A dramatic increase in the incidence of chronic inflammatory diseases such as asthma, allergy, and irritable bowel syndrome, has led to concern about how modern lifestyles may trigger physiological defense mechanisms…
We are not only eating ‘materials’, we are also eating ‘information’In a new study, Chen-Yu Zhang’s group at Nanjing university present a rather striking finding that plant miRNAs could make their way into the host blood and tissues via the route of food-intake. Moreover, once inside the host, they can elicit functions by regulating host “target” genes and thus regulate host physiology…
Toxin proteins are genetically engineered into our food because they kill insects by perforating body cell walls, and Professor Rikard Blunck of the University of Montreal’s Group for the study of membrane proteins (GEPROM) has detected the molecular mechanism involved. In recognition of his breakthrough, he received the Traditional Paul F. Cranefield Award of the Society of General Physiologists…
Sequencing of the entire genomes of the cannabis species Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica, equating to some 131 billion base pairs of genetic data have been published this week…
An international team of researchers co-led by a University of Minnesota scientist has sequenced the genomes of two fungal pathogens - one that threatens global wheat supplies and another that limits production of a tree crop valued as a future source for biofuel…
Scientists from The University of Manchester are among a group of researchers investigating how genetic differences among individuals contribute to the way ecological communities form, interact and change over time…
In just six years, bacteria in the genus Rickettsia spread through a population of the sweet potato whitefly (Bemisia tabaci), an invasive pest of global importance. Infected insects lay more eggs, develop faster and are more likely to survive to adulthood compared to their uninfected peers…
UCSF scientists are reporting several studies showing that psychological stress leads to shorter telomeres - the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes that are a measure of cell age and, thus, health. The findings also suggest that exercise may prevent this damage…
A tiny crustacean that has been used for decades to develop and monitor environmental regulations is the first of its kind to have its genetic code sequenced and analyzed - revealing the most gene-packed animal characterized to date. The information deciphered could help researchers develop and conduct real-time monitoring systems of the effects of environmental remediation efforts…
A massive international collaboration has resulted in the publication of the DNA sequence for the strawberry, authors wrote in the journal Nature Genetics. They add that the research will lead to superior, hardier and tastier varieties of strawberries, as well as other related fruits. They sequenced a wild relative of the modern cultivated strawberry, called The Woodland Strawberry…