Category Biology/Biotechnology

Comparative model of lncRNA-regulation of heart regeneration. Known and novel zebrafish lncRNAs adjacent or antisense to protein-coding genes (top) were connected to a set of previously characterized genes required for heart regeneration in the zebrafish (bottom). Gene regulatory and/or protein–protein interactions from Ingenuity Pathways Analysis were used to find a minimal set of homologous genes that connect the adjacent/antisense genes to the regeneration genes.

Discovery could one day lead to new therapies to trigger regeneration in humans...

Principal outcomes of Nrf2 inactivation in HepG2 cells after a 24-h co-exposure to silver nanoparticles and cadmium (AgNP + Cd2+). Inhibition of Nrf2 prevented transcription of target genes, resulting in the downregulation of antioxidant defense proteins, pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) enzymes, and proteasome subunits (red arrows).

Researchers warn that a combination of nanoparticles and contaminants may form a cocktail that is harmful to our cells. In their study, 72 pct. of cells died after exposure to a cocktail of nano-silver and cadmium ions. Nanoparticles are becoming increasingly widespread in our environment. Thousands of products contain nanoparticles because of their unique properties...

CRISPR-SKIP: programmable gene splicing with single base editors. Genome Biology, 2018; 19 (1) DOI: 10.1186/s13059-018-1482-5

In a new study in cells, University of Illinois researchers have adapted CRISPR gene-editing technology to cause the cell’s internal machinery to skip over a small portion of a gene when transcribing it into a template for protein building. This gives researchers a way not only to eliminate a mutated gene sequence, but to influence how the gene is expressed and regulated. Such targeted editing could one day be useful for treating genetic diseases caused by mutations in the genome, such as Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy, Huntington’s disease or some cancers.

CRISPR technologies typically turn off genes by breaking the DNA at the start of a targeted gene, inducing muta...

In this illustration, nanoparticles attach to or are taken up by the bacteria cells. Pan and his students are the first group to demonstrate that early detection of dental plaque in the clinic is possible using the regular intraoral X-ray machine which can seek out harmful bacteria populations.
Credit: University of Illinois Laboratory for Materials in Medicine

When the good and bad bacteria in our mouth become imbalanced, the bad bacteria form a biofilm (aka plaque), which can cause cavities, and if left untreated over time, can lead to cardiovascular and other inflammatory diseases like diabetes and bacterial pneumonia.

A team of researchers from the University of Illinois has recently devised a practical nanotechnology-based method for detecting and treating the harmful bacteria that cau...