transcription

Digging into how and why some genes are resurrected after death sounds morbid, but it has practical applications. 

Researchers developed a novel protein fiber that tracks transcriptional events over time in living cells. This could shine a light on gene regulation during development or after cellular perturbations.

Aging cells with weakened gene regulation spuriously transcribe RNAs, but their impact on health and longevity still needs to be examined.

Beyond his achievements in academia, he also cofounded three pharmaceutical companies and filed 15 patents related to cancer therapeutics. 

The extent to which transcription is higher in tumor cells than in surrounding nontumor cells is associated with bad prognoses in several cancer types.

A protein duo increases transcription of growth-related genes to enhance axon regeneration and boost plasticity, a study finds—but fails to improve mobility.

Certain stretches of DNA that regulate gene expression have evolved differently from protein-coding genes.

The dynamic behavior of a transcriptional activator can be used to specify the activity level of its target gene, a study suggests.

While studying a degenerative eye disease, researchers find the first evidence that cells produce endogenous DNA in the cytoplasm. Drugs that block this activity are linked with reduced risk of atrophic age-related macular degeneration.

The MIT physicist has demonstrated the importance of clusters of RNA polymerase and other transcription mediators in regulating RNA production.

Once considered an unimportant curiosity, Z-DNA is now recognized to provide an on-the-fly mechanism to regulate how an RNA transcript is edited.

When the nucleic acid spirals to the left, it takes on a zig-zag shape known as Z-DNA that appears to regulate RNA editing.

A clinical trial of the shot in eight volunteers suggests that it is safe and that it generates antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2, but further testing is needed, scientists say.

Cell lines from individuals with macrocephalic autism spectrum disorder have an increased number of double-strand breaks in the DNA of long neural genes.

It’s now clear that gene transcripts can be constructed in various ways, yet many questions remain about the process.

Genes that are exceptionally long or short are overrepresented in some published reports, which can lead to misinterpreted results.

Only recently have scientists directly witnessed this most pivotal of events in biology, thanks to new technology that allows them to observe the process in living cells. It’s teaching them a lot.