Genetics & Molecular Biology

Mitochondria, the energy power plants inside our cells, are able to oxidize the food we eat to create a universal energy currency for all our currency. These intracellular organelles possess their own DNA, and proteins derived from their genetic instructions are produced according to a specific process which is not well known.  What is well-known is that misregulation of this process can cause mitochondrial diseases in humans. A team led by Jean-Claude Martinou, professor at the Faculty of Science of the University of Geneva (UNIGE), has discovered a new component of the process which…

Genetically modified crops have long drawn fire from environmentalists, who worry that there could be contamination of organic food or creation of FrankenWeeds. Properly used, there is no chance of that, the only thing that can happen is trace material. Still, they have worries and science may have an answer: modern plant genes damaging the claims of the $105 billion organic food industry might be mitigated by...plant genes. Dr. Sherif Sherif, a post-doctoral researcher studying Dutch elm disease in University of Guelph's Gosling Research Institute for Plant Preservation, is lead author of a…

It has now been more than 20 years since the first genetically engineered crops (“GMOs”) were commercialized.  Yet controversy persists.   Farmers – both in the developed and developing world - have enthusiastically embraced these crops.  There have been zero documented health issues, and a great many documented environmental benefits, from the use of this technology.  There is a strong, global consensus in the scientific community that this technology is being used quite safely.   However, GMO opponents continue to vilify these crops and point to a small…

Researchers have discovered a molecular ‘switch’ that controls replication and transcription of mitochondria DNA, a key finding that could influence the development of targeted therapies for cancer, developmental processes related to fertility and aging.  Mitochondria are organelles located outside the nucleus of nearly every cell in humans. While most of the cell’s DNA is inside the nucleus, mitochondria maintain their own DNA and contribute a small number of genes that are essential for cellular respiration and energy generation. According to graduate student Karen Agaronyan, the study…

Antioxidants reduce oxidative stress caused by our body's internal energy production, fighting off infection, and repairing damage. Our bodies produce them naturally and they can be obtained less efficiently in food, but with over 200 conditions related to mitochondria, the energy factories in our cells, the future belongs to treatments that can repair damage to them. Toward that goal, researchers have created injectable nanoparticles that could protect an injured person from further damage due to oxidative stress. In 2012, scientists at Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine and the…

Tiny biological clocks attached to our chromosomes can't tell us the exact moment of our death, but they can narrow it down. These DNA end caps, called telomeres, are the great predictors of life expectancy: the shorter your telomeres, the shorter your lifespan. But shorter telomeres also indicate a greater chance for bone marrow failure, liver disease, skin disease and lung disease. Knowing that, scientists have been experimenting with telomeres over the last three decades, trying to figure out ways to extend them and studying mutations within them. Now researchers have found another link to…

Researchers have cracked a code that governs infections by the common cold and polio viruses. The code was known, it was 'hidden in plain sight' in the sequence of the ribonucleic acid (RNA) that makes up this type of viral genome but its meaning had not been unlocked. Now, researchers have found that jamming the code can disrupt virus assembly. Stopping a virus assembling can stop it functioning and therefore prevent disease.  Single-stranded RNA viruses are the simplest type of virus and were probably one of the earliest to evolve. However, they are still among the most potent and…

An insulin-regulating hormone that had only been postulated to exist has been discovered. The hormone, called limostatin after the Greek goddess of starvation, Limos, tamps down circulating insulin levels during recovery from fasting or starvation. In this way, it ensures that precious nutrients remain in the blood long enough to rebuild starving tissues, rather than being rapidly squirreled away into less-accessible fat cells. The researchers first discovered limostatin in fruit flies but then quickly identified a protein with a similar function in humans. "Starvation or famine is an…

Some babies seem to have a genetic predisposition to a higher risk of being born too soon, according to a paper being presented Thursday at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting in San Diego. The study Birth found that variants in the fetus's DNA - not the mother's - may be what triggers some early births.  More than 450,000 babies are born too soon each year in the U.S. Preterm birth (birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy) is the leading cause of newborn death, and babies who survive an early birth often face an increased risk of a lifetime of health challenges, such as…

Researchers have revealed that genetically modified Camelina plants produce omega-3 fish oils suitable for feeding Atlantic salmon. The new GMO plants can produce up to 20% of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), one of the two omega-3 LC PUFA conferring health benefits.  Consumption of omega-3 fish oils, specifically long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 LC-PUFA), through eating oily fish like salmon and mackerel, has been linked with improved cardiovascular health and cognitive development. The primary dietary sources of these fatty acids are wild or farmed fish. Fish accumulate the…