DNA replication behavior in complex organisms may foreshadow leaps in genomic discoveries
For the first time, findings by scientists may be paving the way for more efficient analyses and tests related to the replication of cells, and ultimately, to the better understanding of human biology, such as in stem cell research.

Finding that 1-in-a-billion that could lead to disease
Errors in the genetic code can give rise to cancer and a host of other diseases, but finding these errors can be more difficult than looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack.

Bits of 'junk' RNA aid master tumor-suppressor gene
Little-known bits of RNA help master tumor-suppressor gene do its job, U-M cancer researchers find

Einstein researchers use novel approach to uncover genetic components of aging
People who live to 100 or more are known to have just as many—and sometimes even more—harmful gene variants compared with younger people.

Same gene protects from 1 disease, opens door to another
Botanists have discovered that a single plant gene can cause resistance to one disease at the same time it produces susceptibility to a different disease – the first time this unusual phenomenon has ever been observed in plants.

Gene regulation in humans is closer than expected to simple organisms
Gene networks are some of the most basic features of a living organism.

New, more direct pathways from outside the cell-to-cell nuclei discovered
A team of Brooklyn College researchers has shattered a long-held belief that no direct pathway exists between material outside of a cell and the cell nucleus.

Fruit Fly Gene from 'Out of Nowhere' Discovered
Scientists thought that most new genes were formed from existing genes, but Cornell researchers have discovered a gene in some fruit flies that appears to be unrelated to other genes in any known genome.

Molecule Walks Like a Human
A research team, led by UC Riverside's Ludwig Bartels, is the first to design a molecule that can move in a straight line on a flat surface.

Cyclin A1 promoter hypermethylation in human papillomavirus-associated cervical cancer
This methylation study indicated that cyclin A1 is a potential tumor marker for early diagnosis of invasive cervical cancer.

A Switch Between Life And Death
Cells in an embryo divide at an amazing rate to build a whole body, but this growth needs to be controlled. Researchers have now discovered how one of these signaling pathways controls the life and death of cells in the fruit fly.

DNA Gets Kinky Easily At The Nanoscale
Scientists have answered a long-standing molecular stumper regarding DNA: How can parts of such a rigid molecule bend and coil without requiring large amounts of force?

Study pinpoints protein's role in cancer spread
Edinburgh scientists have identified the way a specific cell protein can trigger the spread of cancer. The study by researchers in the Cell Signalling Unit, University of Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre could pave the way for new drugs which limit the pr

Molecular DNA switch found to be the same for all life
The molecular machinery that starts the process by which a biological cell divides into two identical daughter cells apparently worked so well early on that evolution has conserved it across the eons in all forms of life on Earth.

Scientists discover why cornea is transparent and free of blood vessels, allowing vision
Scientists at the Harvard Department of Ophthalmology's Schepens Eye Research Institute and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) are the first to learn why the cornea, the clear window of the eye, is free of blood vessels--a unique phenomenon that m

Mapping the protein world
Today macromolecular models are built by computers – thanks to sophisticated software and in particular a package called ARP/wARP. Developed by Victor Lamzin at the Hamburg Outstation of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and Anastassis Pe

Misfolded Protein Clumps Found To Be Common To Dementia, Lou Gehrig's Disease
Scientists have identified a misfolded, or incorrectly formed, protein common to two devastating neurological diseases, frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis...

RNA polymerase II and the integration of nuclear events
In this review, recent progress relating to the integration of nuclear events was discussed, e.g. deciphering how RNAP II functions in the various RNA processing reactions needed to synthesize a mature mRNA.

Messenger RNAs are recruited for nuclear export during transcription
A study showing that export factors are recruited to the sites of transcription to promote efficient mRNA export...

On the importance of being co-transcriptional
The article reviews the evidence for functional coupling.