CRISPR-BEST prevents genome instability
Scientists have developed CRISPR-BEST, a new genome editing tool for actinomycetes. It addresses the problem of genome instability caused by DNA double-stranded breaks in current CRISPR-technologies.
Read moreBiotechnology and Bioengineering
How chromosomes change their shape during cell differentiation
Scientists have provided an explanation of how chromosomes undergo structural changes during cell differentiation.
Read moreThe cholera bacterium can steal up to 150 genes in one go
Scientists have discovered that predatory bacteria like the cholera pathogen can steal up to 150 genes in one go from their neighbors. The study sheds light on one of the most fundamental mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer.
Read moreScientists find timekeepers of gut's immune system
Shift work and jet lag disrupt not just sleep cycles, but feeding and digestive cycles as well. Such disruptions have been linked to risk of obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, infection, and other conditions. Now, researchers have identified an immune cell that helps set the daily rhythms of the gut. The findings open the door to new treatments for digestive ailments targeting such cells.
Read moreNew defensive mechanism against bacterial wound infections
Wound inflammation which results in impaired wound healing can have serious consequences for patients. Researchers have discovered a new defensive mechanism which enables our skin to actively kill bacteria. Central to this mechanism is a cellular messenger molecule known as 'interleukin 6', whose mode of action may be used in the future to prevent wound infections.
Read moreResearchers unlock potential to use CRISPR to alter the microbiome
Researchers have developed a new way to deliver the DNA-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 into microorganisms in the lab, providing a way to efficiently launch a targeted attack on specific bacteria.
Read moreIdentifying a gene for canine night blindness
Researchers have identified the gene mutation responsible for a form of night blindness in dogs. Strategies to treat this condition, which affects a layer of neurons just below the primary photoreceptor cells, could also inform treatment of other diseases that rely on targeting this cell type.
Read moreMachine learning predicts behavior of biological circuits
Biomedical engineers have devised a machine learning approach to modeling the interactions between complex variables in engineered bacteria that would otherwise be too cumbersome to predict. Their algorithms are generalizable to many kinds of biological systems.
Read moreResearchers create new viral vector for improved gene therapy in sickle cell disease
Researchers have developed a new and improved viral vector — a virus-based vehicle that delivers therapeutic genes — for use in gene therapy for sickle cell disease. In advanced lab tests using animal models, the new vector was up to 10 times more efficient at incorporating corrective genes into bone marrow stem cells than the conventional vectors currently used, and it had a carrying capacity of up to six times higher, the researchers report.
Read moreEarthquake in the cell
Nuclear abnormalities such as nuclear blebs and micronuclei have devastating consequences for the genetic material and are associated with cancer or ageing. Scientists now revealed that the epigenetic enzyme MOF is crucial for the morphological integrity of the mammalian nucleus. Moreover, the study characterized the epigenetic landscape of nuclear abnormalities and discovered a formerly unknown epigenetic mechanism that seems to protect cells from additional damage.
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