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 are Homeobox Genes?

Ras Genes and Cancer

Genetics and Gene Expression

Gene Knockout versus Knockdown

What is SATI Gene Editing?

Genetic Inheritance

The Latest Advances in Cell and Gene Therapy

Functions of BRCA1/2 Gene Products

Horizontal Gene Transfer and Antibiotic Resistance

Conditional Gene Knockout Techniques

Tumor Suppressor Genes

See more featured articles »

Genes that Control Pluripotency

Horizontal Gene Transfer

Gene Editing Techniques: ZFNs, TALENs or CRISPR?

Gene History

What are Homeobox Genes?

Gene Knockin

Latest Gene News and Research

Selfish chromosomes hijack Overdrive gene to eliminate rival sperm

A new University of Utah-led study has discovered the mechanism behind a decades-old evolutionary mystery-how "selfish chromosomes" cheat the rules of genetic inheritance.

13 Mar 2026

Circular RNA produced by HIV boosts viral replication

For decades scientists have recognized that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a formidable viral pathogen.

13 Mar 2026

SonoPIN technology boosts intracellular delivery of large cancer drugs

Engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a technique that uses microbubbles and ultrasound to help relatively large cancer drugs enter tumor cells and cause them to self-destruct.

13 Mar 2026

New RNA therapy enhances the heart's ability to repair itself after injury

After a heart attack, cardiologists can reopen blocked vessels and restore blood flow, but the muscle cells that died will never be replaced.

13 Mar 2026

Gene mutation that aids high-altitude survival could repair myelin sheath damage

A genetic mutation that helps animals like yaks and Tibetan antelopes survive at high altitudes may hold the key to repairing nerve damage in conditions such as cerebral paralysis and multiple sclerosis (MS).

13 Mar 2026

Combined CDK4/6 and EGFR inhibition improves pancreatic cancer therapy

Clinically available KRAS inhibitors mainly target G12C, which is rare in PDAC and often acquires resistance. Oncogenic KRAS inactivates RB1 via CDK4/6, while RB1 mutation is rare.

13 Mar 2026

Pen-strep treatment rewires mechanical sensing in immune cells

Macrophages are central to mechanobiology research: their physical characteristics-stiffness, adhesion, and ECM (extracellular matrix) sensing-are inextricably linked to their phenotypic polarization and immune function.

13 Mar 2026

Scientists win awards for the discovery of genomic imprinting and tumor’s power grid

For their discovery of genomic imprinting, developmental biologists Davor Solter and Azim Surani will receive the 2026 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize, endowed with €120,000, on March 14 at Frankfurt’s Paulskirche.

13 Mar 2026

Review examines clinical trial phases in drug development

Announcing a new article publication for BIO Integration journal. Clinical trials bridge basic research and clinical application, serving as essential steps in drug development.

13 Mar 2026

Predicting cancer behavior through splicing fingerprints

Cancer is caused by faulty genes, but what also shapes a cancer cell's behaviour is how a gene's instructions are trimmed and rearranged before they are turned into the proteins that keep a cell alive.

13 Mar 2026

Lifelong tracking of fish reveals early behavioral signals of aging

Scientists tracking the entire life of the African turquoise killifish have discovered that behavior alone can predict whether an animal will live a long or short life.

12 Mar 2026

New imaging method maps gene activity across entire zebrafish embryo

How does a tiny cluster of cells become an embryo with a head, trunk, and tail? And how do thousands of genes coordinate this development?

12 Mar 2026

Experimental therapy eliminates pancreatic precancerous cells in mice study

A new preclinical study in mice shows that precancerous cells in the pancreas can be eliminated before they have the chance to become tumors.

12 Mar 2026

Scientists uncover unexpected cancer target on tumor cell surfaces

For five decades, scientists have known about a notorious cancer-causing enzyme called SRC. But they always assumed it only appeared on the inside of cells, where it sent signals that fueled tumor growth and stayed hidden from the immune system.

12 Mar 2026

Study identifies immune cells and RANK protein as fertility regulators

The kick off signal for puberty begins in the brain. Specifically, in the hypothalamus, where specific neurons release a hormone that activates the hypophysis, at the base of the skull, which then releases other hormones to start gonad –ovaries or testicles –maturation.

12 Mar 2026

Adding three simple amino acids boosts mRNA and CRISPR delivery

Lipid nanoparticles, or LNPs, best known as the delivery vehicle for the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines received by billions of people, are now at the center of a much larger medical revolution.

12 Mar 2026

Immune switch plays a critical role in successful pregnancies

Early pregnancy depends on a remarkable act of coordination. Before the placenta can nourish a growing fetus, the embryo must securely "land" and connect with the mother's blood supply - a process guided by a specialized group of immune cells called uterine natural killer cells, or uNK cells.

12 Mar 2026