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A trio of research papers from Stanford Medicine researchers and their international collaborators transforms scientists’ understanding of how small DNA circles — until recently dismissed as inconsequential — are major drivers of many types of human cancers.

The papers, published simultaneously in Nature on Nov. 6, detail the prevalence and prognostic impact of the circles, called ecDNA for extrachromosomal DNA, in nearly 15,000 human cancers; highlight a novel mode of inheritance that overthrows a fundamental law of genetics; and describe an anti-cancer therapy targeting the circles that is already in clinical trials.

The team, jointly known as eDyNAmiC, are a group of international experts led by professor of pathology Paul Mischel, MD. In 2022, Mischel and the eDyNAmiC team were awarded a $25 million grant from the Cancer Grand Challenges initiative to learn more about the circles. Cancer Grand Challenges, a research initiative co-founded by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute in the United States, supports a global community of interdisciplinary, world-class research teams to take on cancer’s toughest challenges.

Antonia, a cloned black-footed ferret at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, has produced two healthy offspring that will help build genetic diversity in their recovering population.

The world is full of unusual unicellular organisms and microbes, many of which have not been discovered yet. In 2017, scientists identified a single-celled marine organism called Chromosphaera perkinsii in sediments collected from Hawaii. This species is estimated to be over a billion years old, making it older than the world’s most ancient animals. Researchers determined that this species has significant similarities to some animal embryos, though it is typically unicellular. The findings, which have been reported in Nature, suggested that some of the genetic mechanisms underlying complex life are present in C. perkinsii, or that it has evolved those characteristics independently.

The investigators noted that this study seems to answer the question of whether the chicken came before the egg; it was apparently the egg, since the genetic tools for making eggs existed prior to the emergence of chickens.

Did the laws of physics come into being at the Big Bang?

Watch the full talk at https://iai.tv/video/the-laws-of-physics-are-not-fixed-joao-…escription.

Continue reading “The laws of physics are not fixed | João Magueijo” »

Scientists at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona have developed the first comprehensive blueprint of the human spliceosome, the most complex and intricate molecular machine found in every cell. This groundbreaking achievement, over a decade in the making, was published in the journal Science.

The spliceosome edits genetic messages transcribed from DNA, allowing cells to create different versions of a protein from a single gene. The vast majority of human genes – more than nine in ten – are edited by the spliceosome. Errors in the process are linked to a wide spectrum of diseases including most types of cancer, neurodegenerative conditions, and genetic disorders.

The sheer number of components involved and the intricacy of its function has meant the spliceosome has remained elusive and uncharted territory in human biology – until now.

The new method, published in Nature last week, is more efficient, storing 350 bits at a time by encoding strands in parallel. Rather than hand-threading each DNA strand, the team assembles strands from pre-built DNA bricks about 20 nucleotides long, encoding information by altering some and not others along the way. Peking University’s Long Qian and team got the idea for such templates from the way cells share the same basic set of genes but behave differently in response to chemical changes in DNA strands. “Every cell in our bodies has the same genome sequence, but genetic programming comes from modifications to DNA. If life can do this, we can do this,” she says.

Qian and her colleagues encoded data through methylation, a chemical reaction that switches genes on and off by attaching a methyl compound—a small methane-related molecule. Once the bricks are locked into their assigned spots on the strand, researchers select which bricks to methylate, with the presence or absence of the modification standing in for binary values of 0 or 1. The information can then be deciphered using nanopore sequencers to detect whether a brick has been methylated. In theory, the new method is simple enough to be carried out without detailed knowledge of how to manipulate DNA.

The storage capacity of each DNA strand caps off at roughly 70 bits. For larger files, researchers splintered data into multiple strands identified by unique barcodes encoded in the bricks. The strands were then read simultaneously and sequenced according to their barcodes. With this technique, researchers encoded the image of a tiger rubbing from the Han dynasty, troubleshooting the encoding process until the image came back with no errors. The same process worked for more complex images, like a photorealistic print of a panda.

Year 2017 face_with_colon_three

Can genetic modification appeal to consumers? A new apple will test the market.

A multitude of genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors come together to create mental health problems in teens.

Using a broad genetic trawling method, scientists at Washington University identified connections between genetic risk factors and behaviors like screen time and stressful life events in youth. Their findings highlight potential areas for intervention to mitigate the risk of psychiatric disorders.

Genetic Research in Youth Behavior.

Meteorites hold all five DNA and RNA bases, hinting that life’s ingredients may come from space!

Meteorites Contain All DNA and RNA Bases, Hinting at Space Origins for Life

A recent study published in Nature Communications reveals that meteorites contain the five nucleobases essential for life’s genetic code, suggesting a possible extraterrestrial origin for some of life’s building blocks. Scientists, including astrochemist Daniel Glavin from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and geochemist Yasuhiro Oba from Hokkaido University, discovered adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, and uracil in meteorites that landed in various locations around the world. These nucleobases combine with sugars and phosphates to create DNA and RNA, the molecules responsible for storing genetic information in all life on Earth.