Locus News and Research

RSS

New study offers genetic insight into why we look the way we do

Which genes control the defining features that make us look as we do? And how do they make it happen?

11 Nov 2021

Researchers uncover new genetic link to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the accumulation of fat in the liver unrelated to alcohol abuse or other liver diseases. It is often associated with obesity and diabetes and is considered a manifestation of metabolic syndrome.

10 Nov 2021

Identification of a candidate effector gene at COVID-19 risk locus

A new study focuses on developing a comprehensive platform to decode the effects of sequence variation identified by GWAS.

8 Nov 2021

Deletion of ABI3 gene in the brain may increase risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease

When immune cells move throughout the brain, they act as the first line of defense against viruses, toxic materials and damaged neurons, rushing over to clear out them.

7 Nov 2021

Mapping C. difficile: Advanced ribotyping technology helps researchers keep track of deadly disease

Interview with Seth Walk, Principal Investigator and Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University

From Promega Corporation 26 Oct 2021

A new bacterial two-hybrid assay to study SARS-CoV-2 interactome

Recently, scientists have developed a bacterial two-hybrid (B2H) system to study the PPIs of SARS-CoV-2 in a heterologous non-eukaryotic system. This study is available on the bioRxiv* preprint server. Put simply, the B2H system could be used to analyze the SARS-CoV-2 proteome.

11 Oct 2021

Study uncovers five new genetic loci predisposing to atopic dermatitis

An international study led by the University of Oulu's researchers reports five new genetic loci predisposing to atopic dermatitis.

18 Sep 2021

DNMT2/TRDMT1 gene knockout may potentiate adverse effects related to drug-induced senescence

Aging-US published "The lack of functional DNMT2/TRDMT1 gene modulates cancer cell responses during drug-induced senescence" which reported that cellular senescence may be a side effect of chemotherapy and other anti-cancer treatments that may promote inflammation and paracrine secondary senescence in healthy tissues.

31 Aug 2021

Study highlights the robustness of miRNA modulation during aging process

Aging-US published "miRNAs generated from Meg3-Mirg locus are downregulated during aging" which reported that Aging determines a multilevel functional decline and increases the risk for cardiovascular pathologies.

28 Aug 2021

Analysis of seadragon genome offers new insights into its phenotype and sex-determination locus

A study by Prof. LIN Qiang from the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and his collaborators from Singapore and Germany lifts the veil on seadragons' mysterious looks, and sheds light on a sex-determination locus shared by seadragons and alligator pipefish, both members of the Syngnathidae family.

22 Aug 2021

Scientists uncover genetics involved in COVID-19 induced respiratory failure

A new genetic study from an international team of scientists has uncovered genes involved in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) illness.

27 Jul 2021

Brain’s locus coeruleus may be a sophisticated regulator of learning and behavior

Small and seemingly specialized, the brain's locus coeruleus (LC) region has been stereotyped for its outsized export of the arousal-stimulating neuromodulator norepinephrine.

26 Jul 2021

Researchers develop a transferrable and integrative type I CRISPR-based platform to edit superbugs

A research team led by Dr Aixin YAN, Associate Professor from the Research Division for Molecular & Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, in collaboration with Honorary Clinical Professor Patrick CY WOO from the Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, reported the development of a transferrable and integrative type I CRISPR-based platform.

23 Jul 2021

New discovery provides clues to elucidate the pathogenesis of muscle diseases

A research collaboration based in Kumamoto University, Japan has discovered that muscles and the resident stem cells (satellite cells) responsible for muscle regeneration retain memory of their location in the body.

6 Jul 2021

A new study reveals unintended CRISPR/Cas9 editing events

A recent study by researchers from Sweden and the United Kingdom shows that CRISPR/Cas9-based genomic engineering can prompt unwanted on-target effects, and highlights the complexity of human DNA repair mechanisms in the presence of the powerful prokaryotic Cas9 nuclease. The paper is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

4 Jul 2021

Neanderthal-derived genetic locus influences COVID-19 severity in humans

Researchers in the United States and Estonia have identified four genetic variants on a chromosome 3 haplotype that may be responsible for driving the association between this locus and the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

15 Jun 2021

DNA on-off switches for SARS-CoV-2 host receptor as potential therapeutic targets

Researchers in the United States and Canada have identified DNA on/off “switches” within the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) gene that may control the expression of this host cell receptor before, during and after infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

9 Jun 2021

Cdkn1a transcript variant 2 is selectively elevated during natural aging across mouse tissues

Aging published "Cdkn1a transcript variant 2 is a marker of aging and cellular senescence" which reported that cellular senescence is a cell fate response characterized by a permanent cell cycle arrest driven primarily the by cell cycle inhibitor and tumor suppressor proteins p16Ink4a and p21Cip1/Waf1.

3 Jun 2021

Nanopore sequencing contradicts human genome integration of SARS-CoV-2

Now a new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv* server dismisses the possibility, raised by that study, that the virus inserts its genetic material into the host cell’s genome.

2 Jun 2021

Could certain genes be associated with a loss of smell in some COVID-19 patients?

Researchers at the 23andMe COVID-19 Team, who help search for genetic links associated with the severity of COVID-19, found that the genes UGT2A1 and UGT2A2 may be associated with the loss of smell in those infected with SARS-CoV-2.