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Category: genetics – Page 214

Longer Telomere Length In 2023 vs 2022 (Also, Correlations With Diet)

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Base editing demonstrates favorable results over CRISPR-Cas9 for treating hemoglobinopathies

Recent advancements in gene editing technologies may lead to a cure for hemoglobinopathies, including sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia.

A collaborative study between researchers from St Jude Children’s Research Hospital (TN, USA) and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard (MA, USA) has shown that adenosine base editing could be more effective than other gene editing approaches such as CRISPR/Cas9 for treating sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia. Comparing five different gene editing strategies utilizing either Cas9 nucleases or adenine base editors in hematopoietic and progenitor stem cells, the team found that base editing yielded more favorable results.

Sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia arise due to mutations in the β-globin subunit of hemoglobin, resulting in defective red blood cells. Previous studies have shown that restoring the function of γ-globin, a hemoglobin submit expressed during fetal development, could hold therapeutic advantages for patients with sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia. During fetal development, γ-globin combines with α-globin to form fetal hemoglobin. Following birth, expression of γ-globin ceases as it is replaced by β-globin to form adult hemoglobin. The researchers sought to see whether fetal hemoglobin expression could be restored in post-natal red blood cells to counter the effects of the disease, offering a potentially universal therapeutic approach for the disease.

Octopuses and squid are masters of RNA editing while leaving DNA intact

Octopuses are like aliens living among us — they do a lot of things differently from land animals, or even other sea creatures. Their flexible tentacles taste what they touch and have minds of their own. Octopuses’ eyes are color-blind, but their skin can detect light on its own (SN: 6/27/15, p. 10). They are masters of disguise, changing color and skin textures to blend into their surroundings or scare off rivals. And to a greater extent than most creatures, octopuses squirt the molecular equivalent of red ink over their genetic instructions with astounding abandon, like a copy editor run amok.

These edits modify RNA, the molecule used to translate information from the genetic blueprint stored in DNA, while leaving the DNA unaltered.

Modifications to RNA could explain the intelligence and flexibility of shell-less cephalopods.

Chinese scientists report gene editing tool better than CRISPR

The new tool has the capacity to undertake strand-specific gene editing without any cuts.

Chinese researchers claim to have created a new gene-editing technique called CyDENT that is more effective than Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) technology.

This is according to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) published on Saturday.

The cutting-edge gene-editing technique CRISPR enables precise DNA changes within an organism’s genome. Its development in the past few years has significantly advanced genetic engineering and biotechnology.

Calorie Restriction, Exercise, And Longevity: Luigi Fontana, MD PhD

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DNA Chips: The Billion Gigabyte Storage Solution of Tomorrow

In the form of DNADNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is a molecule composed of two long strands of nucleotides that coil around each other to form a double helix. It is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms that carries genetic instructions for development, functioning, growth, and reproduction. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA).

Engineered E. coli to generate electricity from wastewater

The organism fared better at converting organic waste to electricity than even some famous and exotic electricity producing microbes.

Scientists at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have successfully engineered E.coli.

Escherichia coli, commonly known as E.coli, is a rod-shaped bacterium commonly found in the lower gut of organisms. However, it has become a favorite of microbial researchers worldwide for the ease with which its genetic structure can be manipulated. It has, therefore, become an indispensable part of research and industrial projects.

Telomere-boosting mRNA therapeutic turns back the aging clock

This is a big deal, kids.

For the past five years, Silicon Valley biotech Rejuvenation Technologies has been quietly working on a therapeutic platform to extend telomeres in the human body, with the goal of boosting longevity and healthspan. Yesterday, the company emerged from stealth with a healthy seed funding round of $10.6 million, led by Khosla Ventures.

Rejuvenation has developed a synthetic mRNA-based approach to restoring telomeres to a “healthy length” – capable of reversing a decade of telomere shortening in a single dose. The mRNA produces telomerase, an enzyme that plays a critical role in maintaining the length of telomeres. Following positive preclinical results in lung and liver disease indications, the company is now preparing the path towards its first in-human trials.

Longevity. Technology: Telomeres are protective structures on our DNA that prevent the loss of genetic information as the cells in our bodies divide. With each cellular division, our telomeres gradually shorten and, when they become critically short, our cells enter a state of senescence or die. Research has shown that telomere length is closely associated with lifespan and healthspan, and telomere shortening is recognized as one of the primary hallmarks of aging.

While it has long been known that the enzyme telomerase extends telomeres, it was only recently that safe, rapid telomere extension has been enabled by the delivery of mRNA. To learn more about how Rejuvenation Technologies is targeting telomeres and longevity, we caught up with co-founders Dr Glenn Markov and Dr John Ramunas.

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