Genetics & Molecular Biology

IPS Cells And Banned SCNT-Derived Stem Cells Are Similar

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT)-derived cells are world's apart. iPSCs became a major research force because they are adult stem cells and lack the controversy of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) whil ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 6 2014 - 5:07pm

Chromatin Discovery In Maize Could Bring New Era Of Genetic Optimization

A new biology paper sheds light on how chromatin (the complex of DNA and proteins) is organized in a cell and how plants regulate genetic material, so that some genes are turned on and others are turned off- and it could make it possible for a new generat ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 6 2014 - 6:30pm

Calmodulin And Getting To The Heart Of The Heart

Heart attacks are often caused by conditions that affect electrical signaling in the heart. Genetic studies have linked two of these conditions, long QT syndrome and Brugada syndrome, to mutations in the sodium channels that let sodium ions into cells in ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 7 2014 - 9:31am

Blocking Some Mitochondrial Fission May Reverse Parkinson's Disease

A new study finds that the inhibition of a particular mitochondrial fission protein, GTPase dynamin-related protein-1 – Drp1, could hold the key to treating Parkinson's Disease. ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 6 2014 - 9:56pm

How To Make A Baby...a Question Of Gastrulation

Let’s talk about gastrulation. For those unfamiliar with the term, it’s not as disgusting as it sounds. Gastrulation is a process in early embryonic development which leads to the generation of the three germ-layer tissues- ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoder ...

Article - Sarah Harrison - Nov 9 2014 - 12:26pm

Mitochondria Signaling Pathway Links Energy Conversion And Cell Division

When a cell divides, it passes through a sequence of complex events and mitochondria, the organelles called the power plants of the cell, are the main source of energy for these processes: They convert food into energy the cell can use. Freiburg biochemist ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 10 2014 - 10:00am

Why Yellow Fever Mosquitoes Love Humans- Thank Genetics

The yellow fever mosquito sustains its taste for human blood thanks to a genetic tweak that makes it more sensitive to human odor, according to a paper in Nature. They have a version of an odor-detecting gene in its antennae that is highly attuned to sulc ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 12 2014 - 5:35pm

This Gene Mutation May Protect Against Heart Disease

Everyone inherits two copies of most genes, one copy from each parent. In a recent study, researchers found in a rare mutation, people with one inactive copy of the gene NPC1L1 appeared to be protected against high LDL cholesterol, commonly called the &q ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 13 2014 - 10:14am

Eosinophilic Esophagitis: Genetic Clues Of Severe Food Allergy

Scientists have identified four new genes associated with a severe food allergy called eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), which has only recently been recognized as a distinct condition. Its hallmark is inflammation and painful swelling in the esophagus, alo ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 22 2014 - 11:22am

DNA May Survive Spaceflight, Study Finds