Gene

A gene is a unit of heredity in a living organism. It normally resides on a stretch of DNA that codes for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. All living things depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains.

What are Genes?

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the chemical information database that carries the complete set of instructions for the cell as to the nature of the proteins produced by it, its life span, maturity, function and death. Genes are the working subunits of DNA. Each gene contains a particular set of instructions, usually coding for a particular protein or for a particular function.

What is SATI Gene Editing?

Gene History

Genetics and Gene Expression

What are Homeobox Genes?

Horizontal Gene Transfer

Tumor Suppressor Genes

Functions of BRCA1/2 Gene Products

Genetic Inheritance

Gene Editing Techniques: ZFNs, TALENs or CRISPR?

Ras Genes and Cancer

Conditional Gene Knockout Techniques

See more featured articles »

Genes that Control Pluripotency

Gene Knockout versus Knockdown

What are Homeobox Genes?

Horizontal Gene Transfer and Antibiotic Resistance

Gene Knockin

The Latest Advances in Cell and Gene Therapy

Latest Gene News and Research

Maternal blood test reveals prenatal methylation clues linked to autism risk

Researchers found that maternal plasma cell-free DNA methylation patterns in late pregnancy were associated with later autism diagnosis and maternal obesity in a high-likelihood ASD cohort. The findings suggest cfDNA may offer a minimally invasive way to study prenatal epigenetic changes linked to neurodevelopmental risk, but larger validation studies are needed.

25 Jun 2026

Gene linked to lower BMI points researchers toward a new obesity target

A review in Cardiology in Review highlights GPR75, a receptor for 20-HETE, as a promising therapeutic target for obesity and metabolic syndrome. Evidence from genetic studies, cell experiments, and mouse models suggests that blocking this pathway could influence weight gain, insulin resistance, hypertension, inflammation, and vascular dysfunction.

25 Jun 2026

Genetic testing could sharply increase demand for ALS specialist care

The availability of genetic testing for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) for people with a family member diagnosed with the disease is expected to greatly increase the number of clinic visits to specialized ALS centers over the next decade, according to a study published June 24, 2026, in Neurology Genetics, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

24 Jun 2026

Scientists identify genes linking air pollution to severe asthma

For many people with asthma, air-quality advisories are harbingers of worsening symptoms. But for reasons science has struggled to explain, the extent to which pollution exacerbates asthma varies widely from person to person.

24 Jun 2026

Open source tool automates data reanalysis to detect rare diseases

A newly developed open-source tool designed for rigorous reanalysis of genomic data is highly effective at detecting new rare disease diagnoses.

24 Jun 2026

Most IVF add-ons lack evidence of fertility benefits

There is a lack of evidence to suggest the majority of in vitro fertilization (IVF) add-ons improve fertility in patients undergoing IVF, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women's Health journal.

24 Jun 2026

LMU researchers discover new genetic cause of Crohn's disease

A team led by LMU physician Daniel Kotlarz has identified a previously unknown genetic cause of Crohn's disease.

24 Jun 2026

Zebrafish model unlocks new insights into hereditary brain disease

CADASIL, an inherited disease caused by mutations in the NOTCH3 gene, damages the brain’s small blood vessels, leading to strokes, cognitive decline, and early dementia.

24 Jun 2026

FairJourney Bio and AbTherx partner to offer fully integrated antibody discovery

FairJourney Bio (“FJBio”), a global antibody discovery expert, has entered a partnership with AbTherx, Inc. to bring transgenic mouse-based antibody discovery in-house. The agreement gives the Company access to AbTherx’s Atlas™ Full Human Diversity (FHD) and Common Light Chain (cLC) mouse technologies, completing a discovery route that partners can now run end to end entirely within FJBio’s integrated workflow.

From FairJourney Biologics S.A. 24 Jun 2026

Gene therapy shows promise against deadly childhood liver disease

A new gene therapy has been used to successfully treat a deadly childhood liver disease using mice that model this disease by researchers at UCL and Great Ormond Street Hospital.

23 Jun 2026

Researchers identify molecular pathway that delays diabetic wound healing

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is one of the most serious complications of diabetes and a major cause of lower-limb amputation.

23 Jun 2026

Cambridge researchers discover three distinct severe pneumonia biological subtypes

Cambridge researchers have shown that severe pneumonia has three different subtypes, helping explain why some patients in intensive care units (ICUs) recover from their illness faster than others, while for other patients the disease can be life-threatening.

23 Jun 2026

MSU researchers develop tool to observe complex molecular choreography in real time

A lot of things need to go right on a molecular level for immune cells to launch an adaptive response to an infection.

23 Jun 2026

Researchers identify molecular cause of age-related cognitive decline

A research team from University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University and the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center has identified a critical molecular cause of age-related cognitive decline, potentially paving the way for new treatments to protect brain health as we age.

23 Jun 2026

Skin barrier monitoring predicts necrosis after skin flap surgery

Random-pattern skin flaps (RPSFs) receive blood mainly from small subcutaneous vessels rather than a defined axial vessel, leaving them vulnerable to ischemia and hypoxia after surgery.

23 Jun 2026

New project aims to systematically map billion cellular interactions

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23 Jun 2026

Psychological traits may uncover why Alzheimer’s biology differs between patients

In 822 deceased older adults from ROS and MAP, researchers linked stable psychological traits to multi-omic molecular subtypes of Alzheimer’s dementia using postmortem brain tissue from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Neuroticism and loneliness were associated with molecular progression, while purpose in life showed subtype-specific inverse associations, suggesting psychological traits may align with Alzheimer’s biology beyond conventional neuropathology.

22 Jun 2026

Statins may trigger muscle side effects by activating inflammatory danger signals

An experimental study in Science Advances shows that statins, primarily fluvastatin in these experiments, may promote low-level muscle myopathy by reducing isoprenoid-dependent protein prenylation rather than by cholesterol lowering. In primed muscle cells and mouse models, impaired YAP signaling, reduced glycolysis, NLRP3/caspase-1 activation, and nuclear FOXO accumulation increased atrogin-1, reduced protein synthesis, and weakened muscle function.

22 Jun 2026

Scientists trace cardiac aging to a fading regulator in heart muscle cells

Researchers mapped 442,239 single nuclei from nonfailing human hearts to chart how cardiac cells change from fetal development to older adulthood. The study identified PRDM16 as an age-declining cardiomyocyte regulator, with experimental evidence showing that restoring Prdm16 in aged mouse hearts improved systolic function and partly reversed aging-associated transcriptional patterns.

22 Jun 2026

Using the mathematics of quantum mechanics to improve neuroblastoma outcomes

For a child diagnosed with neuroblastoma-the most common infant cancer, occurring when early nerve cells grow out of control-the path to treatment isn't simple.

22 Jun 2026