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.

Tumor Suppressor Genes

Genes that Control Pluripotency

Ras Genes and Cancer

What are Homeobox Genes?

Genetic Inheritance

What are Homeobox Genes?

Gene Knockout versus Knockdown

Genetics and Gene Expression

The Latest Advances in Cell and Gene Therapy

Horizontal Gene Transfer

Functions of BRCA1/2 Gene Products

See more featured articles »

Gene Knockin

Horizontal Gene Transfer and Antibiotic Resistance

Gene Editing Techniques: ZFNs, TALENs or CRISPR?

What is SATI Gene Editing?

Gene History

Conditional Gene Knockout Techniques

Latest Gene News and Research

Vitamin A derivative prevents immune cell exhaustion in brain tumors

Immune cells can become exhausted after prolonged exposure to cancer, gradually losing their ability to attack tumor cells.

8 Sep 2026

Two collagen receptors cooperate to enhance cranial bone regeneration

Bone repair depends on skeletal progenitor cells (SPCs) moving to injured areas and developing into bone-forming cells, but how these cells respond to their surroundings remains unclear.

8 Sep 2026

New AI model decodes chemical signals guiding embryonic cell development

As an embryo develops from a small cluster of stem cells, those once "blank slate" cells begin to take on more specialized roles like brain, liver, or muscle cells, and organize themselves into three-dimensional structures such as tissues and organs.

8 Sep 2026

New study reveals euchromatin forms dynamic condensed domains in cells

The human genome is about two meters long, yet it is folded inside a cell nucleus only about 10 micrometers in diameter.

8 Sep 2026

Advancing intracellular delivery with LumiPore®: A new approach to cell transfection and drug discovery

Discover how LumiPore improves intracellular delivery with gentle, high-efficiency transfection for drug discovery and cell therapy research.

From Trince 8 Sep 2026

The vaginal microbiome may be an overlooked reservoir of antibiotic resistance

Researchers analyzed 1,957 vaginal metagenomic samples from 1,547 pregnant women and found that bacterial community structure was strongly associated with the diversity and distribution of clinically relevant antibiotic resistance genes. Lactobacillus crispatus-dominated communities carried comparatively few acquired resistance genes, while L. iners-dominated and anaerobe-rich communities showed greater resistance diversity, with PPROM associated with broader predicted resistance profiles among ARG-positive samples.

7 Sep 2026

AI-designed drug candidate reverses biological age in clinical study

Insilico Medicine ("Insilico"), a clinical-stage company focused on generative AI-driven drug discovery and development, today announced the publication of a new study conducted in collaboration with an international team of scientists from Harvard Medical School, Stanford University, The Broad Institute, RWTH Aachen University, Peking University and Westlake University.

7 Sep 2026

Scientists traced a hidden immune route that may worsen tau-linked brain damage

In a mouse model of tauopathy, conventional type 1 dendritic cells (cDC1s) cross-presented brain-derived antigens in deep cervical lymph nodes, priming CD8+ T cells that accumulated in the brain and promoted neurodegeneration. Disrupting cDC1s or their cross-presentation activity reduced CD8+ T-cell infiltration and protected against neuronal loss, while human primary tauopathy samples also showed increased brain CD8+ T cells, although cDC1 involvement in humans remains unconfirmed.

6 Sep 2026

Genetic COPD risk emerges early with higher air pollution

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a serious, incurable lung disease that is common in older people.

6 Sep 2026

Microplastics transport toxins and antibiotic resistance across ecosystems

Microplastics are often viewed as pollutants in their own right, but their environmental impact may extend far beyond the plastic particles themselves.

4 Sep 2026

Dual-drug microneedle patch targets inflammation and fat browning

The worldwide obesity crisis has become a dominant public health crisis across the globe. Over 3 billion people worldwide currently suffer from obesity, and forecasts warn the number will rise above 4 billion by 2035, accounting for more than half the global population.

4 Sep 2026

Tumor environments sculpt diverse natural killer cells for cancer therapies

For decades, natural killer (NK) cells have been classified into two main groups based on surface markers: one specialized for cytokine production and the other for direct killing.

4 Sep 2026

Crucial brain stem cells rely on metabolic pathways to make decisions

As the human brain takes shape before birth, a remarkable type of stem cell helps give it many of the features that make it distinctly human.

4 Sep 2026

Research reveals how natural enzymes transcribe expanded eight-letter genetic code

All known life on earth utilizes the same genetic alphabet, consisting of four letters. Now, researchers at University of California San Diego have demonstrated that one of biology's most essential enzymes can accurately read and transcribe an expanded, eight-letter genetic alphabet.

4 Sep 2026

What your genes can, and cannot, tell us about your personality

A meta-analysis of 46 cohorts involving 611,037 to 1.14 million participants identified 1,260 lead genetic variants associated with the Big Five personality traits, including 824 in previously unlinked genomic regions. The associations were broadly consistent across cohorts and measurement contexts, while polygenic analyses linked personality-related genetics to health, behavior, psychopathology, and life outcomes, although effects were modest and could not predict individual behavior.

3 Sep 2026

Coffee, tea and dementia risk: Why the amount you drink could matter

A targeted perspective synthesizes epidemiological and mechanistic evidence examining how caffeine consumption during midlife may influence dementia risk later in life. The authors highlight potential roles for dose, age, CYP1A2 genotype, adenosine signaling and cultural drinking practices, while stressing that current observational evidence cannot establish causality.

3 Sep 2026

Cancer-fighting T cells need small amounts of ROS to attack tumors, study finds

New research reveals a promising new target for treating cancer by harnessing a type of molecule previously thought to do more harm than good.

3 Sep 2026

Eight-year study reveals how molecular aging scripts differ individually

Aging does not appear to follow the same molecular script for everyone, according to an eight-year study of 335 women.

3 Sep 2026

Alpha-1 antitrypsin identified as potential target for preventing spontaneous preterm birth

Researchers at the University of Oulu have identified alpha-1 antitrypsin as a potential target for preventing spontaneous preterm birth.

3 Sep 2026

Microscopic peptide droplets reduce colorectal tumor growth in mice

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed microscopic peptide droplets that deliver large amounts of gene-silencing molecules into cancer and immune cells, reducing the growth of hard-to-treat colorectal tumours by about 67 per cent in mice.

3 Sep 2026