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.

Gene Knockin

Genetics and Gene Expression

Tumor Suppressor Genes

Conditional Gene Knockout Techniques

Genes that Control Pluripotency

What are Homeobox Genes?

Gene Knockout versus Knockdown

Horizontal Gene Transfer

Functions of BRCA1/2 Gene Products

Horizontal Gene Transfer and Antibiotic Resistance

See more featured articles »

What is SATI Gene Editing?

Gene Editing Techniques: ZFNs, TALENs or CRISPR?

Genetic Inheritance

The Latest Advances in Cell and Gene Therapy

Gene History

Ras Genes and Cancer

Latest Gene News and Research

Virica Biotech and FUJIFILM Biosciences collaborate under the Canada-Japan Co-Innovation Program to advance AAV production enhancers

Virica Biotech ("Virica"), a cell enhancer company specializing in Viral Sensitizers (VSE™) for viral vector manufacturing, today announced it is receiving advisory services and funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), under the Canada-Japan Corporate Co-Innovation Program for a collaboration with FUJIFILM Biosciences.

From Virica Biotech 9 Apr 2026

New method reveals how the genome is regulated and disrupted in diseases

Researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School have developed a new method called PARTAGE that provides a clearer picture of how the genome is regulated and disrupted in diseases like cancer.

8 Apr 2026

Sponge and sea slug partnership yields a new anticancer molecule with drug design promise

Researchers identified jorumycidine, a new hexacyclic marine alkaloid from the nudibranch Jorunna funebris and its dietary sponge, Haliclona sp., and demonstrated that it exhibits potent nanomolar cytotoxicity against multiple myeloma cells. They also proposed a new biosynthetic route involving cross-species metabolic interplay and an unusual oxazolidine ring that may help stabilize a pharmacologically important scaffold.

8 Apr 2026

Cola may quickly lower pH inside orthodontic clear aligners and shift oral bacteria within hours

Researchers found that cola exposure quickly lowered pH and altered the microbiome on the inner surface of clear aligners, with the greatest disruption observed when aligners were removed before drinking and then reinserted. In this small 24-hour study, wearing aligners during exposure appeared less disruptive than removing them, though the authors said the mechanism still needs further study.

8 Apr 2026

Insilico Medicine nominates AI-driven drug candidate for cancer, Cushing's syndrome and obesity

The NR3C1 (nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 1) gene encodes the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), a nuclear receptor vital for maintaining physiological homeostasis, and inhibition of NR3C1 could increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to standard chemotherapy, particularly in ovarian cancer.

8 Apr 2026

Study finds genetic basis for GLP-1 weight loss efficacy and side effects

23andMe Research Institute, a nonprofit medical research organization, announced the publication of a study that identifies genetic predictors for GLP-1 weight loss efficacy and side effects.

8 Apr 2026

New cell atlas reveals biological links to pregnancy complications

The biological connection between a pregnant woman and her developing baby has been mapped in unprecedented detail by UC San Francisco scientists, revealing new cell types and insights into conditions such as preeclampsia, preterm birth, and miscarriage.

8 Apr 2026

Clusterin inhibition offers new hope for treating cervical gastric-type adenocarcinoma

Gastric-type adenocarcinoma (GAS) is one of the most aggressive non-human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cervical adenocarcinomas and remains especially difficult to diagnose and treat.

8 Apr 2026

Climate shock effects persist for generations, fruit fly study shows

A new paper in Molecular Biology and Evolution, published by Oxford University Press, finds that changes in animal development induced by climate shock persist generations after the initial event.

8 Apr 2026

Noninvasive urine test improves prediction of bladder cancer treatment outcomes

Bladder cancer arises from the lining of the bladder, the organ that stores urine, and is one of the most common cancers in the United States. Most patients are diagnosed at an early stage called non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), in which the tumors are confined to the inner layers of the bladder.

7 Apr 2026

Xuebijing injection reduces inflammation and ferroptosis in acute lung injury

Using an LPS-induced ALI mouse model and LPS-stimulated alveolar macrophages, they found XBJ reduced inflammatory cytokine surges, preserved alveolar barrier integrity, and limited tissue injury, while probing the molecular pathways and intracellular targets underlying these benefits.

7 Apr 2026

Study advances safe, reversible male contraceptive without hormones

Cornell University scientists have taken a major step toward developing a safe, reversible, long-acting and 100% effective nonhormonal male contraceptive, considered the holy grail of male contraception.

7 Apr 2026

Study questions benefits of fish oil after mild brain injuries

A first-of-its-kind study led by the Medical University of South Carolina raises questions about the value of fish oil supplements for people with repetitive mild traumatic brain injuries.

7 Apr 2026

Gladstone investigator wins MIND Prize to decode hidden Alzheimer’s genetics

Gladstone Institutes investigator Ryan Corces, PhD, has been named a 2026 winner of the Pershing Square Foundation's MIND Prize, a prestigious award recognizing next-frontier thinkers who are uncovering a deeper understanding of the brain and cognition.

7 Apr 2026

TIFR researchers identify protein essential for survival and function of vomeronasal sensory neurons

Researchers at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Hyderabad, have identified a mammalian protein, Cnpy1 (Canopy1), that is essential for the survival and function of vomeronasal sensory neurons in mice.

7 Apr 2026

Base editing corrects genetic mutation responsible for severe form of inherited epilepsy

University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have used a next-generation form of gene editing to fix the underlying cause of a severe form of epilepsy in lab mice.

7 Apr 2026

Blocking nitric oxide suppresses tumor growth in aggressive pediatric neuroblastoma

The tumor begins before birth. Somewhere in the developing fetus, neural crest cells that should have matured into adrenal tissue or sympathetic ganglia take a wrong turn, and a child is born harboring a malignancy that may not declare itself for months.

7 Apr 2026

New strategy exploits specific genetic vulnerability in colorectal cancer patients

Researchers have identified a novel therapeutic approach for colorectal cancer by exploiting a specific genetic vulnerability found in a majority of patients.

6 Apr 2026

Scientists create large library of mitochondrial DNA mutant models

Some of your most important life partners are the mitochondria that power all your cells. You and these little cellular powerhouses are in a 1.5-billion-year-old evolutionary relationship-but mitochondria brought some baggage.

6 Apr 2026

How gut microbes may shape heart attack damage and recovery

This review argues that gut microbes and the metabolites they produce, especially SCFAs and TMAO, may shape how the heart responds to myocardial infarction through epigenetic pathways such as DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNAs. It also outlines potential intervention routes, including diet, probiotics, postbiotics, and metabolite-targeted therapies, while noting that much of the evidence remains translational and not yet clinically definitive.

6 Apr 2026