Russian scientists discover a new function of the nucleus lamina proteins
A group of Russian scientists has discovered a new function of nuclear lamina (NL) proteins: to arrange the genetic material inside cells. Understanding the mechanisms involved in gene packaging will...
View ArticleSex and diet affect protein machineries
Scientists from EMBL Heidelberg have discovered that the collection of proteins in an animal cell—called the proteome—is substantially affected by both the animal's sex and its diet. Understanding...
View ArticleDNA as you've never seen it before, thanks to a new nanotechnology imaging...
For biologists everywhere, April 25 is auspicious. It is DNA Day and commemorates the date in 1953 when scientists Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, James Watson and Maurice Wilkins published seminal...
View ArticleDetails of the history of inner Eurasia revealed by new study
An international team of researchers has combined archaeological, historical and linguistic data with genetic information from over 700 newly analyzed individuals to construct a more detailed picture...
View ArticleCell division requires a balanced level of non-coding RNA for chromosome...
Our genetic code is stored in chromosomes that are composed of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). To make sure the genetic code is maintained accurately in all the cells, our cells must replicate precisely...
View ArticleStudent gives possible explanation for female mating preferences that...
Pavitra Muralidhar, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, has developed a theory to explain why females of some species are more attracted to...
View ArticleOnce thought to be asexual, single-celled parasites caught in the act
Even single-celled organisms desire partners every now and then.
View ArticleDark centers of chromosomes reveal ancient DNA
Geneticists exploring the dark heart of the human genome have discovered big chunks of Neanderthal and other ancient DNA. The results open new ways to study both how chromosomes behave during cell...
View ArticleY chromosomes reveal population boom and bust in ancient Japan
Researchers at the University of Tokyo conducted a census of the Japanese population around 2,500 years ago using the Y chromosomes of men living on the main islands of modern-day Japan. This is the...
View ArticleB chromosome first—mechanisms behind the drive of B chromosomes uncovered
The specific number of chromosomes is one of the defining characteristics of a species. Whilst the common fruit fly carries 8 chromosomes, the genome of bread wheat counts 42 chromosomes. In...
View ArticleFirst proof-of-concept demonstrates genetic sex selection in mammals
Certain plants, insects, crustaceans and fish possess the uncanny ability to change the sex of their offspring before they are born. Mammals have never before demonstrated this genetic skill, until now.
View ArticleSuper-resolution microscopy illuminates associations between chromosomes
Thanks to super-resolution microscopy, scientists have now been able to unambiguously identify physical associations between human chromosomes. The findings have brought to light a new understanding to...
View ArticleResearchers probe cell division defects to gain insight into cancer
From bugs to plants to animals, for all living things to grow they must create more cells. To do so, each existing cell, whether in an embryo or an adult, receives cues to copy its chromosomes—large...
View ArticleNew computational tool lets researchers identify cells based on their...
In the nucleus of every living cell, long strands of DNA are tightly folded into compact chromosomes. Now, thanks to a new computational approach developed at the Salk Institute, researchers can use...
View ArticleScientists gain new insights into the mechanisms of cell division
Mitosis is the process by which the genetic information encoded on chromosomes is equally distributed to two daughter cells, a fundamental feature of all life on earth. Scientists led by Alexander...
View ArticleResearchers find a method to select for haploid mammalian cells
Since the emergence of molecular genetics more than 50 years ago, scientists have tried to isolate haploid mammalian cells, that is, cells with half the number of chromosomes contained in somatic...
View ArticleBiochemists streamline construction method for human artificial chromosomes
For the past 20 years, researchers have been trying to perfect the construction of human artificial chromosomes, or HACs for short. In a paper published today in Cell, Penn researchers describe a new...
View ArticleA simpler way to choose the sex of offspring by separating X and Y sperm
A simple, reversible chemical treatment can segregate X-bearing sperm from Y-bearing sperm, allowing dramatic alteration of the normal 50/50 male/female offspring ratio, according to a new study by...
View ArticleMonster tumbleweed: Invasive new species is here to stay
A new species of gigantic tumbleweed once predicted to go extinct is not only here to stay—it's likely to expand its territory.
View ArticleThe genealogy of important broiler ancestor revealed
A new study examines the historical and genetic origins of the White Plymouth Rock chicken, an important contributor to today's meat chickens (broilers). Researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden,...
View ArticleThe paradox of different house flies with few genetic differences
In the steamy, often filthy world of the humble house fly, (the Musca domestica) clear division exists among the males of the species. Though not a civil war, there are differences, to be sure, between...
View ArticleScientists develop technique to reveal epigenetic features of cells in the brain
The brain's prefrontal cortex, which gives us our ability to solve problems and plan ahead, contains billions of cells. But understanding the large diversity of cell types in this critical region, each...
View ArticleStem cell researchers reactivate 'back-up genes' in the lab
Biomedical scientists at KU Leuven have unraveled parts of a mechanism that may one day help to treat Rett syndrome and other genetic disorders linked to the X chromosome.
View ArticleHow a tension sensor plays integral role in aligned chromosome partitioning
A Waseda University-led research uncovered the molecular mechanism of how a particular cancer-causing oncogene could trigger an onset of acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
View ArticleBreakthrough in sex-chromosome regulation
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have uncovered a chromosome-wide mechanism that keeps the gene expression of sex chromosomes in balance in our cells. The findings shed light on molecular...
View ArticleHow chromosomes change their shape during cell differentiation
The human genome is made up of 46 chromosomes, each of which has a length of about 100 to 200 million base pairs, the building blocks of the DNA double helix. Even during interphase, the period in...
View ArticleButtons and flies help biologists solve longtime DNA mystery
Biologists at Johns Hopkins University have uncovered an important clue in the longtime mystery of how long strands of DNA fold up to squeeze into microscopic cells, with each pair of chromosomes...
View ArticleX marks the spot: recombination in structurally distinct chromosomes
Two years ago, scientists from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research reported the 3-D structure of the synaptonemal complex in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. This large protein complex is...
View ArticleGenes linked to sex ratio and male fertility in mice
One of the more recent trends among parents-to-be is the so-called gender reveal, a party complete with pink or blue cake to answer the burning question, "Is it a boy or girl?" After all, it's presumed...
View ArticleHow the mouse X and Y chromosomes compete with each other to control offspring
The molecular function of genes in mice has a major influence on the sex of their offspring, according to a new discovery that reveals more about the impact of genes on animal fertility.
View Article
