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?

Genetic Inheritance

Gene Editing Techniques: ZFNs, TALENs or CRISPR?

The Latest Advances in Cell and Gene Therapy

Conditional Gene Knockout Techniques

Gene History

Horizontal Gene Transfer and Antibiotic Resistance

Gene Knockout versus Knockdown

Gene Knockin

Ras Genes and Cancer

Genetics and Gene Expression

See more featured articles »

Functions of BRCA1/2 Gene Products

What are Homeobox Genes?

Horizontal Gene Transfer

What is SATI Gene Editing?

Tumor Suppressor Genes

Genes that Control Pluripotency

Latest Gene News and Research

Paternal microplastic exposure alters metabolic health in offspring

A study led by biomedical scientists at the University of California, Riverside, has shown for the first time that a father's exposure to microplastics (MPs) can trigger metabolic dysfunctions in his offspring.

23 Dec 2025

Study validates OVCAR3 as a model for high-grade serous ovarian cancer

A new research paper was published in Volume 12 of Oncoscience on October 14, 2025, titled "Bridging clinical insight and laboratory model in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) using DNA sequencing-based profiling of TP53."

23 Dec 2025

Researchers create the most detailed 3D maps of the human genome

In a landmark effort to understand how the physical structure of our DNA influences human biology, Northwestern investigators and the 4D Nucleome Project have unveiled the most detailed maps to date of the genome's three‑dimensional organization across time and space, according to a new study published in Nature.

22 Dec 2025

A senescence-based therapeutic approach for temporal lobe epilepsy

Temporal lobe epilepsy, which results in recurring seizures and cognitive dysfunction, is associated with premature aging of brain cells.

22 Dec 2025

Research highlights a potential therapeutic strategy for vascular dementia

A possible new treatment for impaired brain blood flow and related dementias is on the horizon.

22 Dec 2025

Altered stress signaling helps explain relapse in alcohol use disorder

A new study by Scripps Research reveals that alcohol dependence disrupts two signaling pathways in a stress-related part of the brain-and offers insights on developing drugs to treat this condition.

22 Dec 2025

Fatty diets reprogram hepatocytes and increase liver cancer risk

One of the biggest risk factors for developing liver cancer is a high-fat diet. A new study from MIT reveals how a fatty diet rewires liver cells and makes them more prone to becoming cancerous.

22 Dec 2025

Rethinking Mendelian assumptions in inherited retinal degenerations

A new study challenges what's long been assumed about genetic variants thought to always cause inherited blindness.

22 Dec 2025

Homer1 gene plays a critical role in shaping attention

Attention disorders such as ADHD involve a breakdown in our ability to separate signal from noise. The brain is constantly bombarded with information, and focus depends on its ability to filter out distractions and detect what matters.

22 Dec 2025

Splicing regulator U2AF1 promotes angiogenesis in cardiac injury

A study published in Engineering shows that a protein called U2 small nuclear RNA auxiliary factor 1 (U2AF1), released by immune cells known as macrophages, helps grow new blood vessels in the heart after a myocardial infarction (MI) by altering how the gene Yap1 is spliced.

22 Dec 2025

Skin and internal organs sense cold through different molecular pathways

A research team led by Félix Viana, co-director of the Sensory Transduction and Nociception laboratory at the Institute for Neurosciences (IN), a joint research centre of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH), has demonstrated that the body uses different molecular mechanisms to detect cold in the skin and in internal organs.

19 Dec 2025

Genes influence the gut microbiome beyond the individual

The gut microbiome - made up of trillions of microbes in the digestive tract - is vital for digestion and overall health. Diet and medication shape these microbial ecosystems, but the contribution of genetics has been more difficult to ascertain.

19 Dec 2025

New open-source tool maps gene regulation networks in cancer

University of Navarra (Spain) researchers have developed RNACOREX, a new open-source software capable of identifying gene regulation networks with applications in cancer survival analysis.

19 Dec 2025

New insights into how a molecular gatekeeper controls early protein modification

For years, ETH researchers have been investigating a molecular complex that plays a key role in protein synthesis. They have now discovered that this complex also contributes a crucial function in ensuring that our DNA is properly processed and “packaged”.

19 Dec 2025