Genetics & Molecular Biology

How FOXO1 Protein Slows Diabetic Wound Healing

A protein that normally fosters tissue repair instead acts to inhibit healing when sugar levels are high, according to a new study, and that role reversal helps explain why wounds heal slowly in people with diabetes. ...

Article - News Staff - May 1 2015 - 4:44pm

Gene Editing Corrects Mutation In Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited, life-threatening disorder that damages the lungs and digestive system. It is most commonly caused by a mutation in the cystic fibrosis gene known as F508del. The disorder has no cure, and treatment typically consists of sy ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 29 2015 - 10:53pm

Saturated Fatty Acids May Directly Damage Your Heart

Olive oil, canola oil, and vegetable oil largely consist of unsaturated fatty acids, whereas animal fat is richer in the saturated ones. After a meal, carbohydrates are the primary source of energy production by the heart but under fasting conditions, fre ...

Article - News Staff - May 1 2015 - 9:00am

GM Crops: New Folate Biofortified Rice Could Prevent Spina Bifida

When we think of genetically modified organisms, we usually picture the modern legal definition and a controversy related to how science can aid in herbicide tolerance and insect resistance, but there are other applications of such engineered plants, such ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 29 2015 - 3:12pm

Shedding Light On The Dark Zone Of Cell Division

The human body is a cross between a factory and a construction zone-- at least on the cellular level. Certain proteins act as project managers, which direct a wide variety of processes and determine the fate of the cell as a whole. One group of proteins c ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 30 2015 - 7:23am

Mechanisms For Continually Producing Sperm- Just In Case

Producing sperm is necessary to procreate and but procreation only happens the first time in those birth control public awareness films. In most cases, sperm must be produced continuously, and for an extended period of time, to insure reproduction. A new ...

Article - News Staff - May 4 2015 - 8:00am

DNA Repair Map Of The Entire Human Genome

When the chemotherapy drugs like cisplatin or oxaliplatin hit cancer cells, they damage DNA so that the cells can't replicate but those cells have ways to repair the DNA and so the cancer drugs aren't as effective as they could be. When DNA is d ...

Article - News Staff - May 8 2015 - 9:25am

Triple Null: New Genetically Modified Soybean A Big Benefit For Food Allergies

A new soybean with significantly reduced levels of three key proteins responsible for both its allergenic and anti-nutritional effects has been created. Soybean is a major ingredient in many infant formulas, processed foods and livestock feed used for agr ...

Article - News Staff - May 4 2015 - 11:30am

Methyl-Adenine, A Sixth DNA Base?

In biology class you learned that DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the main component of our genetic material and it is formed by combining four parts: A, C, G and T (adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine), called bases of DNA. These bases combine in thous ...

Article - News Staff - May 4 2015 - 10:15am

Mutations In 2 Genes Linked To Familial Pulmonary Fibrosis And Telomere Shortening

Mutations in two genes cause a fatal lung scarring disease known as familial pulmonary fibrosis and can cause excessive shortening of the ends of chromosomes, known as telomeres. Telomeres are repetitive sequences of DNA that protect the ends of chromosom ...

Article - News Staff - May 9 2015 - 10:00am