Nucleotides News and Research

RSS

Researchers explain SARS-CoV-2's replication-transcription complex

The current pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is still spreading rapidly throughout the world. A new preprint on the bioRxiv* server describes the structure of an important viral non-structural protein NSP12-16 and its role in SARS-CoV-2 infection.

22 Feb 2021

The origin of SARS-CoV-2 furin cleavage site remains a mystery

A new study discusses the origin of the furin cleavage site on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which is responsible for the virus’s relatively high infectivity compared to relatives in the betacoronavirus subgenus.

17 Feb 2021

Scientists examine DNA repair pathways and their impact on cancer evolution

DNA repair pathways exist to correct molecular damage caused by internal and external factors. However, any damage to these pathways can result in the creation of tumors and specific types of cancers.

17 Feb 2021

Study highlights the epigenetics of life at high altitudes

Humans inhabit an incredible range of environments across the globe, from arid deserts to frozen tundra, tropical rainforests, and some of the highest peaks on Earth.

16 Feb 2021

High-throughput sequencing could allow detection of new SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater

A new study reports the use of metagenomics to detect the virus from wastewater samples, indicating community-level circulating variants that are not yet identified or are present in very low proportions on clinical databases.

15 Feb 2021

Subgenomic RNAs could help identify asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers report the association of subgenomic RNA (sgRNA) production, the structural differences between sgRNA variants, and clinical severity in 81 clinical specimens obtained from both asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

9 Feb 2021

New SARS-Cov-2 mutations could arise during chronic infection, say scientists

SARS-CoV-2 mutations similar to those in the B1.1.7 UK variant could arise in cases of chronic infection, where treatment over an extended period can provide the virus multiple opportunities to evolve, say scientists.

7 Feb 2021

Pancreatic β cell-derived exosomal miR-29s manipulate glucose homeostasis

In a new study published in Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, Chen-Yu Zhang's group at Nanjing University, School of Life Sciences, and Antonio Vidal-Puig's group at University of Cambridge report that pancreatic β cells secrete miR-29 family members (miR-29s) via exosomes in response to high levels of free fatty acids (FFAs).

22 Jan 2021

RECoVERY: New open-source software developed for analyzing SARS-CoV-2 genomes

Researchers report an open-source platform-independent tool for building SARS-CoV-2 genomes from raw sequencing reads. The tool can be used without any extra hardware or software and be run using any browser from a desktop or mobile.

19 Jan 2021

New tests may help reveal the transcriptome of SARS-CoV-2 and predict disease course

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to infect people in their hundreds of thousands around the world, a new study describes a panel of novel tests for genomic (g) and subgenomic (sg) mRNAs generated by SARS-CoV-2. Most assays in use at present are either qualitative or semi-quantitative, and cannot evaluate the transcription molecules in detail.

14 Jan 2021

Large-scale genome sequencing shows how SARS-CoV-2 mutated

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* describes the results of genomic sequencing of the virus, which may help trace the routes of transmission of the virus from person to person, and from country to country.

10 Jan 2021

High-affinity SARS-CoV-2 RBD drives mutation spread, forms basis of new COVID-19 inhibitor

Now, an intriguing recent study appeared on the bioRxiv * preprint server describes the use of in vitro evolution to elicit affinity maturation of the viral receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein to bind the host cell angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) with greater affinity.

7 Jan 2021

Replacing the RNA strand with DNA may enhance efficacy of ASO-based drugs

Antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) hold great promise for pharmacotherapy. Now, researchers at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) and Ionis Pharmaceuticals, advancing their earlier work on a heteroduplex oligonucleotide (HDO) model, have demonstrated augmentation of ASO-based drugs by replacing the RNA strand with DNA.

5 Jan 2021

Researcher discovers seven DNA fingerprints that define cancer risk

Lifestyle, or put another way 'bad habits', is one of the textbook explanations for why some people are at higher risk for cancer.

23 Dec 2020

South Korean city shows SARS-CoV-2 clade shift from V to GH over time

A new paper from South Korea describes the evolving SARS-CoV-2 genome in a single city, that of Gwangju, in the southwestern region of this country.

21 Dec 2020

Remdesivir inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication by preventing RdRp-mediated RNA translocation

A new study describes the in vitro mechanism by which remdesivir kinetically inhibits the replication of the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2.

18 Dec 2020

A new approach to identify genomic regions in our brain that contribute to make us human

With only 1% difference, the human and chimpanzee protein-coding genomes are remarkably similar.

16 Dec 2020

SARS-CoV-2 unique deletion variants found in clinical specimens

While participating in the SPHERES Consortium project, US researchers sequenced 2,726 clinical patient specimens gathered in March 2020 and identified eight unique ORF7a deletion variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Their results are currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

15 Dec 2020

RNA editing within host linked to SARS-CoV-2 variants

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the causative virus, SARS-CoV-2, has undergone several mutations.

14 Dec 2020

Amilorides reduce SARS-CoV-2 viral replication in vitro

A new U.S. study published on the bioRxiv preprint server reports the use of an amiloride-based scaffold that targets a viral RNA structure known to be essential in viral replication in the 5’-untranslated region (UTR) of the virus. The researchers say this heralds the application of these molecules as chemical probes to explore viral biology and produce specific antivirals targeting RNA regions of the coronavirus genome.

8 Dec 2020