Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Simple technique to choose the sex of offspring by separating X and Y sperm

A simple, reversible chemical treatment can segregate X-bearing sperm from Y-bearing sperm, allowing dramatic alteration of the normal 50/50 male/female offspring ratio, according to a new study by Masayuki Shimada and colleagues at Hiroshima University, published on August 13 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology. The study was performed in mice, but the technique is likely to be widely applicable to other mammals as well.

From PLOS ONE 16 Aug 2019

Researchers gain new insights into the mechanism of vaccine-induced T cell immunity

A team led by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research has gained new insights into the mechanism of vaccine-induced T cell immunity utilizing single-cell RNA sequencing and metabolic profiling techniques.

16 Aug 2019

Machine learning reveals links between genetic factors and behavior

Researchers have used machine learning to start making links between seemingly instinctive, random behaviors and genetic factors.

15 Aug 2019

Removal of a critical enzyme may help cases of sepsis finds research

Scientists at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have shown that removal of an enzyme called the PH domain Leucine-rich repeat Protein Phosphatase 1 (PHLPP1) could help laboratory mice with sepsis in a model they had created for their experiment. The study titled, “PHLPP1 counter-regulates STAT1-mediated inflammatory signalling,” was published this week in the journal eLife.

15 Aug 2019

New AAN guidelines includes recommendations for treatment of migraine in children, teens

For children and teens with migraine, the pain and symptoms that accompany migraine attacks can be debilitating, resulting in missed school days, absence from social or sporting events, and affected home activities.

14 Aug 2019

Alzheimer’s disease risk gene is involved in synaptic transmission

A study published today in the journal Cell Reports sheds new light on how the CD2AP gene may enhance Alzheimer's disease susceptibility.

14 Aug 2019

Removing single enzyme improves outcomes in mouse model of sepsis

Sepsis occurs when the body goes overboard in its attempt to fight off an infection. Immune cells rush in, overreact and wreak havoc on tissues and organs, often resulting in organ failure and death.

14 Aug 2019

Researchers identify new transmembrane protein as chloride ion channel

In the human body the salt content of cells and their surrounding is regulated by sophisticated transport systems.

14 Aug 2019

Human apolipoprotein E promotes hepatitis B virus infection

Human apolipoprotein E (apoE) promotes hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and production, according to a study published DATE in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Luhua Qiao and Guangxiang (George) Luo of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine.

From PLOS ONE 13 Aug 2019

Bile pigment may play an unexpected role in protecting the brain

In studies in mice, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report they have found that bilirubin, a bile pigment most commonly known for yellowing the skin of people with jaundice, may play an unexpected role in protecting brain cells from damage from oxidative stress.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 13 Aug 2019

Neuronal gene mutations may be linked to seizures associated with Long QT Syndrome

Researchers identified a gene in fruit flies that helps prevent the hyperexcitability of specific neurons that trigger seizures. In humans, mutations in the gene may be linked to seizures associated with Long QT Syndrome.

From PLOS ONE 13 Aug 2019

Estrogen could be viable treatment option for Parkinson's patients

Brain-selective estrogen treatment improves the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in male mice, according to new research published in JNeurosci. These findings may help explain the sex differences in Parkinson’s disease and could lead to estrogen-based treatments.

From Society for Neuroscience 13 Aug 2019

Tooth repair using stem cells may soon be a reality

A team of researchers including those from Biotechnology Center of the TU Dresden (BIOTEC), have found that stem cells could be used for several forms of tissue engineering including tooth repair.

13 Aug 2019

DNA methylation may influence the effects of aspirin in patients with breast cancer

Women with a particular DNA feature may live longer if they take aspirin even before they are diagnosed with breast cancer, a new study found.

13 Aug 2019

Scientists identify hereditary pancreatic cancer risk mutation

Scientists studying a highly cancer-prone family have identified a rare, inherited gene mutation that dramatically raises the lifetime risk of pancreatic and other cancers.

12 Aug 2019

Management of ovarian cancer risk in women with BRCA1/2 gene mutations

A new review to help physicians manage the risk of ovarian cancer in women who carry the BRCA1/2 gene mutations is published in CMAJ.

12 Aug 2019

Antibody may help the immune system fight sepsis-related fungal infections

An antibody that blocks the "programmed cell death" pathway may help the immune system fight off sepsis-related fungal infections, according to animal studies reported in SHOCK: Injury, Inflammation, and Sepsis: Laboratory and Clinical Approaches, Official Journal of the Shock Society.

12 Aug 2019

Study reveals surprising discoveries about poorly understood glioblastoma

Glioblastoma, a cancer that arises in the brain's supporting glial cells, is one of the worst diagnoses a child can receive. The grade IV, highly malignant tumor aggressively infiltrates healthy brain tissue, and most children die of the disease within one to two years of diagnosis, similar to adults.

12 Aug 2019

UAMS Myeloma Center receives $542,486 grant from Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Brian Walker, Ph.D., with the Myeloma Center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has received a $542,486, three-year grant from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to look at changes in the DNA sequence that effects the development and advancement of multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells in the blood.

12 Aug 2019

Biologists discover the intricacies of 'on/off switch' that creates cell differentiation

A team of biologists has discovered how cells become different from each other during embryogenesis, a finding that offers new insights into genetic activity and has implications for better understanding the onset of disease and birth defects.

12 Aug 2019