News by Subject Biology

Researchers at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) have studied a number of adults with nephronophthisis for the first time with a view to identifying clinical, genetic and histopathological characteristics. This kidney disease, usually presenting in children, is challenging to diagnose in adults. The research findings suggest that older patients are less likely to have an underlying genetic defect, and highlight histopathological changes in tubular basement membrane that may serve as a diagnostic marker.

Networks offer a powerful way to visualize and analyze complex systems. However, many visualizations are limited. Protein interactions in the human body constitute such a complex system that can hardly be visualized. Scientists at CeMM and Max Perutz Labs developed an immersive virtual reality (VR) platform that solves this problem. With the help of VR visualization of protein interactions, it will be possible in the future to better recognize correlations and identify those genetic aberrations that are responsible for rare diseases.

Research has identified critical factors that enable dangerous bacteria to spread disease by surviving on surfaces in hospitals and kitchens.

Spinal cord nerve cells branching through the body resemble trees with limbs fanning out in every direction. But this image can also be used to tell the story of how these neurons, their jobs becoming more specialized over time, arose through developmental and evolutionary history. Salk researchers have traced the development of spinal cord neurons using genetic signatures and revealed how different subtypes of the cells may have evolved and ultimately function to regulate body movements.

Nagoya University researchers and colleagues have uncovered a molecular pathway that enhances chemotherapy resistance in some pancreatic cancer patients. Targeting an RNA to interrupt its activity could improve patient response to therapy and increase their overall survival.

Males may have shorter lifespans than females due to repetitive sections of the Y chromosome that create toxic effects as males get older. These new findings appear in a study by Doris Bachtrog of the University of California, Berkeley published April 22 in PLOS Genetics.