All articles tagged with #gene expression
Researchers delivered brief pacemaker-like electrical pulses to sea squirts, triggering an exercise-like surge in metabolism that improved stem cell activity, tissue growth, and even lifespan, with gene expression patterns resembling post-exercise responses; while promising, the findings are in a simple organism and their relevance to humans remains to be tested.
A study of 1,864 people with major depressive disorder and 1,208 controls found 1,383 genes with altered activity in white blood cells, including 18 synapse-related genes that reliably separated depressed individuals from healthy ones. Seven of these genes were also altered in mood-related brain regions, suggesting a systemic, body-wide link between depression and immune biology. The work is exploratory and does not establish causation, but points to potential blood-based biomarkers and new avenues for research and treatment targeting inflammation.
Researchers describe Euplotes gigatrox, a seawater ciliate from Curaçao, that occasionally forms rare “supergiant” cells roughly 140 μm long and cannibalizes nearby normal cells, then reverts to normal size within 24 hours. The transition appears tied to specific gene-expression programs and occurs after population growth slows and resources become scarce, suggesting a bet-hedging strategy and revealing surprising plasticity in single-celled organisms.
A gene-expression clock trained on tissue data from mice, rats, macaques, and humans can estimate biological aging and predict time to death in people, revealing conserved ageing patterns across species and offering a faster way to test anti-ageing interventions—though not yet for medical use.
New findings show daily grape consumption (three servings) for two weeks alters skin gene expression and lowers UV-induced oxidative stress, suggesting grapes act as a nutrigenomic 'superfood' that could bolster the skin’s protective barrier and potentially affect other tissues.
NASA’s Scott–Mark Kelly twin study found no DNA sequence changes from a 340‑day mission, but about 7% of Scott’s gene expression remained dysregulated six months after landing. Telomeres lengthened in space and then shortened to below baseline upon return. Cognitive performance stayed slower for months; immune function, DNA repair, bone formation, hypoxia response, and mitochondrial pathways were affected, and liver metabolism shifted, suggesting spaceflight perturbs an interconnected biological network with lasting effects for future long-duration missions.
A single-cell analysis of over a million brain cells from six cortical regions in 30 people found subtle but widespread sex differences in gene activity, with more than 100 genes showing consistent sex-related expression patterns. Sex accounts for less than 1% of overall gene-expression variation, but these molecular signatures could help explain why risks for conditions like schizophrenia and Alzheimer's differ by sex and how hormonal environments might modulate brain biology across life.
Scientists identified DHX29 as a key regulator that senses non-optimal codons during translation, binding to ribosomes decoding these codons and recruiting the GIGYF2•4EHP complex to suppress certain mRNAs. This reveals a second regulatory layer in the genetic code that links synonymous codon choice to gene expression and may influence development and disease.
A new study finds autism symptom severity, not diagnostic labels, maps to shared brain-network connectivity and gene-expression patterns linked to autism and ADHD, suggesting a common biology across neurodevelopmental conditions.
MIT/Harvard researchers reprogrammed cellular vaults to bind and preserve mRNA, turning them into a living time capsule that records a cell’s gene-expression changes during stress and treatment, enabling retrospective insights without destroying the cell.
A study identifies OTULIN as a high-level regulator in neurons that controls gene expression and RNA metabolism, shaping tau biology in brain aging and Alzheimer's disease. Partial inhibition of OTULIN reduced pathogenic tau, while CRISPR deletion nearly abolished tau by silencing MAPT mRNA, but also caused widespread transcriptome changes. The work suggests therapies could recalibrate neuronal regulatory networks to counter aging and neurodegeneration, though complete loss of OTULIN would be harmful and requires precise tuning.
A large study of African American brains has identified the ADAMTS2 gene as significantly linked to Alzheimer's disease, with higher activity levels observed in affected individuals, suggesting a shared biological pathway across populations and potential for targeted therapies.
Recent research suggests that drinking orange juice can benefit heart health by lowering blood pressure and inflammation, and improving fat metabolism, with effects varying based on body type. The study highlights molecular mechanisms behind these benefits, though moderation is advised due to sugar content, and whole fruits are recommended over juice for additional fiber and nutrients.
A large-scale study of brain tissue from African Americans with Alzheimer's disease identified significant genetic signals, notably an increased expression of the ADAMTS2 gene, which is also linked to Alzheimer's in White populations, suggesting shared biological mechanisms across races.
A study in mice reveals that fasting enhances breast cancer treatment by affecting hormone signaling pathways and gene expression, potentially improving therapy outcomes and delaying resistance.