genetics
genetics
Researchers to study genetic roots of Parkinson's disease with NSF grant
4/9/19
A pair of Penn State professors will combine different sources of information to more efficiently identify genes involved in disease progression. Ultimately, this work may help to further precision medicine.
Unjamming the genome after DNA damage
4/5/19
A protein complex that is involved in nearly every step in the regulatory control of gene expression in cells has now been shown also to play a key role in clearing potential traffic jams in the production of RNA.
Mosquito-B-Gone: How gene editing can change the world
1/9/19
January's Science on Tap event on Jan. 15 features Penn State researchers Jason Rasgon and Jonathan Marks, who will discuss gene editing and its applications, as well as the ethics surrounding it.
Training grant supports graduate students studying gene regulation
12/3/18
A new $2.4 million-dollar program to train graduate students in the area of eukaryotic gene regulation has been established at Penn State.
Dyslexia gene may predict concussion susceptibility among football players
10/29/18
A gene associated with the learning disorder dyslexia may play a role in athletes’ susceptibility to concussions, according to a study by Penn State and Northwestern University. The pilot study included 87 Division I Penn State football players from 2015 to 2017. Researchers aimed to determine whether a genotype in nine candidate genes predicted the number of previously diagnosed concussions in this group of football players.
Optimizing technologies for discovering cancer cell mutations
9/10/18
Cancer cells often have mutations in their DNA that can give scientists clues about how the cancer started or which treatment may be most effective. Finding these mutations can be difficult, but a new method may offer more complete, comprehensive results. A team of researchers has developed a new framework that can combine three existing methods of finding these large mutations — or structural variants — into a single, more complete picture.
Family genetics vital for understanding autism progression
9/7/18
A new study led by researchers at Penn State reveals that the total amount of rare mutations — deletions, duplications or other changes to the DNA sequence — in a person’s genome can explain why individuals with a disease-associated mutation can have vastly different symptoms.
New technology improves CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in mosquitoes, other species
8/9/18
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A technology designed to improve CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in mosquitoes and other arthropods succeeds with a high degree of efficiency, while eliminating the need for difficult microinjection of genetic material, according to researchers.
The hidden complexity underlying a common cause of autism
6/29/18
Genes located in a large chromosomal aberration associated with autism interact with each other to modulate the variable symptoms of the disease, according to new research.
Corn genetics research exposes mechanism behind traits becoming silent
11/21/17
For more than a century, plant geneticists have been studying maize as a model system to understand the rules governing the inheritance of traits, and a team of researchers recently unveiled a previously unknown mechanism that triggers gene silencing in corn.
Impact of a genetic risk factor for substance use differs by sex in adolescents
11/13/17
In a study of adolescent boys and girls, neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Center and Penn State University have found a sex difference in a gene linked to substance use disorders.
Exploring how herpes simplex virus changes when passed between family members
10/20/17
A new study explores how herpes simplex virus might change when passed from one individual to another, information that may prove useful in future development of therapeutics and vaccines.
Disease-associated genes routinely missed in some genetic studies
4/20/17
Whole-exome DNA sequencing -- a technology that saves time and money by sequencing only protein-coding regions and not the entire genome -- may routinely miss detecting some genetic variations associated with disease, according to Penn State researchers who have developed new ways to identify such omissions.
Nose form was shaped by climate
3/16/17
Big, small, broad, narrow, long or short, turned up, pug, hooked, bulbous or prominent, humans inherit their nose shape from their parents, but ultimately, the shape of someone's nose and that of their parents was formed by a long process of adaptation to our local climate, according to an international team of researchers.