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Artist’s rendition of orange DNA coiled around a blue histone protein.
“Cryptic Transcription”: How Aging Cells Express Fragments of Genes
Aging cells with weakened gene regulation spuriously transcribe RNAs, but their impact on health and longevity still needs to be examined.
“Cryptic Transcription”: How Aging Cells Express Fragments of Genes
“Cryptic Transcription”: How Aging Cells Express Fragments of Genes

Aging cells with weakened gene regulation spuriously transcribe RNAs, but their impact on health and longevity still needs to be examined.

Aging cells with weakened gene regulation spuriously transcribe RNAs, but their impact on health and longevity still needs to be examined.

transcription

Michael Green smiling at the camera in front of a shelf in the lab
Molecular Biologist Michael Green Dies at 69
Lisa Winter | Mar 7, 2023 | 2 min read
Beyond his achievements in academia, he also cofounded three pharmaceutical companies and filed 15 patents related to cancer therapeutics. 
An artist’s rendition of transcription inside a nucleus
Hypertranscription by Tumors Is Linked to Poorer Cancer Outcomes: Study
Sophie Fessl, PhD | Dec 13, 2022 | 3 min read
The extent to which transcription is higher in tumor cells than in surrounding nontumor cells is associated with bad prognoses in several cancer types.
Maintaining Hormone Balance Through RNA Decay
The Scientist Speaks - What Comes Up Must Go Down: Maintaining Hormone Balance Through RNA Decay
The Scientist’s Creative Services Team | 1 min read
Neelanjan Mukherjee discusses how RNA decay is essential for regulating a blood pressure-controlling hormone.
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Drug Spurs Neuron Growth in Mice with Chronic Spinal Cord Injury
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Sep 27, 2022 | 4 min read
A protein duo increases transcription of growth-related genes to enhance axon regeneration and boost plasticity, a study finds—but fails to improve mobility.
Conceptual image of gene expression in DNA
Enhancers: Conserved in Activity, Not in Sequence
Jack J. Lee | Nov 1, 2021 | 8 min read
Certain stretches of DNA that regulate gene expression have evolved differently from protein-coding genes.
The Scientist Speaks - Thieves on the Inside: Viral Control of Host Gene Expression
Niki Spahich, PhD | 1 min read
Britt Glaunsinger discusses how viruses steal from their hosts to take over cellular processes and promote their own survival.
Abstract illustration of DNA
Signaling Dynamics Fine-Tune Gene Expression
Ruth Williams | Sep 3, 2021 | 3 min read
The dynamic behavior of a transcriptional activator can be used to specify the activity level of its target gene, a study suggests.
retina atrophic age-related macular degeneration amd alu line-1 l1 retrotransposon cytoplasm cdna reverse transcription replication genome dna
Human Cells Can Synthesize DNA in Their Cytoplasm
Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Feb 8, 2021 | 4 min read
While studying a degenerative eye disease, researchers find the first evidence that cells produce endogenous DNA in the cytoplasm. Drugs that block this activity are linked with reduced risk of atrophic age-related macular degeneration.
Ibrahim Cissé’s Tools Provide a Lens to Watch RNA Production
Jef Akst | Sep 1, 2020 | 3 min read
The MIT physicist has demonstrated the importance of clusters of RNA polymerase and other transcription mediators in regulating RNA production.
Left-Handed DNA Has a Biological Role Within a Dynamic Genetic Code
Rachel Brazil | Jun 1, 2020 | 10+ min read
Once considered an unimportant curiosity, Z-DNA is now recognized to provide an on-the-fly mechanism to regulate how an RNA transcript is edited.
Infographic: DNA Isn’t Always Right-Handed
Rachel Brazil | Jun 1, 2020 | 1 min read
When the nucleic acid spirals to the left, it takes on a zig-zag shape known as Z-DNA that appears to regulate RNA editing.
Moderna’s Coronavirus Vaccine Spurs Immune Response: Early Data
Ashley Yeager | May 18, 2020 | 3 min read
A clinical trial of the shot in eight volunteers suggests that it is safe and that it generates antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2, but further testing is needed, scientists say.
DNA Damage Linked to Brain Overgrowth in Autism
Abby Olena, PhD | Feb 5, 2020 | 4 min read
Cell lines from individuals with macrocephalic autism spectrum disorder have an increased number of double-strand breaks in the DNA of long neural genes.
a pair of scissors cuts a film strip that's curled into a helix
Alternative Splicing Provides a Broad Menu of Proteins for Cells
Gabrielle M. Gentile, Hannah J. Wiedner, Emma R. Hinkle, and Jimena Giudice | Jan 13, 2020 | 10+ min read
It’s now clear that gene transcripts can be constructed in various ways, yet many questions remain about the process.
rna-seq rna sequencing bias dataset transcript
Technical Bias Widespread in RNA-Seq Datasets
Diana Kwon | Nov 21, 2019 | 3 min read
Genes that are exceptionally long or short are overrepresented in some published reports, which can lead to misinterpreted results.
translation gene genetics ribosome enhancers knowable magazine
What Does It Look Like to “Turn On” a Gene?
Alla Katsnelson, Casey Rentz, and Knowable Magazine | May 3, 2019 | 8 min read
Only recently have scientists directly witnessed this most pivotal of events in biology, thanks to new technology that allows them to observe the process in living cells. It’s teaching them a lot.
A New Role for Yeast Introns: Helping Cells Cope Under Stress
Katarina Zimmer | Jan 16, 2019 | 4 min read
Two studies contest the idea that the noncoding sequences are just “junk DNA,” demonstrating that they play important roles in the regulation of cell growth.
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Anna Azvolinsky | Nov 1, 2018 | 8 min read
Turning to molecular genetics, the Baylor pediatric neurologist and geneticist works to discover the biological basis for the rare neurological diseases she sees in her patients.
A Brush with Inheritance, 1878
Catherine Offord | Feb 1, 2018 | 2 min read
Lampbrush chromosomes, first observed in the 19th century, still offer an unparalleled glimpse into how genetic information is organized in the cell.
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