PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Prestigious NIH grant explores repetitive DNA sequences and cell dysfunction

2024-01-30
(Press-News.org) Dr. Jeannine Gerhardt, an assistant professor of stem cell biology in obstetrics and gynecology and in reproductive medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, has received a five-year, $2.1 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), part of the National Institutes of Health, for the study of repetitive DNA and RNA sequences and the mechanisms by which they cause cell dysfunction and diseases.

The NIGMS Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award is intended to support recipients’ research more broadly and flexibly than standard project grants, which must specify proposed research thoroughly in advance.

“This award is particularly nice because it gives us the flexibility to follow up on any surprising findings as we pursue our research interests,” said Dr. Gerhardt.

Repetitive DNA sequences, or DNA repeats, are patterns of nucleotides, the building blocks of DNA, that occur in multiple copies (such as CAGCAGCAGCAG...). Some are found only in a specific gene, whereas others occur at multiple sites across the genome. While DNA repeats are common, and most are not harmful, others clearly cause diseases.

How DNA repeats cause cell dysfunction and diseases is far from being fully understood. But the broad mechanisms are known to include the disruption of genome replication during cell division due to the formation of abnormal DNA structures, and the transcription of repeat-containing DNA into abnormal RNA structures that can also harm cells in various ways. Huntington’s disease, myotonic dystrophy 1 and 2, Friedreich’s ataxia, Fragile X syndrome, and a form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are among the dozens of disorders caused by DNA repeats.

An important disease-related phenomenon connected to some DNA repeats is their tendency to lengthen from one generation to the next. Dr. Gerhardt hopes to illuminate how this “repeat-expansion” occurs, in part with experiments in human egg cells, which traditionally have been difficult to maintain and study in the lab.

Dr. Gerhardt and her team also will examine more broadly how DNA replication and repair systems cope, or fail to cope, with abnormal repeat-containing DNA structures. In this line of investigation, they will study how the genome-repair process is affected by mutations in repair proteins—such as BRCA1, which has been implicated in many familial breast and ovarian cancers.

“All this falls into the category of basic research, but the knowledge we gain about the basic mechanisms leading to genomic instability in cells with insufficient BRCA1, for example, will enhance our understanding of how cancer-causing mutations arise in women carrying inherited BRCA1 mutations,” Dr. Gerhardt said.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

As cities grow, how will city trash, wastewater, and emissions rise?

As cities grow, how will city trash, wastewater, and emissions rise?
2024-01-30
More than half of the world’s population—4.4 billion people—lives in cities, and that proportion will grow to two-thirds by the year 2050, according to the United Nations. As the world’s population expands, and becomes increasingly urbanized, many have raised concerns about the impact of waste—from house trash to wastewater to greenhouse gas emissions—on the planet. “We as a society tend to ignore the unpleasant side of our production,” says Mingzhen Lu, an assistant professor at New York University’s ...

A green alternative for treating Streptococcus iniae bacteria in hybrid striped bass

A green alternative for treating Streptococcus iniae bacteria in hybrid striped bass
2024-01-30
Scientists at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) developed a green antibiotic alternative to treat the deadly pathogen Streptococcus iniae in hybrid striped bass, the fourth most farmed finfish in the United States, according to a recent study.  S. iniae is the causative agent of streptococcosis, a disease prevalent in aquaculture and causes a worldwide economic loss of $150 million annually. Disease outbreaks can bankrupt fish farms and ...

New research finds concerningly low levels of trust in fisheries institutions post-Brexit

2024-01-30
Peer-reviewed - Survey Rebuilding trust in fisheries governance will be vital to create a sustainable industry post-Brexit England, according to new research.  Strong trust between managers and fishers is essential for achieving sustainable fisheries, but new research from the University of East Anglia has found worryingly low levels of trust in fisheries following the UK’s departure from the European Union.  The survey pioneered a methodology assessing different elements influencing trust. It revealed perceived incompetence, indifference to fishers' livelihoods, and inadequate consultation as major drivers of fishers' distrust towards fishery regulators.  Lead ...

Mapping cell behaviors in high-grade glioma to improve treatment

2024-01-30
PHOENIX — High-grade gliomas are cancerous tumors that spread quickly in the brain or spinal cord. In a new study led by Mayo Clinic, researchers found invasive brain tumor margins of high-grade glioma (HGG) contain biologically distinct genetic and molecular alterations that point to aggressive behavior and disease recurrence. The findings suggest insights into potential treatments that could modify the course of the disease. The study published in Nature Communications, profiled 313 tumor biopsies from 68 HGG patients using genomics (study of genes), ...

Using vibrator found in cell phones, researchers develop 3D tumor spheroids to screen for anti-cancer drugs

2024-01-30
Depending on their location, cancer cells within a three-dimensional (3D) tumor structure can have different microenvironments. Cells in the core of the tumor receive less oxygen (hypoxia) and nutrients than those in the periphery. These varying conditions can drive differences in cell growth rates and drug sensitivities, highlighting the need to study 3D tumor models in lab settings. Until recently, conventional methods used to create such tumor spheroids were time-consuming, produced inconsistent results and involved high setup costs. Investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding ...

Research indicates nearly six million American women became pregnant from rape, sexual coercion, or both during their lifetimes

2024-01-30
Ann Arbor, January 30, 2024 – Experiencing a pregnancy from sexual violence is common in the United States, according to research conducted by investigators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier. Nearly six million women in the United States who were raped, sexually coerced (defined as non-physically forced unwanted penetration), or both became pregnant as a result. This equates to about one in twenty American ...

Festive opening of the Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences

Festive opening of the Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences
2024-01-30
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) recently inaugurated its new Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences (IQCB) in the presence of Clemens Hoch, the Minister of Science of Rhineland-Palatinate, and Professor Stefan Müller-Stach, JGU's Vice President for Research and Early Career Academics. The IQCB is an interdisciplinary research institute at the interface between the life sciences and neighboring disciplines including mathematics, computer science, physics, chemistry, and engineering, thus generating new opportunities for research by way of, for example, computer-aided analysis of large amounts of data, computer-based ...

Researchers seek to understand how regions of 'cosmic web' influence behavior of galaxies

Researchers seek to understand how regions of cosmic web influence behavior of galaxies
2024-01-30
LAWRENCE — Researchers at the University of Kansas hope to better understand intricate mechanisms behind the evolution of galaxies, which travel through a “cosmic web” of different environments during their lifespans. Gregory Rudnick, professor of physics & astronomy at KU, is leading a team that recently earned a $375,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study “gas content and star-formation properties of galaxies” that are altered depending on where they are moving through the cosmos. “The primary objective of this project is to comprehend the impact of environmental factors on the transformation of galaxies,” Rudnick ...

Beating the freeze: Up to $11.5 million for eco-friendly control over ice and snow

2024-01-30
Images   New, nontoxic materials could one day keep solar panels and airplane wings ice-free, or protect first responders from frostbite and more, thanks to a new University of Michigan-led project funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.    The research team will study biological molecules used by other living things to survive freezing temperatures. The project officially begins this week and includes researchers from Raytheon Technologies, North Dakota State University and the University of Minnesota.   Existing materials used to accomplish these feats come with serious downsides. For instance, road salts ...

A tie between the most common obesity surgeries

A tie between the most common obesity surgeries
2024-01-30
The two most common obesity surgeries – gastric bypass and gastric sleeve – have few short-term complications and are equivalent in that sense. These are the findings of a study conducted at the University of Gothenburg. Every year, around 5,000 obesity surgeries are performed in Sweden. The person undergoing surgery will normally have a BMI of at least 40, or 35 if they also have other serious medical conditions related to obesity. The most common procedures are gastric bypass, where a large part ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Turbulence with a twist

Volcanic emissions of reactive sulfur gases may have shaped early mars climate, making it more hospitable to life

C-Path concludes 2025 Global Impact Conference with progress across rare diseases, neurology and pediatrics

Research exposes far-reaching toll of financial hardship on patients with cancer

The percentage of women who went without a Pap smear for cervical cancer screening increased following the COVID-19 pandemic, from 19% in 2019 to 26% in 2022

AI tools fall short in predicting suicide, study finds

Island ant communities show signs of ‘insect apocalypse’

Revealed: The long legacy of human-driven ant decline in Fiji

Analyzing impact of heat from western wildfires on air pollution in the eastern US

Inadequate regulatory protections for consumer genetic data privacy in US

Pinning down protons in water — a basic science success story

Scientists reveal how the brain uses objects to find direction

Humans sense a collaborating robot as part of their “extended” body

Nano-switch achieves first directed, gated flow of chargeless quantum information carriers

Scientist, advocate and entrepreneur Lucy Shapiro to receive Lasker-Koshland special achievement award

Creating user personas to represent the needs of dementia caregivers supporting medication management at home

UTIA participates in national study analyzing microbial communities, environmental factors impacting cotton development

Mizzou economists: 2025 farm income boosted by high cattle prices and one-time payments

What 3I/ATLAS tells us about other solar systems

University of Cincinnati allergist receives $300,000 grant to research rare esophageal disease

Ohio State scientists advance focus on nuclear propulsion

New study reveals a hidden risk after cervical cancer

Environment: Indigenous Amazon territories benefit human health

Zoology: Octopuses put their best arm forward for every task

New research reveals wild octopus arms in action

NEW STUDY: Across eight Amazon countries, forests on Indigenous lands reduce spread of 27 diseases – From respiratory ailments to illnesses spread by insects, animals

How many ways can an octopus flex its supple arms? Now we know

Analysis of ‘magic mushroom’ edibles finds no psilocybin but many undisclosed active ingredients

Modifiable parental factors and adolescent sleep during early adolescence

Excess HIV infections and costs associated with reductions in HIV prevention services in the us

[Press-News.org] Prestigious NIH grant explores repetitive DNA sequences and cell dysfunction