Genes News and Research

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Long-term exposure to cold temperatures reduces diabetes and obesity, shows study

A new study in fat cells has revealed a molecular mechanism that controls how lifestyle choices and the external environment affect gene expression.

19 Apr 2018

Study proposes new mechanism that may contribute to gender differences in weight control

For years, scientists have observed that when male and female mice eat the same high-fat diet, the males gain significantly more weight than the females.

18 Apr 2018

Researchers use 'top-down proteomics' strategy to get new insights into cancer

When a RAS gene operates normally, it acts as an on/off switch for cell signaling to control cell proliferation. But when the gene mutates, the switch jams into the "on" position, allowing cells to proliferate uncontrollably.

18 Apr 2018

Study sheds light on how the HSC niche is maintained

Researchers have identified an important cellular protein involved in the maintenance of bone marrow cavities and the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) niche

18 Apr 2018

NYC mice carry deadly bacteria and viruses

Almost all types of housing and living facilities house mice. Researchers have found in their year-long study on New York City mice that many of these carry on them deadly bacteria and viruses. These bacteria could be resistant to antibiotics and thus they may cause life threatening infections in humans.

18 Apr 2018

New study maps links between 625 genes and different chemotherapy treatments

Despite the great successes of targeted cancer drugs and the promise of novel immunotherapies, the vast majority of people diagnosed with cancer are still first treated with chemotherapy. Now a new study by UCSF researchers using techniques drawn from computational biology could make it much easier for physicians to use the genetic profile of a patient's tumor to pick the chemotherapy treatment with the fewest side effects and best chance of success.

18 Apr 2018

Gene affects some women's body fat distribution and increases their diabetes risk

A natural variation of the gene KLF14 causes some women to store fat on their bellies and hips and puts them at significantly increased risk of type 2 diabetes, new research reveals.

17 Apr 2018

Roswell Park researchers identify driver of cancer-promoting metabolic changes

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have identified a potential key player promoting cancer progression through changes in the cell environment that are conducive to metastasis.

17 Apr 2018

Scientists provide insight into how gene associated with autoimmunity contributes to disease

Researchers have provided new insight into how a gene associated with autoimmunity contributes to disease in humans.

17 Apr 2018

Bacterial 'gene swapping' affects emergence and spread of infectious diseases

A new study by scientists at the University of Liverpool documents, for the first time, how the ability of bacteria to swap genetic material with each other can directly affect the emergence and spread of globally important infectious diseases.

17 Apr 2018

Researchers shed light on role of striosomal neurons in reinforcement learning

A pleasant surprise or a nasty shock is likely to be a memorable experience. For instance, if you touch a hot oven, you very quickly learn not to do it again.

17 Apr 2018

Researchers discover potential hurdle for personalized medicine

A recent study has shown that loss of the Erk oncogene can stimulate tumorigenesis in cells where Ras has been eliminated. The findings may have important consequences for the development of personalized medicines that target Ras.

17 Apr 2018

Discovery of 100 new genes may aid research into pigmentation diseases

A new study identified more than 100 genes that play a key role in determining the color of human hair. The findings may have important implications for pigmentation diseases such as melanoma.

17 Apr 2018

Post-surgical opioids can prolong pain for more than three weeks, study shows

Giving opioids to animals to quell pain after surgery prolongs pain for more than three weeks and primes specialized immune cells in the spinal cord to be more reactive to pain, according to a new study by the University of Colorado Boulder.

16 Apr 2018

Early life stress impacts how the sensory systems develop, review shows

Life needs stimulation. However, overstimulation can cause exhaustion and illness. During specific sensitive periods early in life, stress can even affect later mental health.

16 Apr 2018

Breakthrough study promises to bring gene-editing technology much closer to therapeutic reality

Imagine a future where a guided biomachine put into your body seeks out defective gene sequences in each cell and edits in the correct information with precision accuracy.

13 Apr 2018

Two MDC researchers win ERC funding worth several million euros

Basic researchers Gary Lewin and Norbert Hübner are investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying neurological and heart diseases. Their focus is on understanding the anchoring of ion channels and micropeptides in heart muscle cells.

13 Apr 2018

Versatile mouse model opens doors to new targeted cancer therapies

Researchers from the Seve Ballesteros Foundation-CNIO Brain Tumour Group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre have developed an extremely powerful and versatile mouse model that will improve cancer research and accelerate pre-clinical testing of novel targeted therapies. Their work appears in Nature Communications.

13 Apr 2018

Biologists discover surprising, additional function for soluble form of SNARE protein

In 2013, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to three scientists for their contributions to uncovering the mechanisms governing vesicle transport in cells. Their explanations provided both a conceptual and a mechanistic understanding of basic processes at the most fundamental level.

13 Apr 2018

Scientists from Cure First and SEngine Precision Medicine discover common link in 28% of all cancers

Seattle scientists from Cure First, a non-profit research organization, and SEngine Precision Medicine, a biotech developing targeted, more effective, and less toxic cancer therapeutics, co-authored one of 27 high-profile papers published today by Cell Press.

13 Apr 2018