Tag

Gene Regulation

All articles tagged with #gene regulation

science6 hours ago•56 min saved

New Genomic Maps Reveal How Trophoblasts Engineer the Maternal-Fetal Interface

A new review in Nature Reviews Genetics synthesizes recent advances in single-cell and spatial genomics to explain how fetal trophoblast cells regulate gene expression to build and maintain the maternal-fetal interface. The article details how these cells differentiate into specific subtypes, remodel maternal blood vessels, and modulate the immune system to support fetal growth while protecting the mother. It highlights how these technologies, combined with in vitro models, are helping researchers understand the causal mechanisms behind healthy pregnancy and complications like preeclampsia.

via Nature|

#gene-regulation #maternal-fetal-interface #placental-biology

science4 days ago•18 min saved

Waddington’s Embryonic Landscape Metaphor Gains Experimental Validation

Conrad Hal Waddington’s 1950s metaphor of embryonic development as a ball rolling through a landscape of hills and valleys is being confirmed and refined by modern single-cell data. Researchers now map cell states using gene expression, revealing that development is a dynamic process where cells navigate shifting landscapes defined by gene regulatory networks. This framework explains how identical cells differentiate into specific tissues and offers new strategies for regenerative medicine and cancer treatment by steering cells away from malignant states.

via Quanta Magazine|

#cancer-research #developmental-biology #epigenetics

science20 days ago•105 min saved

Human skeletal evolution driven by massive reduction in joint cartilage components

A comprehensive study in Nature maps how human-specific genetic changes in gene-regulatory regions led to a significant reduction in glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content in human joints. By analyzing over 560,000 DNA variants, researchers found that humans have approximately 62% less GAG in their cartilage compared to non-human apes. This evolutionary shift, which shows signs of natural selection, likely contributed to the development of human skeletal morphology but also explains why humans are far more susceptible to degenerative joint diseases like osteoarthritis than other great apes.

via Nature|

#gene-regulation #genetics #human-evolution

science4 months ago•2 min saved

Genetic brakes steer limb formation through precise gene silencing

Canadian researchers show that Polycomb complexes PRC1 and PRC2 act as genetic brakes to silence early limb-formation genes at the right time, enabling later genetic programs to complete limb development; disrupting these systems in mice leads to improper gene expression and severe limb malformations, highlighting a fundamental principle of developmental regulation.

via Université de Montréal|

#embryology #gene-regulation #limb-development

health4 months ago•40 min saved

Epigenetic twists: hundreds of inherited DNA patterns defy Mendelian genetics

Mouse study reveals inherited DNA methylation patterns that break Mendel’s rules, identifying 522 non-sex-chromosome cases across three generations (~7%), plus emergent patterns and probable paramutation, suggesting inheritance can be shaped by epigenetic marks beyond DNA sequence and may influence trait transmission and disease risk.

via The Brighter Side of News|

#dna-methylation #epigenetics #gene-regulation

science5 months ago•9 min saved

Hidden Gene Switches Explain Why Blood Types Vary in Expression

Researchers mapped transcription-factor binding across 33 blood-group genes, uncovering regulatory switches that control antigen expression and explain why people with the same blood type can have different antigen levels. The Helgeson CR1 case shows how tiny DNA changes can reduce expression, affecting transfusion safety, and the approach could lead to more accurate blood typing and insight into malaria resistance.

via SciTechDaily|

#blood-groups #cr1 #gene-regulation

science7 months ago•4 min saved

Alzheimer's Gene Network Map Reveals Hidden Brain Drivers

A team used a new machine-learning tool called SIGNET to build a cell-type-specific map of gene regulation in brains from 272 Alzheimer's patients, identifying hub genes and thousands of causal interactions—especially in excitatory neurons—offering potential drug targets while noting that causality isn’t proven and comparisons with non-AD tissue are planned.

via ScienceAlert|

#alzheimers-disease #brain-cells #gene-regulation

health-and-medicine7 months ago•6 min saved

AI reveals causal gene networks fueling Alzheimer's progression

A new AI-based system called SIGNET maps causal gene regulatory networks across six brain cell types in Alzheimer's brains, revealing extensive gene rewiring—especially in excitatory neurons—and identifying hub genes that could serve as early diagnostic markers or therapeutic targets.

via ScienceDaily|

#alzheimers-disease #gene-regulation #health-and-medicine

science8 months ago•87 min saved

MPRA-powered CNN reveals the cell-type grammar of human promoters and enables synthetic promoter design

PARM, a cell-type-specific convolutional neural network trained on massively parallel reporter assays, predicts autonomous promoter activity from DNA sequences across multiple cell types and stimuli. It identifies functional TF motifs, uncovers a position-dependent regulatory grammar around the transcription start site, distinguishes activating and repressing factors, and can design synthetic promoters. The approach validates predictions with ISM and motif-insertion experiments, offering mechanistic insights into promoter regulation and potential applications in disease research and personalized medicine.

via Nature|

#deep-learning #gene-regulation #mpra

science8 months ago•2 min saved

DeepMind's AlphaGenome Maps How Mutations Drive Disease

Google DeepMind unveils AlphaGenome, an AI that predicts how genetic mutations affect gene regulation across tissues, helping scientists pinpoint disease-driving variants and potentially guide new therapies; trained on public human and mouse data, it analyzes large DNA segments to map essential regulatory elements and their cell-type effects, with early praise from researchers but noting that real-world validation remains ongoing.

via The Guardian|

#alphagenome #cancer #deepmind

science8 months ago•19 min saved

AlphaGenome: DeepMind’s AI Maps the Genome’s Hidden Rules

DeepMind’s AlphaGenome trains an AI on vast molecular data to forecast how mutations and regulatory DNA elements alter gene activity, extending the AlphaFold-era breakthrough from proteins to the genome; experts see it as a major engineering advance with potential for cancer and disease research, but stress it remains a predictive tool—its scope is limited to single mutations in a given genome, its predictions don’t capture all splice-site complexities, and clinical use still requires lab validation.

via The New York Times|

#artificial-intelligence #dna #gene-regulation

science8 months ago•3 min saved

Shared Genetic Network May Link Eight Psychiatric Disorders

A US study finds eight psychiatric disorders—autism, ADHD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, Tourette syndrome, OCD, and anorexia—share genetic variants that affect brain development, with pleiotropic genes influencing multiple networks and developmental stages, suggesting shared targets for cross-disorder therapies.

via ScienceAlert|

#brain-development #gene-regulation #genetics

health9 months ago•2 min saved

Hidden Genetic Switches in 'Junk' DNA May Trigger Alzheimer's

Researchers have identified over 150 DNA control signals in brain cells called astrocytes that may influence Alzheimer's disease, using CRISPRi to study enhancer regions in non-coding DNA, which could lead to new insights and potential treatments for the disease.

via ScienceAlert|

#alzheimers #astrocytes #dna-switches

science9 months ago•5 min saved

Scientists Map Human Genome in Four Dimensions to Uncover DNA Structure and Function

Scientists at Northwestern University have created the most detailed 4D maps of the human genome's 3D organization over time, revealing how DNA folding influences gene activity and cell function, with implications for understanding diseases and developing targeted therapies.

via SciTechDaily|

#4d-mapping #chromatin-loops #gene-regulation

science9 months ago•2 min saved

Revolutionary 4D Mapping Reveals Dynamic Human Genome Architecture

Scientists have created a detailed 4D map of the human genome, revealing how its components interact over time in three dimensions, which could lead to advances in understanding gene regulation and developing new cancer therapies.

via IFLScience|

#3d-genome-mapping #4d-nucleome-project #cancer-research