DNA damage response

A new genetic sensor called PRISM makes use of a host cell’s DNA replication machinery to trigger fluorescence in neurons with damaged DNA.

A new tool called PRISM draws on virus-host interactions and a DNA repair pathway to help researchers visualize how cellular stress may contribute to neurodegenerative disease.

A collaboration between friends led to a cautionary finding about CRISPR’s effect on cells.

A study finds some E. coli can deploy a chemical called colibactin to reawaken long-dormant viruses inside bacteria, causing destruction.

Buildup of a DNA-repair protein in brain cells spurs shut-eye in the fish, a study finds, and similar results in mice suggest the mechanism is widespread in animals.

Brain cells in older Drosophila tend to have more than two complete sets of chromosomes, and that polyploidy most likely has a protective function, a study shows.

With three recent FDA approvals, and a number of Phase 3 trials ongoing, the drugs are seeing a surge in interest.

A byproduct of alcohol consumption causes mutations in the DNA of mouse blood stem cells, and some of the breaks are not repaired.

Scientists discover transcripts from the same gene that can express both proteins and noncoding RNA.
 

From DNA damage to cellular miscommunication, aging is a mysterious and multifarious process.

These mobile genetic elements can wreak havoc on the genome. Researchers are now trying to understand how such activity contributes to the aging process.

Researchers are beginning to appreciate a role for RNA polymerase beyond gene transcription.

Researchers find that temporary double-stranded DNA breaks commonly result from normal neuron activation—but expression of an Alzheimer’s-linked protein increases the damage.

The DNA forms known as G-quadruplexes are finally discovered in human cells.

Senior Investigator, Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Age 40