In human cells, there are about 20,000 genes on a two-meter DNA strand—finely coiled up in a nucleus about 10 micrometers in diameter. By comparison, this corresponds to a 40-kilometer thread packed ...

Gene therapy holds the promise of preventing and curing disease by manipulating gene expression within a patient's cells.

A giant virus discovered in Japan is adding fuel to the provocative idea that viruses helped create complex life. Named ushikuvirus, it infects amoebae and shows unique traits that connect different ...

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have shown that the "pacemaker" controlling yeast cell division lies inside the nucleus rather than outside it, as previously thought. Having the pacemaker ...

In human cells, DNA carries chemical or "epigenetic" marks that decide how genes will be used in different tissues. Yet in a ...

When cancer cells are physically squeezed, they mount an instant, high-energy defense by rushing mitochondria to the cell nucleus, unleashing a surge of ATP that fuels DNA repair and survival. This ...

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have shown that the 'pacemaker' controlling yeast cell division lies inside the nucleus rather than outside it, as previously thought. Having the pacemaker ...

A research team at the University of Würzburg has deciphered another aspect of poxviral gene activation. The study reveals a unique viral mechanism: a molecular ring anchors the viral copying machine ...

Every cell in a body contains the same genetic sequence, yet each cell expresses only a subset of those genes. These cell-specific gene expression patterns, which ensure that a brain cell is different ...