Check out the latest Genomics Week in Brief – full of intriguing news and research from the genomics space!
Top stories from the past week:
- Computational modelling has uncovered mutations that likely influenced the evolution of human cognition (Science Advances).
- Researchers have discovered a previously unknown mechanism of epigenetic memory, revealing that recycling of modified histones provides short-term memory of a cell’s chromatin states (Cell).
- Scientists have discovered a way to enhance the efficacy of widely used cancer treatments by re-engineering the molecular infrastructure of proteolysis targeting chimeras (Journal of the American Chemical Society).
- New research has elucidated the mechanisms that prevent p53 activation from triggering effective cancer cell death, explaining why drugs developed to target p53 fail to kill cancer cells (Nature).
- A new study has demonstrated that CD-5 expressing dendritic cells help prime T cell responses against melanoma (Science).
- The effects of a particular genetic variant required for the development of fat cells have been analysed by researchers to identify the differences in obesity-related complications that occur in males and females (Nature Genetics).
- A recent study is the first to successfully correct limb length in a mouse model of Robinow Syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the growth and development of the skeletal system (Development).
- Researchers have examined the entire bee genome in search of possible sex-specific developmental regulator genes and identified what they have named the “glubschauge gene,” which regulates sex-specific eye morphology (Nature Communications).
- A team of Danish researchers have discovered five novel viruses and have fully sequenced the genome of one. The newly characterised pathogens have the ability to kill bacteria, a trait which has potential in the fight against bacterial resistance to antibiotics (ASM Journals).
- Researchers have identified a genetic locus that is associated with BMI in a Native American population (Nature).
- A transcriptomic analysis has revealed different classes of immunosenescence genes that are linked to cancer (Nature).
In other news:
- UK’s most expensive drug, libmeldy, has been used for the first time to treat a toddler suffering from rare genetic condition MLD. The young girl is now expected to live a healthy life, but her older sister (who also suffers from the condition) is too old to undergo treatment (BBC).
- WHO may soon declare an end to the monkeypox emergency, but African health officials worry as the continent continues to battle the virus (Nature).
