bacterium Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) to survive inhospitable conditions and spread is regulated by epigenetics, factors that affect gene expression beyond the DNA genetic code, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai report.

25 Nov 2019

Article reveals new mechanism of programmed aging

Nature has sentenced humans to an inevitable death from the time of birth; the natural instrument of execution is the aging process. According to modern scientific notions, only two root causes of aging can be: stochastic physiological damage or the implementation of a special genetic program in the body.

25 Nov 2019

U of T, ASU scientists develop first direct gene circuit

Scientists at the University of Toronto and Arizona State University have developed the first direct gene circuit to electrode interface by combining cell-free synthetic biology with state-of-the-art nanostructured electrodes.

25 Nov 2019

Recent discovery about C. difficile could pave the way for new treatments

Researchers have found that sporulation, which helps the bacterium C. difficile survive and spread, is regulated by epigenetics.

25 Nov 2019

DNA News and Research

Further Reading

ICR scientists carry out first comprehensive assessment of chemical probe resources

Gene discovery in fruit flies could provide clues to counteract mitochondrial diseases

UCLA scientists discover link between a protein and human blood stem cell self-renewal

Prostate cancer 'super responders' could live for two years or more on immunotherapy

Review: Benefits, safety of fortifying wheat or maize flour with folic acid and health outcomes

Medicinal plants: from genes to drugs

Potential new treatment for mitochondrial diseases discovered from fruit fly genes

Hibernators reveal genetic clues to better understand and treat obesity, metabolic disorders

Study finds autism-related genetic mutations in aging brains of Alzheimer's patients

Research could help design better flu vaccines

The success of clownfish families linked to high-quality habitats, not shared genes

Few things to know before buying at-home genetic testing kits

Splicing factor enhances ability of triple negative breast cancers to grow and metastasize

Stem cells do not take the day off on national holidays

Studying the genomes of hibernating mammals could improve understanding and treatment of obesity

Fertility treatments cause epigenetic changes in mouse embryos, study finds

Discovery in C. difficile biology opens new window to developing treatments for dangerous infections

Article reveals new mechanism of programmed aging

U of T, ASU scientists develop first direct gene circuit

Recent discovery about C. difficile could pave the way for new treatments

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