Neurons result from a highly complex and unique series of cell divisions. For example, in fruit flies, the process starts with stem cells that divide into mother cells (progenitor cells), that then divide into precursor cells that eventually become neurons. A team of the University of Michigan (U-M), spearheaded by…
SARS-CoV-2 pandemic underscores importance of understanding evolution of RNA genomes
The current COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), underscores the importance of understanding the evolution of ribonucleic acid (RNA) genomes. Scientists Zachary W. Kockler and Dmitry A. Gordenin, from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, US National Institutes of Health,…
Plant-derived compound isorhamnetin may have antiviral potential against SARS-CoV-2
The lack of new or repurposed drugs to treat patients with severe or critical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been one of the biggest hurdles to reducing mortality rates in the ongoing pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A new study, published online in the…
Could a flavonoid found in common fruit and vegetables combat COVID-19?
Researchers in India have gathered and presented a large body of evidence highlight quercetin – a flavonoid molecule found in many common fruits and vegetables – may be developed into drug therapies used to combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The paper is available to read in the open-source Beni-Suef…
Modeling study predicts SARS-CoV-2 variants with high receptor binding affinity
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has posed enormous challenges to the world of science. Not only is its origin a mystery, but the frequent emergence of variants of concern (VOCs) prevents the possibility of complacency with the current level…
Researchers characterize regions of DNA that impact MECP2 expression
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital (NRI) have identified and characterized two regions of DNA required for the proper expression of Mecp2/MECP2 in mice and humans. These findings, published in Genes & Development, are helping to shed…
Scientists determine DNA required for the proper expression of Mecp2/MECP2 in mice and humans
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital (NRI) have identified and characterized two regions of DNA required for the proper expression of Mecp2/MECP2 in mice and humans. These findings, published in Genes & Development, are helping to shed…
Chimeric vaccines may provide universal protection against viruses like SARS-CoV-2
Researchers in the United States have developed “chimeric” vaccines that provided cross-protection against different strains of sarbecovirus in mice, including the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Study: Chimeric spike mRNA vaccines protect against sarbecovirus challenge in mice. Image Credit: NIAID Sarbecoviruses…
Deep learning-based splice-AI can help predict the onset of Alzheimer's disease
Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI, President Suh Pann-ghill) announced that the research team led by Dr. Jae-Yeol Joo discovered new cryptic splice variants and SNVs in PLCg1 gene of AD-specific models for the first time using Splice-AI. This research outcome was published in PNAS, a world-renowned academic journal. Prediction of…
SARS-CoV-2 variants emerge during humoral immunity phase of acute COVID-19
Among the biggest challenges to containing the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is the emergence of mutations that allow the virus to evade host immune responses. Initially, changes in the SARS-CoV-2 genome were slow to emerge, due perhaps…
Study identifies noncoding RNA involved in immune response and sepsis
When the body’s immune response to an infection gets out of control, the result can be sepsis, a life-threatening condition in which an overwhelming inflammatory response can lead rapidly to failure of multiple organs and death. In a new study, researchers at UC Santa Cruz have identified a long noncoding…