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Category: genetics – Page 9

Genetic engineering is a beacon of hope. It promises eternal life, curing diseases and feeding the growing world population. The possibilities are boundless. The invention is not that old. But their pace is rapid. Life without genetic engineering will no longer exist. We are at the beginning of a new evolution.

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Bolstered by Silicon Valley investment, scientists are making such rapid progress that lab-grown human eggs and sperm could be a reality within a decade, a meeting of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority board heard last week.

In-vitro gametes (IVGs), eggs or sperm that are created in the lab from genetically reprogrammed skin or stem cells, are viewed as the holy grail of fertility research.

The technology promises to remove age barriers to conception and could pave the way for same-sex couples to have biological children together. It also poses unprecedented medical and ethical risks, which the HFEA now believes need to be considered in a proposed overhaul of fertility laws.

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SMC proteins can reverse direction, reshaping DNA

DNA, 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).

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A research team at KAIST has identified the core gene expression networks regulated by key proteins that fundamentally drive phenomena such as cancer development, metastasis, tissue differentiation from stem cells, and neural activation processes. This discovery lays the foundation for developing innovative therapeutic technologies.

A joint research team led by Professors Seyun Kim, Gwangrog Lee, and Won-Ki Cho from the Department of Biological Sciences has uncovered essential mechanisms controlling gene expression in animal cells.

The findings were published on January 7 in the journal Nucleic Acids Research in a paper titled “Single-molecule analysis reveals that IPMK enhances the DNA-binding activity of the transcription factor SRF.”

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The core components of CRISPR-based genome-editing therapies are bacterial proteins called nucleases that can stimulate unwanted immune responses in people, increasing the chances of side effects and making these therapies potentially less effective.

Researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Cyrus Biotechnology have now engineered two CRISPR nucleases, Cas9 and Cas12, to mask them from the immune system. The team identified protein sequences on each nuclease that trigger the immune system and used computational modeling to design new versions that evade immune recognition. The engineered enzymes had similar gene-editing efficiency and reduced immune responses compared to standard nucleases in mice.

Appearing today in Nature Communications, the findings could help pave the way for safer, more efficient gene therapies. The study was led by Feng Zhang, a core institute member at the Broad and an Investigator at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT.

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A novel in vivo screening strategy identifies new modifiers of somatic CAG repeat expansion that contribute to age of onset in Huntington’s disease.

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In a groundbreaking shift in our understanding of mutations, researchers have discovered types of DNA

DNA, 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).

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Research into stem cells has paid off as 68-year-old Paul Edmonds remains effectively cured of both HIV and leukemia following treatment that included a breakthrough stem cell transplant in 2019. Now, five years after the treatment, Edmonds continues to live his life free of HIV and leukemia.

This makes Edmonds one of only five people in the world who have achieved full remission of HIV. Further, his 31 years of living with the virus also means he had it the longest out of the five in remission. It’s a striking accomplishment that he has remained in remission for so long and showcases just how effective these kinds of treatments can be.

Stem cell transplants aren’t a new idea, either. What particularly makes this treatment so effective and intriguing, though, is that the transplant donor had a rare genetic mutation called homozygous CCR5 delta 32. This mutation makes people immune to most types of HIV.

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New research shows somatic mutations drive epigenetic changes tied to aging. This discovery reshapes our understanding of aging and challenges current anti-aging strategies.

Summary: A new study has uncovered a direct link between somatic mutations and epigenetic modifications, challenging established views on aging. Researchers found that random genetic mutations drive predictable changes in DNA methylation, offering new insights into the relationship between mutation accumulation and epigenetic clocks.

This suggests that epigenetic changes may track, rather than cause, aging, making it harder to reverse aging than previously thought. These findings redefine our understanding of aging at the molecular level and hold significant implications for future anti-aging therapies.

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Scientists at deCODE genetics/Amgen have constructed a complete map of how human DNA is mixed as it is passed down during reproduction. The map marks a major step in the understanding of genetic diversity and its impact on health and fertility. It continues 25 years of research at deCODE genetics into how new diversity is generated in the human genome, and its relationship to health and disease.

The new map, appearing today in the online edition of Nature, is the first to incorporate shorter-scale shuffling, (non crossover) of grandparental DNA, which is difficult to detect due to the high DNA sequence similarity. The map also identifies areas of DNA that are devoid of major reshuffling, likely to protect critical genetic functions or prevent chromosomal problems. This insight offers a clearer picture of why some pregnancies fail and how the genome balances diversity with stability.

While this shuffling, known as , is essential for genetic diversity, errors in the process can lead to serious reproductive issues. These failures can result in genetic errors that prevent pregnancies from continuing, helping to explain why infertility affects around one in ten couples worldwide. Understanding this process offers new hope for improving fertility treatments and diagnosing pregnancy complications.

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