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Illustraton of DNA double helix on purple background
Unbalanced Allele Expression Associated with Mutation, Disease
A study identifies nearly 3,000 genes where one allele tends to be expressed more than the other, but the findings ignited controversy in the field. 
Unbalanced Allele Expression Associated with Mutation, Disease
Unbalanced Allele Expression Associated with Mutation, Disease

A study identifies nearly 3,000 genes where one allele tends to be expressed more than the other, but the findings ignited controversy in the field. 

A study identifies nearly 3,000 genes where one allele tends to be expressed more than the other, but the findings ignited controversy in the field. 

gene expression, genetics & genomics

Close up photo of a wing
Unearthing the Evolutionary Origins of Insect Wings
Jef Akst | Apr 4, 2022 | 6 min read
A handful of new studies moves the needle toward a consensus on the long-disputed question of whether insect wings evolved from legs or from the body wall, but the devil is in the details.
Conceptual image of gene expression in DNA
Enhancers: Conserved in Activity, Not in Sequence
Jack J. Lee | Nov 1, 2021 | 8 min read
Certain stretches of DNA that regulate gene expression have evolved differently from protein-coding genes.
Modern Approaches to qPCR
The Scientist | 1 min read
Download this ebook to learn how updated qPCR instruments provide optimal thermal performance and data connectivity!
Red blood vessels that decrease in diameter as they radiate outward are pictured on a pink and white surface
Antisense Oligonucleotides Cross Rodents’ Blood-Brain Barrier
Abby Olena, PhD | Aug 18, 2021 | 3 min read
RNA-DNA complexes that were modified with cholesterol made it into the brains of rats and mice, where they knocked down target genes.
streaks of white bacterial colonies on a blue Petri dish
Many Bacteria and Archaea Promoters Work Forward and Backward
Jack J. Lee | May 28, 2021 | 4 min read
New analyses find that divergent transcription, in which one promoter directs the expression of two adjacent genes oriented in opposite directions, is conserved across all domains of life.
Siobhán Brady Uses Big Data to Investigate Plant Development
Shawna Williams | Feb 1, 2021 | 3 min read
The University of California, Davis, professor is a pioneer in teasing apart the changes in gene expression that drive root development.
Eight Proteins Turn Mouse Stem Cells into Egglike Cells
Ashley Yeager | Dec 16, 2020 | 3 min read
The identification of the transcription factors that elicit oocyte growth will aid reproductive biology research and might help women with fertility issues, scientists say.  
model organism, zebrafish, sponge, cell &molecular biology, genetics & genomics, enhancer, transcription, non-coding DNA, gene regulation, evolution
Regulators of Gene Activity in Animals Are Deeply Conserved
Amanda Heidt | Nov 6, 2020 | 5 min read
Enhancers, short regions of DNA that direct gene expression, of species separated by 700 million years of evolution worked interchangeably, according to a new study.
New Map Charts Genetic Expression Across Tissue Types, Sexes
Ashley Yeager | Sep 10, 2020 | 3 min read
A decade-long effort to probe gene regulation reveals differences between males and females, points to essential regulatory elements, and offers insight into past work on telomeres.
ace2 tmprss2 coronavirus sars-cov-2 covid-19 single-cell sequencing transcript genetic
Receptors for SARS-CoV-2 Present in Wide Variety of Human Cells
Chris Baraniuk | Apr 29, 2020 | 4 min read
Analyses from single-cell sequencing datasets support the idea that COVID-19 is not just a respiratory disease but an illness that can affect multiple organs.
Infographic: How Some X-Chromosome Genes Escape Inactivation
Amber Dance | Mar 1, 2020 | 2 min read
About one-quarter of the hundreds of genes on the inactivated X chromosome in XX cells manage to escape that silencing, at least some of the time.
Genes that Escape Silencing on the Second X Chromosome May Drive Disease
Amber Dance | Mar 1, 2020 | 10+ min read
When X-linked genes evade silencing on the “inactive” chromosome in XX cells, some protect women from diseases such as cancer, but others seem to promote conditions such as autoimmunity.
Increased Neuronal Activity Shortens Lifespan in Animals
Ruth Williams | Oct 16, 2019 | 3 min read
Suppressing the natural age-related increase in neuronal excitation lengthens the lives of worms, and there are indications that the same may be true for mice and humans.
sei proteins help protect flies from heat-induced seizures
Image of the Day: Seizure Proteins
Nicoletta Lanese | Aug 14, 2019 | 1 min read
The sei ion channel in fruit flies keeps their neuronal excitability in check.
Stuart Orkin
In Our Blood: A Profile of Stuart Orkin
Anna Azvolinsky | Jul 15, 2019 | 9 min read
By unraveling the molecular underpinnings of inherited blood disorders, the Boston Children’s Hospital researcher has provided the basis for therapies now being tested for beta-thalassemia and sickle cell disease.
Image of the Day: Gnashers
Carolyn Wilke | Feb 18, 2019 | 1 min read
A mollusk grows magnetic teeth so tough they can grind down rocks.  
Researchers Engineer Epigenome Editors to Study How Gene Expression Affects Disease
Ashley Yeager | Jan 1, 2019 | 7 min read
Using CRISPR and other tools, scientists are modifying DNA methylation, histone marks, and other modifiers of gene expression to understand how they affect health and disease.
Plant Engineered to Produce Higher Levels of Antimalarial Compound
Catherine Offord | Apr 25, 2018 | 2 min read
Researchers used the genome sequence of Artemisia annua to boost the plant’s production of artemisinin.
Gene Expression Overlaps Among Psychiatric Disorders
Ashley P. Taylor | Feb 8, 2018 | 3 min read
Transcriptional profiling of post-mortem human brains reveals commonalities in the genes over- and under-expressed in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism, and major depression. 
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