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Category: genetics – Page 130

First-of-its-kind integrated dataset enables genes-to-ecosystems research

A first-ever dataset bridging molecular information about the poplar tree microbiome to ecosystem-level processes has been released by a team of Department of Energy scientists led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The project aims to inform research regarding how natural systems function, their vulnerability to a changing climate, and ultimately how plants might be engineered for better performance as sources of bioenergy and natural carbon storage.

The data, described in Nature Publishing Group’s Scientific Data, provides in-depth information on 27 genetically distinct variants, or genotypes, of Populus trichocarpa, a poplar tree of interest as a bioenergy crop. The genotypes are among those that the ORNL-led Center for Bioenergy Innovation previously included in a genome-wide association study linking genetic variations to the trees’ physical traits. ORNL researchers collected leaf, soil and root samples from poplar fields in two regions of Oregon — one in a wetter area subject to flooding and the other drier and susceptible to drought.

Details in the newly integrated dataset range from the trees’ genetic makeup and gene expression to the chemistry of the soil environment, analysis of the microbes that live on and around the trees and compounds the plants and microbes produce.

Geneos vaccine shows efficacy in reducing liver tumors in trial

Personalized vaccine + immunotherapy cuts advanced liver cancer in small trial.

There were no serious adverse reactions. The most common was mild injection site reactions.

This Geneos treatment is a DNA vaccine that delivers the genetic code of mutated proteins into cells through a small electrical impulse. Each vaccine can target up to 40 mutated genes.

Niranjan Sardesai, the president of Geneos said that despite the small size of this study, their results are important for the advancement of the field. “Our mechanism confirms every step, from vaccination to tumor reduction, required to explain the immunological basis for the observed clinical responses,” he said in the statement.

Anti-Aging Gene Shown To Rewind Heart Age by 10 Years

face_with_colon_three year 2023 The ultimate goal is to use crispr to modify genetic programming for eternal life this an example of heart age reversal.

An anti-aging gene found in centenarians has been shown to reverse the heart’s biological age by 10 years. This groundbreaking discovery, published in the journal Cardiovascular Research and led by scientists from the University of Bristol and MultiMedica Group in Italy, offers a potential target for heart failure patients.

Individuals who carry healthy mutant genes, commonly found in populations known for exceptional longevity such as the “blue zones,” often live to 100 years or more and remain in good health. These carriers are also less susceptible to cardiovascular complications. Scientists funded by the British Heart Foundation believe the gene helps keep their hearts youthful by guarding against diseases related to aging, such as heart failure.

In this new study, researchers demonstrate that one of these healthy mutant genes, previously proved particularly frequent in centenarians, can protect cells collected from patients with heart failure requiring cardiac transplantation.

Revitalizing Vision: Metabolome Rejuvenation Can Slow Retinal Degeneration

Gene therapy may be the best hope for curing retinitis pigmentosa (RP), an inherited condition that usually leads to severe vision loss and blinds 1.5 million people worldwide.

But there’s a huge obstacle: RP can be caused by mutations in over 80 different genes. To treat most RP patients with gene therapy, researchers would have to create a therapy for each gene—a nearly impractical task using current gene therapy strategies.

A more universal treatment may be forthcoming. Using CRISPR-based genome engineering, scientists at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons are designing a gene therapy with the potential to treat RP patients regardless of the underlying genetic defect.

RNA Molecules in Brain Nerve Cells Display Lifelong Stability

Certain RNA molecules in the nerve cells in the brain last a life time without being renewed. Neuroscientists from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) have now demonstrated that this is the case together with researchers from Germany, Austria and the USA. RNAs are generally short-lived molecules that are constantly reconstructed to adjust to environmental conditions. With their findings that have now been published in the journal Science, the research group hopes to decipher the complex aging process of the brain and gain a better understanding of related degenerative diseases.

Most cells in the human body are regularly renewed, thereby retaining their vitality. However, there are exceptions: the heart, the pancreas and the brain consist of cells that do not renew throughout the whole lifespan, and yet still have to remain in full working order. “Aging neurons are an important risk factor for neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer’s,” says Prof. Dr. Tomohisa Toda, Professor of Neural Epigenomics at FAU and at the Max Planck Center for Physics and Medicine in Erlangen. “A basic understanding of the aging process and which key components are involved in maintaining cell function is crucial for effective treatment concepts:”

In a joint study conducted together with neuroscientists from Dresden, La Jolla (USA) and Klosterneuburg (Austria), the working group led by Toda has now identified a key component of brain aging: the researchers were able to demonstrate for the first time that certain types of ribonucleic acid (RNA) that protect genetic material exist just as long as the neurons themselves. “This is surprising, as unlike DNA, which as a rule never changes, most RNA molecules are extremely short-lived and are constantly being exchanged,” Toda explains.

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