Latest news with #Genetics
CNN
3 days ago
- Science
- CNN
Ancient viral DNA may play a key role in early human development, new study suggests
Genetics Animal storiesFacebookTweetLink Follow The human genome is made up of 23 pairs of chromosomes, the biological blueprints that make humans … well, human. But it turns out that some of our DNA — about 8% — are the remnants of ancient viruses that embedded themselves into our genetic code over the course of human evolution. These ancient viruses lie in sections of our DNA called transposable elements, or TEs, also known as 'jumping genes' due to their ability to copy and paste themselves throughout the genome. TEs, which account for nearly half of our genetic material, were once waved off as 'junk' DNA, sequences that appear to have no biological function. Now, a new study offers support for the hypothesis that these ancient viral remnants play a key role in the early stages of human development and may have been implicated in our evolution. By sequencing TEs, an international team of researchers identified hidden patterns that could be crucial for gene regulation, the process of turning genes on and off. The findings were published July 18 in the journal Science Advances. 'Our genome was sequenced long ago, but the function of many of its parts remain unknown,' study coauthor Dr. Fumitaka Inoue, an associate professor in functional genomics at Kyoto University in Japan, said in a statement. 'Transposable elements are thought to play important roles in genome evolution, and their significance is expected to become clearer as research continues to advance.' There are many benefits to studying how TEs activate gene expression. It could help scientists understand the role that the sequences play in human evolution, reveal possible links between TEs and human diseases, or teach researchers how to target functional TEs in gene therapy, said lead researcher Dr. Xun Chen, a computational biologist and principal investigator at Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. With more research, 'we hope to uncover how TEs, particularly ERVs (endogenous retroviruses, or ancient viral DNA), make us human,' Chen added in an email. When our primate ancestors were infected with viruses, sequences of viral genetic information would replicate and insert themselves in various locations in the host's chromosomes. 'Ancient viruses are effective in invading our ancestral genomes, and their remnants become a big part of our genome. Our genome has developed numerous mechanisms to control these ancient viruses, and to eliminate their potential detrimental effects,' said Dr. Lin He, a molecular biologist and the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Distinguished Chair professor in stem cell research at the University of California, Berkeley, in an email. For the most part, these ancient viruses are inactive and are not a cause of concern, but in recent years, research has shown that some of the transposable elements may play important roles in human diseases. A July 2024 study explored the possibility of silencing certain TEs to make cancer treatment more effective. 'Over the course of evolution, some viruses are degenerated or eliminated, some are largely repressed in expression in normal development and physiology, and some are domesticated to serve the human genome,' said He, who was not involved with the new study. 'While perceived as solely harmful, some ancient viruses can become part of us, providing raw materials for genome innovation.' But because of their repetitive nature, transposable elements are notoriously difficult to study and organize. While TE sequences are categorized into families and subfamilies based on their function and similarity, many have been poorly documented and classified, 'which could significantly impact their evolutionary and functional analyses,' Chen said. The new study focused on a group of TE sequences called MER11 found within primate genomes. By using a new classification system as well as testing the DNA's gene activity, researchers identified four previously undiscovered subfamilies. The most recently integrated sequence, named MER11_G4, was found to have a strong ability to activate gene expression in human stem cells and early-stage neural cells. The finding indicates that this TE subfamily plays a role in early human development and can 'dramatically influence how genes respond to developmental signals or environmental cues,' according to a statement from Kyoto University. The research also suggests that viral TEs had a part in shaping human evolution. By tracing the way the DNA has changed over time, the researchers found that the subfamily had evolved differently within the genomes of different animals, contributing to the biological evolution that resulted in humans, chimpanzees and macaques. 'To understand the evolution of our genome is one way to understand what makes humans unique,' said He. 'It will empower us with tools to understand human biology, human genetic diseases, and human evolution.' Exactly how these TEs were implicated in the evolutionary process is still unclear, Chen said. It is also possible that other TEs that have yet to be identified played distinct roles in the evolutionary process of primates, he added. 'The study offers new insights and potential leverage points for understanding the role of TEs in shaping the evolution of our genomes,' said Dr. Steve Hoffmann, a computational biologist at the Leibniz Institute on Aging in Jena, Germany, who was not involved with the study. The research also 'underscores how much more there is to learn from a type of DNA once slandered as a molecular freeloader,' he added in an email. Hoffmann was the lead researcher of a scientific paper that first documented the nearly complete genome map of the Greenland shark, the longest-living vertebrate in the world that can survive until about 400 years old. The shark's genome was made up of more than 70% jumping genes, while the human genome is composed of less than 50%. While primate genomes are different from those of a shark, 'the study provides further evidence for the potential impact of TEs on genome regulation' and 'is a message with relevance for all genome researchers,' Hoffmann said. By investigating how genomes have evolved, researchers can determine which DNA sequences have remained the same, which have been lost in time and which have emerged most recently. 'Taking these sequences into account is often critical to understanding, e.g., why humans develop diseases that certain animals don't,' Hoffmann said. 'Ultimately, a deeper understanding of genome regulation can aid in the discovery of novel therapies and interventions.' Taylor Nicioli is a freelance journalist based in New York. Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
scPharmaceuticals, Inc. (SCPH) Reports Q2 Loss, Lags Revenue Estimates
scPharmaceuticals, Inc. (SCPH) came out with a quarterly loss of $0.34 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $0.3. This compares to a loss of $0.44 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -13.33%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this company would post a loss of $0.27 per share when it actually produced a loss of $0.34, delivering a surprise of -25.93%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates just once. scPharmaceuticals, which belongs to the Zacks Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry, posted revenues of $16.04 million for the quarter ended June 2025, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.19%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $8.05 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates just once over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. scPharmaceuticals shares have added about 48.6% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 7.9%. What's Next for scPharmaceuticals? While scPharmaceuticals has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for scPharmaceuticals was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is -$0.29 on $21.65 million in revenues for the coming quarter and -$1.04 on $76.9 million in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Medical - Biomedical and Genetics is currently in the top 41% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. One other stock from the same industry, Cue Biopharma, Inc. (CUE), is yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2025. This company is expected to post quarterly loss of $0.13 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +35%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. Cue Biopharma, Inc.'s revenues are expected to be $2 million, down 24.8% from the year-ago quarter. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report scPharmaceuticals, Inc. (SCPH) : Free Stock Analysis Report Cue Biopharma, Inc. (CUE) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Health Line
01-08-2025
- Science
- Health Line
Understanding Non-Mendelian Genetics (Patterns of Inheritance)
In Mendelian inheritance patterns, you receive one version of a gene, called an allele, from each parent. These alleles can be dominant or recessive. Non-Mendelian genetics don't completely follow these principles. Genetics is an expansive field that focuses on the study of genes. Scientists who specialize in genetics are called geneticists. Geneticists study many different topics, including: how genes are inherited from our parents how DNA and genes vary between different people and populations how genes interact with factors both inside and outside of the body If you're looking into more information on genetics topics, you may come across two types of genetics: Mendelian and non-Mendelian genetics. This article reviews both types of genetics, with a focus on non-Mendelian genetics. Continue reading to learn more. What is Mendelian genetics? It's possible that you may remember some concepts of Mendelian genetics from your high school biology class. If you've ever done a Punnett square, you've learned about Mendelian genetics. The principles of Mendelian genetics were established by the Austrian monk Gregor Mendel in the mid-19th century based on his experiments with pea plants. Through his experiments, Mendel pinpointed how certain traits (such as pea color) are passed down across generations. From this information, he developed the following three laws, which are the basis of Mendelian genetics: Dominance. Some variants of a gene, called alleles, are dominant over others. Non-dominant alleles are referred to as recessive. If both a dominant and recessive allele are inherited, the dominant trait will be the one that shows. Segregation. Offspring inherit one allele for a gene from each of their parents. These alleles are passed down randomly. Independent assortment. Genetic traits are inherited independently of each other. Pea color: An example of Mendelian genetics at work To illustrate how Mendelian genetics works, let's use an example with pea plants, in which yellow pea color (Y) is dominant and green pea color (y) is recessive. In this particular example, each parent pea plant is heterozygous, meaning it has a dominant and recessive allele, noted as Yy. When these two plants are bred, noted as Yy x Yy, the following pattern of inheritance will be seen: 25% of offspring will be homozygous dominant (YY) and have yellow peas. 50% of offspring will be heterozygous (Yy) and have yellow peas. 25% of offspring will be homozygous recessive (yy) and have green peas. What are examples of health conditions that follow Mendelian patterns of inheritance? There are several health conditions that follow Mendelian patterns of inheritance. Alleles for sickle cell anemia and cystic fibrosis are recessive. This means that you need two copies of the recessive allele, one from each parent, to have these conditions. In contrast, the allele for Huntington's disease is dominant. That means that you only need a single copy of the allele (from one of your parents) to have it. Sex-linked conditions Some health conditions can be linked to genes in the sex chromosomes (X and Y). For example, hemophilia is X-linked recessive. In those assigned male at birth, who have a single X chromosome, only one copy of the recessive allele is enough to have hemophilia. That's why hemophilia is more common in males. Individuals assigned female at birth have two X chromosomes, meaning they need two copies of the recessive allele to have hemophilia. What are non-Mendelian genetics? Exceptions exist for every rule, and that's also true for genetics. Simply put, non-Mendelian genetics refers to inheritance patterns that don't follow Mendel's laws. Here are some different types of non-Mendelian genetics: Polygenic traits Some traits are determined by two or more genes instead of just one. These are called polygenic traits and don't follow Mendelian inheritance patterns. Examples of polygenic health conditions include: hypertension diabetes certain cancers, such as breast and prostate cancer Mitochondrial inheritance Your mitochondria are the energy factories of your cells and also contain their own DNA, called mtDNA. While there are some exceptions, mtDNA is usually inherited from your mother. You get your mtDNA from your mother because the mitochondria present in sperm typically degrade after fertilization. This leaves behind just the mitochondria in the egg. Examples of Mitochondrial health conditions include Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) and mitochondrial encephalomyopathy. Epigenetic inheritance Epigenetics refers to how genes are expressed and regulated by factors outside of the DNA sequence. This includes things like DNA methylation, in which a chemical called a methyl group is added to a gene, turning it 'on' or 'off'. Epigenetic factors can change as we get older and are exposed to different things in our environment. Sometimes, these changes can be passed down to the next generation, which is called epigenetic inheritance. Certain cancers (such as breast, colorectal, and esophageal cancer) have been linked to epigenetic changes. Neurological disorders like Alzheimer's and metabolic diseases like Type 2 diabetes have also been associated with epigenetic inheritance. Genetic imprinting While we inherit two copies of a gene, one from each parent, in some cases, only one copy of the gene may be turned 'on' via DNA methylation. This is called imprinting, and it only affects a small percentage of our genes. Which gene is turned 'on' can depend on where the gene came from. For example, some genes are only turned 'on' when they come from the egg, while others are only 'on' when they come from the sperm. Examples of conditions associated with genetic imprinting include Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, Silver-Russell syndrome, and Transient Neonatal Diabetes Mellitus. Gene conversion Gene conversion can happen during meiosis, the type of cell division that helps make sperm and eggs. After meiosis, each sperm and egg contains one set of chromosomes and therefore one set of alleles to be passed down to offspring. During meiosis, genetic information from one copy of an allele (the donor) may be transferred to the corresponding allele (the recipient). This results in a genetic change that effectively converts the recipient allele to the donor allele. Genetic conditions influenced by gene conversions include hemophilia A, sickle cell disease, and congenital adrenal hyperplasia. What are examples of health conditions that follow non-Mendelian patterns of inheritance? Most health conditions we're familiar with don't follow Mendelian inheritance patterns. These conditions are often polygenic, meaning the effects of multiple genes contribute to them. For example, cystic fibrosis is caused by inheriting two copies of a recessive allele of a specific gene. However, there's not an isolated 'heart disease' allele that we inherit that causes us to develop heart disease. Mitochondrial disorders, which are caused by changes in mtDNA, are another type of health condition that follows non-Mendelian patterns of inheritance. This is because you typically inherit mtDNA from your mother. Sometimes problems with genetic imprinting can lead to disorders. Prader-Willi syndrome and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome are two examples. How do Mendelian and non-Mendelian genetics contribute to our understanding of genetic diseases in humans? Understanding both Mendelian and non-Mendelian inheritance patterns is important in understanding how different genetic diseases may be passed down. For example, if you have a certain genetic disease or you know that one runs in your family, you may have concerns about future children inheriting it. In this situation, working with a medical professional, such as a genetic counselor, who understands a disease's inheritance patterns can help you get an understanding of the risk of future children having the disease. Additionally, understanding genetic changes and inheritance can affect future therapies. This information can be important for developing gene therapies for a variety of genetic diseases. Takeaway Mendelian genetics focuses on the principles that there are dominant and recessive alleles and that we randomly inherit one copy of an allele from each parent. Some health conditions follow basic Mendelian inheritance patterns. Examples include cystic fibrosis and Huntington's disease. Non-Mendelian genetics don't follow the principles outlined by Mendel. Many health conditions we're familiar with don't follow Mendelian inheritance patterns because they're polygenic, affect mtDNA, or are associated with imprinting.
CNN
31-07-2025
- Science
- CNN
The potato evolved from an ancient tomato encounter, scientists say
Genetics AgricultureFacebookTweetLink Follow The humble modern-day potato, first domesticated about 10,000 years ago, got its start in the Andes mountains before becoming a key crop the world depends on. But because plants don't preserve well in the fossil record, its lineage has remained largely a mystery. Now, a team of evolutionary biologists and genomic scientists has traced the origins of this starchy staple to a chance encounter millions of years ago involving an unlikely plant relative: the tomato. The researchers analyzed 450 genomes from cultivated and wild potato species, and the genes revealed that an ancient wild tomato plant ancestor naturally bred with a potato-like plant called Etuberosum 9 million years ago — or interbred, as both plants had originally split off from a common ancestor plant about 14 million years ago, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Cell. While neither tomatoes or Etuberosums had the ability to grow tubers — the enlarged, edible part of domesticated plants such as potatoes, yams and taros that grow underground — the resulting hybrid plant did. Tubers evolved as an innovative way for the potato plant to store nutrients underground as the climate and environment in the Andes became colder — and once cultivated, resulted in a dietary mainstay for humans. There are now more than 100 wild potato species that also grow tubers, although not all are edible because some contain toxins. 'Evolving a tuber gave potatoes a huge advantage in harsh environments, fueling an explosion of new species and contributing to the rich diversity of potatoes we see and rely on today,' study coauthor Sanwen Huang, president of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences and a professor at the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said in a statement. 'We've finally solved the mystery of where potatoes came from.' The scientists have also decoded which genes were supplied by each plant to create tubers in the first place. Understanding how potatoes originated and evolved could ultimately help scientists breed more resilient potatoes that are resistant to disease and shifting climate conditions. Potatoes, tomatoes and Etuberosums all belong to the genus Solanum, which includes about 1,500 species and is the largest genus in the nightshade family of flowering plants. At first glance, potato plants look nearly identical to Etuberosum, which initially led scientists to think that the two were sisters that came from a common ancestor, said study coauthor JianQuan Liu, a professor in the college of ecology at Lanzhou University in Gansu, China. Etuberosums include just three species, and while the plants have flowers and leaves similar to those of potato plants, they don't produce tubers. 'Etuberosums are a special thing,' Dr. Sandy Knapp, study coauthor and research botanist at the Natural History Museum in London, told CNN. 'They're things that you probably would never see unless you went to the Juan Fernandes islands, the Robinson Crusoe islands in the middle of the Pacific, or if you were in the temple rainforest of Chile.' But charting out the lineage of potatoes, tomatoes and Etuberosums revealed an unexpected wrinkle that seemed to indicate that potatoes were more closely related to tomatoes on a genetic level, Knapp said. The team used phylogenetic analyses —a process similar to determining in humans a parent-daughter or sister-sister relationship on a genetic level — to determine the relationships among the different plants, Liu said. The analysis showed a contradiction: Potatoes could be a sister to Etuberosums or tomatoes, depending on different genetic markers, Liu said. The 14 million-year-old common ancestor of tomatoes and Etuberosums, and the plants that diverged from it, don't exist anymore and 'are lost in the mists of geological time,' Knapp said. Instead, the researchers looked for genetic markers within the plants to determine their origins. 'What we use is a signal that's come through from the past, which is still there in the plants that we have today, to try to reconstruct the past,' Knapp said. To track that signal through time, the researchers compiled a genetic database for potatoes, including looking at museum specimens and even retrieving data from rare wild potatoes that are hard to find, some of them occurring in just a single valley in the Andes, Knapp said. 'Wild potatoes are very difficult to sample, so this dataset represents the most comprehensive collection of wild potato genomic data ever analyzed,' study coauthor Zhiyang Zhang, a researcher for the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said in a statement. The research revealed that the first potato, and every subsequent potato species, included a combination of genetic material that derived from Etuberosums and tomatoes. Climatic or geological changes likely caused an ancient Etuberosum and a tomato ancestor to coexist in the same place, Liu said. Given that both species are bee-pollinated, the likely scenario is that a bee moved pollen between the two plants and led to the creation of the potato, said Amy Charkowski, research associate dean of Colorado State University's College of Agricultural Sciences. Charkowski was not involved in the new research. The tomato side supplied a 'master switch' SP6A gene, which told the potato plant to start making tubers, while a IT1 gene from the Etuberosum side controlled the growth of the underground stems that formed the starchy tubers, Liu said. If either gene were missing or didn't work in concert, potatoes never would have formed tubers, according to the researchers. 'One of the things that happens in hybridization is that genes get mixed up,' Knapp said. 'It's like shuffling a deck of cards again, and different cards come up in different combinations. And fortunately for this particular hybridization event, two sorts of genes came together, which created the ability to tuberize, and that's a chance event.' The evolution of tuberous potatoes coincided with a time when the Andes mountains were rapidly rising due to interactions among tectonic plates, which created a huge spine down the western side of South America, Knapp said. The Andes are a complex mountain range with numerous valleys and a range of ecosystems. Modern tomatoes like dry, hot environments, while Etuberosums prefer a temperate space. But the ancestor of the potato plant evolved to thrive in the dry, cold, high-altitude habitats that sprang up across the Andes, with the tuber enabling its ultimate survival, Knapp said. Potatoes could reproduce without the need for seeds or pollination. The growth of new tubers led to new plants, and they could flourish across diverse environments. The cultivated potato we consume today is currently the world's third most important staple crop, and with wheat, rice and maize, is responsible for 80% of human caloric intake, according to the study. Understanding the potato's origin story could be the key to breeding more innovation into future potatoes; reintroducing key tomato genes could lead to fast-breeding potatoes reproduced by seeds, something with which Huang and his team at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences are experimenting. Modern crops face pressures from environmental change, the climate crisis and new pests and diseases, Knapp said. Seed potatoes are of interest because they may be more genetically diverse and resistant to disease and other agricultural risks, Knapp said. Vegetatively reproducing potatoes — cutting a potato into pieces and planting them to create a crop — results in genetically identical potatoes that can be wiped out if a new disease comes along. Studying wild species that have come up against and evolved in response to such challenges could also be crucial, she added. Charkowski's lab is interested in how wild potatoes resist disease, and why some plant pests and diseases only affect potatoes or tomatoes. 'In addition to helping us understand potato evolution and potato tuber development, the methods used (in this study) can also help researchers learn about other traits, such as disease and insect resistance, nutrition, drought tolerance, and many other important plant traits in potato and tomato,' Charkowski said. Potatoes remain an important crop in arid regions or areas with short summers and high altitudes — places where other major crops don't grow, she said. The findings also show potatoes in a different light: the result of a chance encounter of two very different individuals, said study coauthor Dr. Tiina Särkinen, a nightshade expert at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. 'That's actually quite romantic,' she said. 'The origin of many of our species isn't a simple story, and it's very exciting that we can now discover these tangled, complex origins thanks to the wealth of genomic data.' Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.
NDTV
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Ram Charan's "Pure Grit" Gets Reflected In His Chiselled Muscles. Keeping Calm Is Not An Option
New Delhi: Telugu superstar Ram Charan treated his fans to a Monday surprise. The actor shared a picture of himself from his workout session. Ram Charan let his chiselled muscles do all the talking. What's Happening Ram Charan captioned the picture, "Changeover for @peddimovie begins!!" He added in his post, "Pure grit. True joy." Let's have a quick look at the comments section. A fan wrote, "That Bicep Scares me more." Another fan wrote, "Telugu lo one of the best Genetics (Blood Alantidi mari )." Ram Charan is undergoing rigorous training for his upcoming film Peddi, co-starring Janhvi Kapoor. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ram Charan (@alwaysramcharan) About Peddi Directed by Buchi Babu Sana, Peddi is among the most ambitious films in Charan's career. It is produced by Venkata Satish Kilaru under Vriddhi Cinemas and presented by Mythri Movie Makers and Sukumar Writings. With music by AR Rahman, visuals by R Rathnavelu, and editing by Navin Nooli, Peddi is touted to be a grand cinematic spectacle. The film is slated for release on March 27 next year, coinciding with Ram Charan's birthday. Kannada superstar Shiva Rajkumar, Jagapathi Babu, and Divyendu Sharma are also a part of the cast. Ram Charan's look shows him in his rugged avatar, channeling his physical vigour and emotional depth for a demanding role. In A Nutshell Ram Charan's gym look had the Internet buzzing as he's gearing up to start a new schedule of his upcoming film Peddi, co-starring Janhvi Kapoor.
