ChIP-seq, or chromatin immunoprecipitation and sequencing, is a technique that allows researchers to understand transcriptional regulation via mapping of protein-DNA interactions and epigenetic markers on a genome-wide scale. ChIP-seq has several advantages over previous methods, such as ChIP-chip, but like all techniques, ChIP-seq has its limitations. urfin | Shutterstock ChIP-seq ChIP-seq was one of the […]
Genome study links DNA changes to the risks of specific breast cancer subtypes
An analysis of genetic studies covering 266,000 women has revealed 32 new sites on the human genome where variations in DNA appear to alter the risks of getting breast cancer. The study lead and senior authors included researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The findings are thought to be the first to […]
‘Jumping genes’ help stabilize DNA folding patterns
“Jumping genes” — bits of DNA that can move from one spot in the genome to another — are well-known for increasing genetic diversity over the long course of evolution. Now, new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that such genes, also called transposable elements, play another, more surprising role: […]
Researchers discover how three-dimensional organization of the genome regulates cell differentiation
A new study from the University of Minnesota Medical School clarifies how the three-dimensional organization of the genome is regulated at the onset of skeletal muscle formation. Although the DNA sequence of the genome is a linear code, like a long sentence, the actual DNA molecule twists and folds in 3-D space, with some sequences […]
Genome editing helps decipher a congenital liver disease
Congenital hepatic fibrosis (CHF) is a rare genetic disease that causes malformation and fibrosis (scarring) of the liver. Occurring in roughly one out of every 20,000 births, CHF can lead to an enlarged liver, impaired blood flow to the intestines (portal hypertension), infection of the bile ducts and liver failure. In severe cases, a liver […]
Researchers identify ‘beauty spots’ in the genome
Genes play a role in determining the beauty of a person’s face, but that role varies with the person’s sex, according to a new study by Qiongshi Lu and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, published 4th April in PLOS Genetics. Humans tend to be preoccupied with beauty—a person’s attractiveness is associated with academic performance, […]
Tracking HIV’s ever-evolving genome in effort to prioritize public health resources
Every county in the United States tracks HIV cases, sequencing the virus’ genome to see if it is resistant to current medications and looking for trends. More recently, local health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have begun using those HIV genetic sequences to trace the virus’ transmission history. They can […]
GARFIELD classifies disease-relevant changes in the genome
Researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) have developed a new approach to understand the functional effects of genetic variations associated with a disease, even if they aren’t located in a gene. Using this approach could help scientists uncover previously unknown mechanisms that control gene activity and determine whether cell […]
Widely used reference for the human genome is missing 300 million bits of DNA
For the past 17 years, most scientists around the globe have been using the nucleic acid sequence, or genome, an assembly of DNA information, from primarily a single individual as a kind of “baseline” reference and human species representation for comparing genetic variety among groups of people. Known as the GRCh38 reference genome, it is […]
Preventing sudden cardiac death with genome editing
Each year, at least 3 million people worldwide die of sudden cardiac death. In the U.S., this number reaches up to 450,000 people. Although sudden cardiac death is more common in older adults, younger people also are significantly affected. In the 1 to 40 age group, up to 9 per 100,000 people are affected each […]