Articles tagged with Mobile Genetic Elements
Researchers Dfam and Repbase collaborate to create a unified open platform for transposable element annotation, providing decades of expertly curated data freely available. The integration will support large-scale genome annotation, evolutionary research, and biomedical applications.
A newly discovered jumping gene in a bacterial predator allows it to transfer genes to other species via circular RNA. This process accelerates evolution and challenges current understanding of horizontal gene transfer.
Researchers developed a novel CRISPR-based technology called pPro-MobV that can remove antibiotic-resistant elements from bacterial populations. The new tool uses gene-drive thinking and has the potential to combat antibiotic resistance in healthcare settings, environmental remediation, and microbiome engineering.
Researchers are using advanced DNA sequencing technologies to monitor environmental reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes and assess their impact on human health. The study highlights the importance of integrating gene detection, host identification, and quantitative analysis to evaluate environmental antibiotic resistance.
Researchers at NUS Medicine discovered that genetic vectors can efficiently spread antibiotic resistance within the gut, enabling even highly virulent bacteria to acquire drug resistance. This finding sheds light on the emergence of 'superbugs' in healthcare settings.
Researchers discovered a new class of highly interactive LINE-1 loci that modulate cancer gene expression by altering three-dimensional genome architecture. These structural changes allow for high-level expression of genes driving cancer cell proliferation.
A new study found that rising temperatures are driving changes in polar bear DNA, which may help them adapt to increasingly challenging environments. The researchers discovered that genes related to heat-stress, aging, and metabolism are behaving differently in polar bears living in southeastern Greenland.
New research reveals that large-scale livestock farming accelerates the spread of antibiotic resistance and heavy metal contamination in agricultural soils. Dried poultry manure, once applied to vegetable plots for food crops, drives a dramatic surge in dangerous antibiotic resistance genes.
Researchers have identified a minority of plasmids as the primary cause of multidrug resistance in bacteria, evolving to gain resistance through selective pressure from antibiotics. The study developed a model for plasmid evolution, highlighting pathways and predicting future outbreaks.
Researchers studied a microscopic alliance between algae and cyanobacteria to understand how bacteria lose genes and adapt to increasing host dependence. The study found that the level of integration between the symbionts affects genome size, gene content, and metabolic pathways.
Researchers analyzed centromeres in onion, garlic, and Welsh onion using CENH3-targeted antibody to map centromere regions. They found significant variations in size and position/mobility between species, challenging the static view of centromeres.
Researchers discovered that MER11 sequences, once thought as genetic junk, play powerful roles in regulating gene expression. The team used a new method to classify these elements and found they can activate gene expression in human stem cells and early-stage neural cells.
Researchers found that pancreatic cancer cells gain a survival edge by carrying copies of critical cancer genes on circular pieces of DNA outside chromosomes. The discovery highlights the importance of targeting extrachromosomal DNA in treating the disease.
New research from the University of Chicago shows that gut bacteria can acquire a gene that shuts down their own deadly weapon and activates a new one, allowing them to outcompete other bacteria. This transfer of genes enables the bacteria to carve out niches in the tightly packed recesses of the gut.
Researchers developed a method to study aged neurons in the lab without a brain biopsy, revealing aspects of cells' genomes linked to late-onset Alzheimer's development. The technique suggests new treatment strategies targeting retrotransposable elements and early intervention to slow disease progression.
Researchers discovered that phage viruses have weaponized mobile introns to sabotage competing viruses' reproduction. This finding has significant implications for understanding the evolution of genomes and developing effective phage therapy against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
A recent study found that infants born via C-section have more antibiotic-resistant genes, while antibiotic use and prematurity fuel resistance. Infants from Africa had more resistant genes than those from Europe. Probiotics may help reduce the spread of antibiotic resistance in infants by targeting their gut microbiome.
A mysterious plasmid, pBI143, found in 90% of human intestines, could be used to identify faecal contamination and offer insights into intestinal diseases. The discovery also highlights the prevalence of 'cryptic' plasmids in human gut microbiota.
A Washington State University-led research team discovered a set of genes in wild bacteria that allow them to survive exposure to nickel, enabling them to thrive in toxic soils. The genetic discovery could inform future bioremediation efforts to return plants to polluted soils.
Researchers identified PUCH, a novel enzyme that produces small molecules called piRNAs to detect and prevent parasitic DNA from replicating in our genomes. This discovery sheds light on how our immune system works and may have implications for understanding innate immunity.
Researchers discovered a new mode of vertical mother-to-infant microbiome transmission, where microbes shared genes with each other. The study found links between gut metabolites, bacteria, and breastmilk substrates, influencing infant development before and after birth.
A highly antibiotic-resistant strain of MRSA has emerged in livestock over the past 50 years, primarily due to widespread antibiotic use in pig farming. The CC398 strain has maintained its resistance and is capable of rapidly adapting to human hosts, posing a significant threat to public health.
Researchers from the University of Tsukuba discovered a mechanism for the transfer of antibiotic resistance among Staphylococcus aureus bacteria through natural transformation. The study found that biofilm formation promotes horizontal gene transfer, which can lead to the spread of methicillin resistance.
A new EU-funded project, MUSIC, will investigate how bacterial defences influence the spread of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) between bacteria. MGEs can change key traits of bacteria, including antibiotic resistance and virulence.