Health & Physiology
Tobacco smoking and other exposures shut off cancer-fighting genes
Cancer is a genetic disease caused by mutations in DNA. Most mutations are substitutions of single nucleotides, the basic building blocks of DNA. Mutations occur over time due to natural processes like faulty DNA repair or from external sources like ultraviolet light. Researchers have discovered... click to read more
A hidden clock that times cytoplasmic divisions
Omnis cellular e cellula – all cells arise from pre-existing cells. This seemingly obvious tenet of cell theory was only formalized when, in 1841, the Polish embryologist Robert Remak boldly described forms of animal cell division when examining chick embryo red blood cell development. Later,... click to read more
When two kinases go for a dance
Protein phosphorylation is an important cellular regulatory mechanism which acts like a molecular switch in our cells. It is a process where a phosphate group, a small but very consequential chemical tag, is added to a protein. Think of it as turning a light switch... click to read more
Awakening the thymus to cure SARS-CoV-2 infection: a matter of genes
SarsCov-2, the virus causing COVID-19, became deadly for 1-2% of people infected , causing 7-8 million deaths worldwide. Although in most cases the fatal outcome was associated with old age and/or pre-existing debilitating conditions, it can occur in younger healthy individuals. Indeed, there are certain... click to read more
Keeping the balance: How epigenetics monitors cancer genes
The human genome contains around 20,000 genes with two copies per gene, one inherited from each parent. Changes in the genome including gene breaks, rearrangements, and extra gene copies are frequent in many diseases, most commonly in cancer. DNA breaks occur often throughout the genome,... click to read more
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