gene expression

Researchers find that UBQLN2 gene dysfunction causes a virus-like protein to accumulate in cells, which changes gene expression and may contribute to disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Synonymous mutations have long been ignored in cancer studies since they don’t affect the amino acid sequences of proteins. But research increasingly reveals that they can have disease-driving effects.

The changes may help explain the link between maternal infection and autism, though more research is needed.

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

The Lundbeck Foundation announces an international cohort of neuroscientists have collectively won the €1.3 million Brain Prize.

By studying tissues from deceased people, a team found that women have more rhythmical gene expression and that this molecular rhythmicity decreases with age.

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. 

Data from postmortem brain tissues adds to the evidence that inflammation is associated with autism.

This year’s crop of winning products features many with a clinical focus and others that represent significant advances in sequencing, single-cell analysis, and more.

The tiny strings of RNA promote translation of a protein implicated in cancer, a hint they could regulate gene expression in more ways than previously thought.

The ability to activate different sets of genes has likely helped the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis spread widely in amphibians, resulting in global population declines. 

A single amino acid substitution in a protein causes increased neuron production in the frontal lobes of humans compared to Neanderthals—a tiny difference that could have given our species a cognitive edge, researchers say.

A study finds that expression levels of certain genes that track with brain activity—particularly those involved in brain development—vary between people with autism and their non-autistic peers.