Category: Genetics

Genetics

The Future of Synthetic Biology

Aditi Kaveti ‘23 Natural genetic processes can lose their function over long-term evolution if that function requires too many resources to continue throughout generations. Scientists have been studying evolutionary reversibility, which is the ability to regain a lost function, in order to repair natural systems that have lost such valuable evolutionary processes. To this end in the field of synthetic biology, researchers employ and manipulate … Continue reading The Future of Synthetic Biology

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Genetics

Neuroanatomical Variation in Dogs

Panayiota Siskos ’23 The selective breeding of dogs by humans has led to variation in the brain across different breeds. Selectively breeding dogs for traits and abilities has been a recent occurrence  in evolution, and genetic research shows behavioral variation is heritable. Behavioral specializations depend on neural specializations, and strong selection pressure exhibits that brain differences between dog breeds correlate with differences in behavior. Selection … Continue reading Neuroanatomical Variation in Dogs

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Genetics, Health and Medicine

Activating the Enzyme of Youth

Ashley Goland ’23 The cause of aging has long been one of mankind’s favorite mysteries to entertain, and as science advances, its secrets are gradually being stripped away. Studying chromosome structure revealed sections called telomeres, sequences of repeated nucleotides on the ends of a chromosome that serve to prevent its deterioration, and from this discovery came a revelation about age. Aging-related diseases such as dementia, … Continue reading Activating the Enzyme of Youth

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General Psychology, Genetics, Natural World, Psychology

Examining the Benefits of Unique Coloration for Male Trinidad Guppies

Fatin Chowdhury ’20 The predisposition of organisms in seeking certain phenotypic traits in mates is an oft-observed aspect of the natural world, with sexual selection being a well-studied phenomenon. However, unique coloration specifically often seems to be more linked to lessened survivability (due to an inability to camouflage in environments), or phenomena such as aposematism, where unique colors serve as a warning for predators. In … Continue reading Examining the Benefits of Unique Coloration for Male Trinidad Guppies

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Cellular and Molecular Science, Genetics, Molecular Biology

The Potential for Targeted Cancer Therapy

Aditi Kaveti ‘23 Human bodies rely on tumor suppressors to regulate cell production. The bromodomain-containing protein 9 (BRD9) RNA molecule is an important tumor suppressor for many types of cancer, including uveal melanoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and pancreatic cancer. BRD9 is extremely important because it represses abnormal cell reproduction and the formation of tumors. A mutation in the gene that produces the BRD9 RNA molecule … Continue reading The Potential for Targeted Cancer Therapy

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Disease, Genetics, Health and Medicine

Growth Factor Induces Methylation Changes in Lung Fibroblasts

Priyanshi Patel ’22 Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is an irreversible, chronic, and lethal disease of unknown etiology. IPF is characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM), which is secreted mainly by activated fibroblasts under certain stimuli. Recent studies have evaluated alterations with DNA methylation as a collective driver of IPF. Few studies explore global DNA methylation in lung fibrosis, but none focused on transforming … Continue reading Growth Factor Induces Methylation Changes in Lung Fibroblasts

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Cellular and Molecular Science, General Neuroscience, Genetics

The Genetic Role of Left-Handedness

Ellie Teng ’21 90% of the population are right- handed, so what is different about individuals who are left- handed? Handedness was previously known to be partially affected by the genome; twin studies showed that genes account for about 25% of the variation in handedness. Researchers at the University of Oxford sought to connect the genetic difference to areas of the brain that control language. … Continue reading The Genetic Role of Left-Handedness

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Brain, Genetics, Health and Medicine

The Use of Focused Ultrasound for Enhanced Delivery of Gene Therapy Across the Blood-Brain-Barrier

Jorge Pincay ‘20 Huntington’s disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease that results in the degradation of nerve cells in the brain over time. This disease is the result of a DNA mutation — a cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) trinucleotide repeat expansion– that occurs in the gene that encodes for the huntingtin (Htt) protein. This repeat expansion causes a highly toxic form of the Htt protein … Continue reading The Use of Focused Ultrasound for Enhanced Delivery of Gene Therapy Across the Blood-Brain-Barrier

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Disease, Genetics, Medicine and Physiology

Enhanced mRNA Gene Therapy for Critical Limb Ischemia

Jorge Pincay ‘20 Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is a cardiovascular condition characterized by severely narrowed arteries resulting from the buildup of plaque. This narrowing of the arteries  significantly reduces blood flow to the hands, feet, and legs and may lead to amputation of the affected limbs. Most patients suffering from CLI need to undergo some form of a revascularization procedure in order to combat this … Continue reading Enhanced mRNA Gene Therapy for Critical Limb Ischemia

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Cellular and Molecular Science, Evolution, Genetics

Glutamate Receptor GLR-3 Encodes for Evolutionary Cold-Sensing Receptor

Simran Kaur ’20 The capacity to detect cold temperatures is essential for many living organisms because cold temperatures can cause detrimental effects like severe soft-tissue damage and hypothermia. Some organisms have evolved the presence of thermoreceptors, which are specific nerve endings that are sensitive to changes in temperature and exist in the skin, skeletal muscle, and the hypothalamus. Thermoreceptors relay electrical signals to the central … Continue reading Glutamate Receptor GLR-3 Encodes for Evolutionary Cold-Sensing Receptor

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Figure 1. Scientists from UCLA controlled expression of genes Drp1 and Atg1 in fruit flies to promote breakdown and removal of damaged mitochondria.
2017-18, Biology, Genetics

Controlling Mitochondria to Stop the Clocks

By Meghan Bialt-DeCelie ’19 The respiratory function of the mitochondrion, the energy producing organelle found in the cell, can decline over time. This is because of how the mitochondrion enlarge and assume a more elongated shape. Typically, that mitochondrion will eventually break down and get removed processes called mitochondrial fission and mitophagy respectively. Accumulation of the ineffective mitochondria and inability to remove them are major … Continue reading Controlling Mitochondria to Stop the Clocks

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2016-17, Genetics, Health

Glucose Transportation

      By: Richard Liang 18’  Insulin is an important signaling factor in glucose uptake, acting in concert with glucose transporter GLUT4 to transport glucose into skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. In the presence of insulin, GLUT4 is translocated to the plasma membrane where an exocyst complex tethers the GLUT4 to the membrane, a process that requires G protein RalA to bind to the … Continue reading Glucose Transportation

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