Category Health/Medical

TZAP: A telomere-associated protein involved in telomere length control. Science, 2017

Scientists at TSRI have discovered a protein that fine-tunes the cellular clock involved in aging. TZAP binds the ends of chromosomes and determines how long telomeres, the segments of DNA that protect chromosome ends, can be. Understanding telomere length is crucial because telomeres set the lifespan of cells in the body, dictating critical processes such as aging and the incidence of cancer.

“Telomeres represent the clock of a cell,” said TSRI Associate Professor Eros Lazzerini Denchi. “You are born with telomeres of a certain length, and every time a cell divides, it loses a little bit of the telomere. Once the telomere is too short, the cell cannot divide anymore...

A visual description of the CRISPR/Cas9 research explored by UNT researchers using TACC supercomputers. Simulations found that Cas9 produces staggered, “sticky” ends, which may make them easier to manipulate for future use. Credit: Jin Liu and Zhicheng Zuo, UNT

The first all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of Cas9-catalyzed DNA cleavage in action has been performed. The simulations shed light on the process of Cas9 genome editing and helped resolve controversies about specific aspects of the cutting. Originally found as part of the immune system of the Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria, CRISPR associated protein 9 (CAS9), in its native state, recognizes foreign DNA sequences and disables them...

Diverticulitis and it’s complications

Replacing 1 daily portion with poultry or fish may lower risk, findings suggest. A high dietary intake of red meat, particularly of the unprocessed variety, is linked to a heightened risk of developing the common inflammatory bowel condition, diverticulitis, reveals research published online in the journal Gut. Diverticulitis occurs when the small pockets or bulges lining the intestine (diverticula) become inflamed. It is relatively common, accounting for >200,000 hospital admissions every year in the US at an annual cost of $US 2 billion.

New cases of the condition are on the rise, particularly among younger people...

Targeting just one of the genes – known as Spns2 – led to a three-quarters reduction in the spread of skin cancer tumours, pictured under the microscope,, the experts found

A new biological target for drugs to reduce the spread of tumours in cancer patients has been found by Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. Published in Nature today, the study with genetically modified mice found 23 genes out of 810 unique genes that either increased or decreased the spread of skin tumour cells to the lungs. Many of these genes also caused an alteration in the immune system, such as changing the bodies’ ability to fight infection. The researchers showed that targeting one of these genes – Spns2 – led to a 3/4 reduction in tumour metastasis.

Removal of the Spns2 gene caused the largest change, reducing ...