Accessible explanations of new research and developments in genetics, written so a learner can pick up the thread.
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Aurora Therapeutics, which aimed to industrialise bespoke CRISPR gene-editing treatments modelled on the Baby KJ case, has abandoned its programme, citing regulatory demands that a small company could not meet.
A new study proposes that the intense transcriptional activity of cancer superenhancers inflicts recurrent DNA double-strand breaks, with imperfect repair generating the mutations that fuel tumour evolution.
A preprint integrating DNA methylation data across 20 solid cancers finds that epigenetic age acceleration is not uniform — some tumour types appear younger than matched normal tissue, others older.
Genomic analysis has identified signatures of introgression from two distinct extinct human populations beyond the Neanderthal and Denisovan contributions already known from ancient DNA research.
A preprint using CITE-seq data from over one million peripheral blood mononuclear cells pinpoints the causal allele at the CD40 locus and maps downstream trans-acting effects specific to activated B cells, pointing toward targeted rather than broadly immunosuppressive therapies.
A study reports that blood cancers destined to worsen carry identifiable genomic changes long before clinical progression, potentially helping researchers distinguish pathological from age-related haematopoietic changes.
An analysis of more than three million Wikipedia revisions across nearly 7,000 pages finds genetics terminology is disproportionately concentrated in articles about nationality and ethnicity, raising questions about how research on human genetic diversity is synthesised for public audiences.
A major genome-wide study has expanded the known genetic architecture of hyperemesis gravidarum to ten risk genes, several of which implicate appetite and nausea regulation pathways.
A bioRxiv preprint identifies a transient window of extreme TCOF1 dosage-sensitivity in cranial neural crest cells, offering a mechanistic explanation for the tissue-specific effects of Treacher Collins syndrome.
Reports of a death in a gene-editing clinical trial in China have raised fresh questions about trial design, informed consent, and international oversight of human genome-editing research.
Researchers publishing in PLOS Genetics have identified roles for small RNAs and mechanistic variation in Segregation Distorter, a well-studied but incompletely understood meiotic drive system in Drosophila melanogaster.
Experimental CRISPR modifications improved immunotherapy responses in mouse models of prostate cancer, a tumour type that has historically resisted immune checkpoint approaches.
A controlled mouse study published this week provides direct experimental evidence that germline genetic background influences both whether and how cancer develops after the same DNA-damaging event.
Multiple companies are pursuing CRISPR and gene-editing approaches for AATD, a rare inherited lung and liver disease, amid patent disputes, a start-up exodus, and US–China competitive tensions reported by Stat News.
A study reports that TRF2 — previously characterised as a telomere-capping factor — is required to keep muscle stem cells from converting to fat or scar tissue after injury.
More than 19,000 large-scale genomic variants — many in immunity and olfaction genes — may explain how a small founding population survived inbreeding and conquered an island ecosystem.
Researchers report in PLOS Genetics that Matrix Metalloprotease 1 promotes epithelial-to-epithelial cell fate conversion and physical cell translocation during wing disc regeneration in Drosophila larvae exposed to ionising radiation.
The three institutions have announced a joint initiative to develop gene therapies targeting rare diseases, pooling expertise across genomics, clinical research, and model-organism biology.
A study finds that the longevity-associated APOE2 allele reduces DNA damage accumulation in brain cells and aids neuronal stress recovery, pointing towards a potential mechanistic target for Alzheimer's research.
A preprint describes an anticodon-edited tRNA that achieves up to 86% readthrough across 13 clinically relevant Arg-to-stop variants, offering a gene-agnostic strategy for a prevalent subclass of inherited retinal disease.
A PLOS Genetics study uses gene co-expression network modelling to predict which transcription factors drive ABA-dependent gene activation and repression in Populus roots under non-stress developmental conditions.
A PLOS Genetics study finds that triploid enset plants — carrying three copies of the genome rather than two — appear to have been repeatedly selected by horticulturalists for yield benefits, without any knowledge of the underlying genetics.
A bioRxiv preprint from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory uses Saccharomyces cerevisiae to systematically characterise how individual pathogenic variants in EXOSC3 — linked to human neurological disease — affect the RNA exosome complex.
A preprint reports that breaking Arabidopsis chromosome 3 at the centromere with CRISPR-Cas9 produces two stable telocentric neo-chromosomes that display distorted meiotic inheritance, offering a tool to study centromere biology and karyotype evolution.
A bioRxiv preprint integrating multi-omics data and machine learning finds that local chromatin state — particularly H3K36me3 — consistently predicts site-specific adenosine-to-inosine RNA editing efficiency across species and developmental contexts.
A bioRxiv preprint shows that loss of the H3K9me2-writing enzyme MET-2 enlarges autosomes during spermatogenesis in C. elegans but leaves chromosome size during oogenesis and X univalents unaffected, revealing sex-specific roles in meiotic chromosome compaction.
A bioRxiv preprint reports that damaging variants in the glutamate-rich domain of the cardiac splice regulator RBM20 are not corrected by gene replacement, suggesting they act via a different mechanism from the better-studied RS-domain variants.
A bioRxiv preprint integrating whole-genome sequencing, transcriptomic, and epigenomic data proposes that an overlooked non-coding regulatory signal may help explain why GBA1 coding variants substantially raise Parkinson's disease risk.
Researchers describe a new sequencing chemistry designed to capture full-length RNA transcripts at single-cell resolution and at the throughput needed for million-cell experiments.
A study in insulin-producing cells finds that disrupting a key protein-folding helper allows damaged insulin to accumulate and lowers insulin secretion, pointing to a potential avenue for preserving beta-cell function.
A bioRxiv preprint identifies aberrant expression of the long non-coding RNA Hsrω-n as a contributor to neuronal toxicity in a Drosophila model of fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome.
A new theoretical framework published in PLOS Genetics uses age-specific penetrance data to improve on the standard 50% carrier-risk figure given to relatives of C9orf72 mutation carriers.
A preprint from bioRxiv describes cf-Cabernet, a library preparation protocol that corrects a systematic artefact erasing DNA methylation information from cell-free DNA samples.
Researchers from the Million Veteran Program and collaborating institutions publish a genomic-led framework in PLOS Genetics that uses genetic evidence to flag potential drug safety issues early in development.
Applying evolutionary theory to oncology, researchers propose that rapidly alternating between multiple treatments — before resistance emerges — could improve cancer cure rates.
Researchers describe statistical methods that leverage differences in linkage disequilibrium and allele frequencies across ancestries to improve identification of likely causal variants in genome-wide association studies.
Using simulated phenotypes on real Duroc pig genotypes, researchers show that standard GWAS methods can produce strong, apparently localised associations even when no discrete nearby causal variant exists.
Seven research laboratories will share ARPA-H funding aimed at accelerating individually tailored gene-editing therapies for patients with rare genetic conditions.
A bioRxiv preprint from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory characterises NPR-14, a G-protein-coupled receptor in Caenorhabditis elegans, as a promoter of arousal that suppresses sleep-like quiescence — offering a genetically tractable model for studying conserved sleep-regulatory pathways.
A bioRxiv preprint describes a zinc finger nuclease approach that inserts a functional rhodopsin gene copy regardless of which of nearly 100 pathogenic RHO variants a patient carries, aiming to circumvent the mutational heterogeneity that limits variant-specific therapies.
A genome-wide study has calculated the koala's mutation rate for the first time and traced all living koalas to a small ancestral population that endured a climate-driven bottleneck long before human settlement of Australia.
Researchers have identified claudin-4 as the entry receptor for a bacterially derived toxin associated with colorectal cancer, and designed a decoy protein that blocked it in a mouse model.
A bioRxiv preprint using single-fly Nanopore sequencing tracks transposon copy accumulation in Drosophila lacking the piRNA biogenesis factor HP1D/Rhino, revealing that disrupted silencing produces sporadic rather than continuous transposition.
Published in PLOS Genetics, a study by Gittrich and colleagues uses high-throughput RB-TnSeq screens to identify both shared and phage-specific bacterial genetic requirements for bacteriophage infection in Klebsiella.
Screening of 1,562 Finnish extended families links heterozygous INTS6 variants to mild intellectual disability, implicating the Integrator complex phosphatase module in a neurodevelopmental disorder.
A bioRxiv preprint presents a two-locus CRISPR toxin-antidote gene drive architecture intended to spread through target populations while remaining containable — a key safety consideration for field deployment.
A chromosome-scale genome assembly of Aegilops speltoides identifies overexpression of cohesin and additional B chromosome-encoded genes as correlates of root-specific elimination of supernumerary chromosomes.
Roche has ended its gene-silencing efforts targeting Huntington's disease, a setback for a field that has seen several high-profile programme failures in recent years.
Patient-derived fibroblast data in a bioRxiv preprint suggest that ASXL1 truncating variants — found in both Bohring-Opitz syndrome and myeloid leukaemia — drive a shift towards aerobic glycolysis by suppressing mitochondrial pyruvate import.
A bioRxiv preprint presents the most comprehensive long-term evaluation to date of genomic selection in cassava breeding, tracking four recurrent selection cycles from 2011 to 2024 in the Brazilian national programme.
A PLOS Genetics study identifies a mutation in unc-31 that alters DAF-2B expression and shows that the ratio of DAF-2B homodimers to heterodimers with full-length DAF-2 shapes insulin-like signalling output.
A bioRxiv preprint reports that platypus and echidna carry novel DMRT gene arrangements, filling gaps in understanding of how this conserved sex-determination gene family evolved across vertebrates.
Preclinical research finds that combining telmisartan with olaparib boosts anticancer and immune effects, potentially broadening the PARP inhibitor's utility beyond BRCA1/2-related cancers, with human trials already under way.
A new Drosophila tumour model published in PLOS Genetics implicates Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 in maintaining intestinal stem cell identity and restraining cancer-like growth.
A PLOS Genetics study characterises how small RNA populations — including microRNAs and tRNA-derived fragments — shift across three day-length conditions in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.
A preprint from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory describes a zebrafish system that uses functional surrogacy to model vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and reclassify COL3A1 variants where pathogenicity is unclear.
A PLOS Genetics study from Sophien Kamoun's group and collaborators examines how helper and sensor NLR immune receptors in lettuce have evolved at different rates following functional divergence within the NRC network.
A PLOS Genetics study identifies Wiz as a regulator of clustered protocadherin gene expression by constraining CTCF and cohesin loop extrusion in a genomic-distance-dependent manner.
MetaboXcan, described in a bioRxiv preprint, extends transcriptome-wide association study approaches to the metabolome, aiming to bridge the gap between GWAS hits and disease mechanisms.
A bioRxiv preprint using the Ts65Dn mouse model reports that male and female animals show distinct responses to neonatal DYRK1A reduction, highlighting sex as a variable in Down syndrome therapeutic research.
Researchers report a computational method for inferring individual genotype fitness from time-series sequencing data without requiring assumptions about the maximum order of epistasis.
Researchers characterise resistance to an emerging polerovirus in corn using a large diversity panel, identifying low-titer inbred lines as candidates for developing resistant cultivars.
A spontaneously tumour-prone gecko shares key oncogenic genetic changes with human cancers, offering researchers a rare naturally occurring animal model.
A bioRxiv preprint systematically evaluates Oxford Nanopore R10.4.1 flow cells and multiple basecalling tiers for autosomal and Y-chromosome short tandem repeat profiling, assessing suitability for forensic DNA analysis.
A PLOS Genetics study by Weykopf and colleagues including researchers at the MRC Human Genetics Unit uses enhancer reporter assays to functionally characterise non-coding variants associated with severe SARS-CoV-2 outcomes.
A bioRxiv preprint reports that two Ulva species responsible for Yellow Sea green tides can form viable hybrids in both mating directions, and documents an unusual pattern of paternal chloroplast transmission.
A preprint reports that dizygotic twins in a consanguineous family carry both a novel EPS8 variant linked to hearing loss and an HPDL variant associated with neurodevelopmental disorder, illustrating how multilocus pathogenic variation can produce complex overlapping phenotypes.
Integrative analysis across multiple CNS regions distinguishes molecular signatures of C9orf72-expansion ALS from non-C9orf72 cases, published in PLOS Genetics.
Columbia University researchers report that a specific genetic variant may accelerate heart valve damage in people with degenerative mitral regurgitation who also take SSRI antidepressants.
A PLOS Genetics study by Bush, Conery, and colleagues provides the most detailed crossover map to date in Caenorhabditis elegans, documenting pronounced sexual dimorphisms in crossover distribution linked to meiotic chromosomal features.
Researchers at the University of Washington have updated the FLARE local ancestry inference algorithm to handle populations lacking a closely matched reference panel, broadening its utility for diverse genomic datasets.
A Cancer Research UK commentary piece explores how broad consent frameworks can enable more effective reuse of research datasets as data interrogation technologies advance.
Reduced activity of the transcription factor GATA6 allows colorectal cancer cells to adopt a fetal-like, highly plastic state capable of seeding liver metastases — driven by epigenetic rather than mutational change.
Researchers report that template vectors used for CRISPR/Cas9 homology-directed repair in Drosophila melanogaster germline editing integrate into the genome at high frequency, creating unintended mutations.
A PLOS Genetics study by Martinez-Whitman and colleagues challenges the assumption that translesion synthesis polymerases are broadly recruited to stalled replication sites, with implications for understanding mutagenesis regulation in bacteria.
A trainee-led bioRxiv preprint reports that exposure to the 2023 NASEM guidelines on population descriptors improves ethical awareness but does not eliminate fundamental misunderstandings about the relationship between race and ancestry.
A bioRxiv preprint identifies the Drosophila FET-family protein Cabeza as an essential cofactor for ETV4-driven activation of GGAA microsatellite sequences, a mechanism relevant to Ewing sarcoma and related malignancies.
A multi-institution study published in PLOS Genetics maps a previously unknown genomic locus contributing to reproductive isolation across a natural hybrid zone in snapdragon plants.
A bioRxiv preprint reports that dicentric chromosome breaks in Drosophila cluster at nonrandom genomic locations and that the repair process produces unexpectedly complex structural rearrangements.
A preprint from the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium describes EdgeDepth, a graph-based method that outperforms linear-reference approaches when mapping genetic variants associated with gene expression.
Scientists at Harvard have built a silicon chip that uses electrical signals and water-based enzymes to synthesise multiple DNA sequences in parallel, offering a potential alternative to conventional chemical DNA manufacturing.
A new study reported by Cancer Research UK finds evidence that people under 55 are biologically ageing more rapidly than older cohorts, a trend researchers say may be connected to increasing rates of early-onset cancer.
Researchers have assessed the functional effects of missense variants of uncertain significance in the ECD1 region of ABCA4, which is implicated in Stargardt disease and other inherited retinal conditions.
A preprint introduces FIR-GWAS, which integrates allele frequency, effect magnitude, and statistical reliability to reveal spatially continuous structure along genomic coordinates in existing GWAS datasets.
A preprint using droplet digital PCR finds substantial variation in pancreatic amylase gene copy number among wild carnivores with minimal starch exposure, extending the AMY2B story beyond domestic animals.
STAT News reports that a Roche drug targeting KRAS-mutant lung cancer has demonstrated results sufficient to be described as a new standard of care, in a development with implications for hereditary cancer research and somatic genomics.
Researchers have described a molecular pathway by which physical activity preserves muscle function in older tissue, centred on suppression of the transcription factor DEAF1.
A bioRxiv preprint reports that multiplexed sgRNAs targeting the sex-determination gene doublesex can overcome drive resistance in Drosophila suzukii, a globally invasive crop pest.
Using a Fisher geometry framework, researchers show that conventional LD measures such as r² perform poorly in asymmetric, rare-common haplotype configurations — with implications for fine-mapping and population genetics.
A preprint from bioRxiv presents a modelling framework for M-locus-linked genome editors that skew offspring sex ratios in Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that transmits dengue, Zika, and other arboviruses.
Researchers have used base-editing and prime-editing tools in early human embryos to probe developmental gene function, achieving improved on-target precision while prompting renewed ethical scrutiny.
A multi-site autopsy study published in PLOS Genetics uses genome-wide association to map genetic loci associated with the physical hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, rather than clinical diagnosis alone.
A PLOS Genetics study using SNP data from a pregnancy cohort finds significant heritability for 19 immune biomarkers and genome-wide significant signals for 34, shedding light on the genetic architecture of immune adaptation in pregnancy.
A peer-reviewed study in PLOS Genetics uses Drosophila to characterise how sex shapes the regulation and function of cellular immune responses, with potential implications for understanding sex-biased immunity more broadly.
A mouse knockout study finds that deleting the metabolic enzyme Pck1 selectively in macrophages leaves aortic root plaque burden unchanged, refining the functional map of the Ath28.1 quantitative trait locus.
A bioRxiv preprint describes an AAV-U7-SnRNA approach to skip exon 17 of the NF1 gene, with AAV-F capsid outperforming AAV-9 and AAV-B1 in biodistribution and exon-skipping efficiency in humanised mouse models.
A bioRxiv preprint reports that replicate detection frequency in metabarcoding assays correlates with ddPCR-derived copy numbers for cod and herring eDNA recovered from ancient marine sediments, offering a semi-quantitative tool for sedaDNA studies.
A bioRxiv review preprint catalogues the methodological and data-sharing obstacles that currently limit researchers' ability to move from GWAS loci to mechanistically understood causal variants.
A bioRxiv preprint describes a statistical framework that explicitly accounts for population bottleneck size when applying neutrality tests to variant frequency data, aiming to better distinguish drift from selection.
A preprint integrating biobanks from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and China reports 8,010 previously unreported genetic associations and characterises patterns of genetic sharing within East Asian populations.
The US Food and Drug Administration has reversed its earlier opposition, allowing UniQure to file its investigational RNA-interference treatment for Huntington's disease for regulatory review.
An opinion piece in STAT News marks the death of Joseph Fraumeni Jr., the NCI epidemiologist whose work with Frederick Li identified the hereditary cancer syndrome that bears their names.
Researchers examining post-mortem brain tissue from people with severe MS found that immune cells overloaded with lipid droplets appear to switch from repairing myelin to sustaining inflammation.
A PLOS Genetics study shows that two Argonaute proteins localise to sex chromatin during meiosis and are necessary for silencing XY-linked genes — a finding that advances understanding of male fertility and germline gene regulation.
A bioRxiv preprint introduces CATaN, a computational method that integrates transcription factor gene regulatory networks with transcriptomic data to identify how causal variants at TF binding sites contribute to heritable disease risk.
Researchers have determined the precise three-dimensional structures of two natural compounds from rye pollen that showed anti-tumour activity in earlier animal studies, providing a molecular blueprint for further investigation.
A preprint using 1,078 Brazilian cassava clones and 25,923 SNPs finds that multi-trait GBLUP models outperform single-trait approaches for agronomically important but costly-to-phenotype traits.
Researchers have found that migrating neurons in the developing brain suffer severe DNA damage as they navigate tight spaces — and that an efficient repair mechanism corrects this damage almost immediately.
The new gene-editing startup is targeting alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a rare inherited lung and liver disease, following a reverse-merger and a licensing deal with a Chinese biotech company.
A bioRxiv preprint using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing finds that infection with the parasitic leech Ozobranchus margoi is associated with DNA methylation variation in loggerhead sea turtles, with evidence the signal may persist across generations.
A preprint describes nanoASM, a framework using whole-genome nanopore sequencing to simultaneously profile germline variants and allele-specific methylation, identifying noncoding regulatory changes in normal and tumour prostate tissue.
Cancer Research UK reports that new data provide the strongest evidence to date that the UK HPV vaccination programme is reducing not only cervical cancer incidence but cervical cancer mortality.
Analysis of admixed Brazilian elderly cohorts finds deviations from expected APOE ε2 genotype frequencies, raising questions about whether its longevity-protective role generalises beyond European-ancestry populations.
A bioRxiv preprint shows that two long non-coding RNAs arising from genomic duplication retain a shared regulatory function in a key cell-signalling pathway, despite divergent genomic contexts.
Researchers have developed haplotype-specific FISH probes for the sedge Rhynchospora breviuscula, enabling the first detailed mapping of meiotic recombination in a plant with chromosomes that lack a discrete centromere.
A large-scale comparative analysis identifies three birth mechanisms for shadow enhancers — redundant regulatory elements controlling the same developmental gene — across Drosophila and mouse genomes.
A preprint from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory applies saturation genome editing to reclassify more than 9,000 variants of uncertain significance in two hereditary cancer genes.
Researchers used single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics to characterise how adult zebrafish achieve scar-free wound healing, a capacity lost in adult mammals including humans.
A preprint combining SNP array genotyping and whole-genome sequencing has detected a previously undescribed local genetic cluster of Ostrea edulis along French Atlantic and Channel coasts, with implications for conservation translocation programmes.
A PLOS Genetics study from researchers at Children's National Hospital and the Stowers Institute provides the largest functional dataset to date for variants in ASS1, the gene disrupted in citrullinaemia type I, and reveals unexpected epistatic interactions between variants.
Back-to-back bioRxiv preprints use large clinical datasets and nasal airway cell measurements to examine how CFTR channel function relates to disease severity and to respiratory symptoms in carriers.
Michelle Sie Whitten of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation writes in STAT News that women receiving a prenatal Down syndrome diagnosis are routinely given outdated or incomplete information about life expectancy and quality of life.
Researchers publishing in PLOS Genetics have identified a nuclear ubiquitination system that targets the Cre1 repressor in Trichoderma reesei, revealing a new regulatory layer controlling industrial cellulase gene expression.
Researchers have characterised the effects of P-element-induced hybrid dysgenesis in Drosophila simulans, finding parallels with and differences from the well-studied D. melanogaster system.
Researchers report that EXO1, a gene ordinarily involved in DNA repair, becomes damaging when cells produce too much of it — cutting DNA inappropriately and creating a potential vulnerability that may be exploitable in cancer research.
A study of families with exceptional longevity has identified rare variants—including one that appears to temper chronic inflammation—that may help sustain health into later life.
Scientists at Baylor College of Medicine report that tubulin—the structural protein of cellular transport networks—can divert Tau and alpha-synuclein from forming the toxic clumps associated with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
A preprint reports the first genetic confirmation of the invasive golden mussel in North America, alongside development of an eDNA monitoring protocol designed to support rapid detection.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina have mapped protein–RNA associations for Airn and Kcnq1ot1, two lncRNAs that silence large chromosomal domains, and found that the RNA-binding protein HNRNPU is necessary for their long-range repressive activity.
Researchers sequencing Cape Floristic Region leopard genomes found the population is genetically distinct and substantially smaller-bodied than other African leopards, with retained diversity despite long isolation.
A comparative genomics preprint analyses transposable element composition across diverse protist lineages, asking whether TEs may have influenced genome architecture during transitions to multicellularity.
A cross-cohort analysis of nearly 20,000 individuals from four British birth cohort studies shows that polygenic risk for high body mass index became a stronger predictor of observed BMI in cohorts born later into the obesity epidemic.
A GPU-accelerated reimplementation of the coloc algorithm, published in PLOS Genetics, makes it feasible to test colocalisation across millions of association signals from large biobanks and molecular QTL studies.
Researchers report that somatic mutations associated with haematological malignancies could trigger neuroinflammation implicated in Alzheimer's disease, suggesting a previously unrecognised mechanistic overlap between the two conditions.
A bioRxiv preprint characterising single-deletion mutants for each member of the TLO gene family in the fungal pathogen Candida albicans reveals interconnected functional networks with only partial redundancy among paralogs.
Using Danio rerio as a model organism, researchers describe how enzyme deficiencies affecting oligosaccharide assembly and breakdown impair sperm condition through protein aggregation and oxidative stress, with potential relevance to understanding human male infertility in congenital disorders of glycosylation.
A STAT News opinion piece argues that recent technical progress in human embryo editing demands structured ethical debate before the science moves further ahead.
A preprint reports that in vivo CRISPR editing targeting the mismatch repair gene Msh3 slowed somatic CAG repeat expansion and mitigated disease pathology in a Huntington's disease mouse model.
A preprint from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory describes a 'dish-to-biobank' framework that connects controlled glucolipotoxicity stress in stem-cell-derived beta cells to population-scale type 2 diabetes genetics via the plasma proteome.
A new method using genetic traces left by transposable elements has reconstructed the evolutionary history of the cultivated strawberry genome, revealing multiple ancient polyploidisation events.
A selective sweep analysis has identified a T183M substitution in the circadian regulator FBXL3 that is enriched in sheep breeds capable of breeding outside their natural season.
A PLOS Genetics study in fission yeast identifies a Rad3ATR FAT domain mutation that constitutively activates kinase activity and removes the need for 9-1-1 complex phosphorylation in triggering the DNA replication checkpoint.
A benchmarking study challenges the standard practice of removing related individuals before demographic inference, showing that close relatives carry useful signal about recent population history.
A bioRxiv preprint using mice lacking a 38-amino-acid C-terminal domain of MSH5 identifies a mammalian-specific molecular switch that controls how meiotic recombination sites progress from licensed intermediates to designated crossovers.
The UK National Screening Committee has endorsed a risk-stratified approach to prostate cancer screening, focusing on men who carry a BRCA2 pathogenic variant and have a relevant family history of cancer.
A new mathematical framework published in PLOS Genetics models how whole-chromosome copy-number imbalances arise, persist, and revert in cell populations, with implications for understanding aneuploidy-driven disease.
Population genomics of Aedes albopictus in five Colombian departments reveals complex invasion history including multiple entry routes, trade-associated connectivity, and mito-nuclear discordance.
Analysis of species that have lost PRDM9 — including birds and dogs — finds distinct sex-specific recombination patterns at CpG-island hotspots, extending understanding of heterochiasmy beyond PRDM9-directed systems.
A preprint from work in Caenorhabditis elegans shows that AHR-1 expressed in neurons influences which bacteria colonise the gut through a neuroendocrine redox pathway, revealing a distant-organ mechanism for microbiome assembly.
Researchers have identified a compound that blocks the DNA repair mechanism cancer cells exploit to survive treatment, potentially reversing resistance to PARP inhibitor therapies.
Researchers describe a regulatory element within the Tibetan adaptive EPAS1 haplotype that shows blunted hypoxia response and is also active in adipocytes, suggesting cold-climate adaptation may be part of the same selective sweep.
A bioRxiv preprint provides evidence that the embryo-lethal effects of Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility are mediated, at least in part, by heritable epigenetic chromatin modifications rather than purely mechanical replication failure.
A preprint leveraging the gnomAD v4 dataset of over 730,000 exomes proposes improved methods for characterising elevated mutation rates and predicting the pathogenicity of rare coding variants.
A bioRxiv preprint reports that male Peromyscus leucopus express the lncRNA Xist but with a restricted chromatin-repression response and incomplete X-linked dosage compensation, challenging canonical models of X-chromosome inactivation.
A study has identified heritable variants that appear to reduce responsiveness to GLP-1 receptor agonists in clinical trials, potentially explaining why a subset of patients fail to reach glycaemic targets.
A preprint introduces a spectral decomposition algorithm that detects imprinting and other parent-of-origin effects using unphased population GWAS datasets, removing the requirement for family-based study designs.
A preprint introduces a searchable resource connecting CpG methylation sites to gene expression levels across 11 tissue types, offering a new tool for interpreting epigenome-wide association study findings.
Research in C. elegans shows that GLO-1 controls gut-granule biogenesis while a separate mechanism drives zinc-induced granule expansion, revealing divergent pathways for zinc detoxification in a model organism.
Researchers developed a probabilistic framework to assess how accurately polygenic predictions of observable traits could be used to re-identify an anonymised genome, finding the practical risk lower than some prior estimates suggested.
A bioRxiv preprint characterises how the honey bee parasite Varroa destructor deploys RNA interference against viruses across its life cycle, revealing that established viral infections produce an unusual small RNA signature and that viruses are transmitted vertically through mite generations.
A bioRxiv preprint combining human infarction tissue analysis and lineage-tracing experiments in mice reports that cardiomyocytes can directly contribute to myocardial fibrosis via a mesenchymal-like fate change.
A preprint screening 487 skeletal samples from Classic Period Maya sites uses genetic kinship analysis to connect high-status tomb occupants with individuals whose remains were deposited in geographically separate cave contexts.
A bioRxiv preprint demonstrates that loss of the replication-coupled histone chaperone CAF-1 disrupts PRC2-directed H3K27me3 heterochromatin structure and causes widespread transcriptional misregulation in the model fungus Neurospora crassa.
A preprint reports that 4% of Rwandan breast cancer cases in a 175-woman cohort carry a single recurrent BRCA1 frameshift variant tracing to a common ancestral haplotype of around 581 kb.
A bioRxiv preprint reports a forward genetic screen identifying modulators of alpha-synuclein-induced dopaminergic neuron loss through the mitochondrial unfolded protein response pathway in C. elegans.
A preprint from Brazil's Embrapa breeding programme applies multiple GWAS models to one of the largest cassava phenotyping datasets assembled, identifying loci associated with nutritional quality traits important for food security.
Analysis of polr3a mutant zebrafish shows that loss of this Pol III subunit specifically impairs neural crest cell-derived craniofacial structures, clarifying how POLR3-related disease variants cause tissue-specific developmental defects.
A large-scale mouse study has mapped epigenetic marks that violate classical inheritance rules, including what researchers describe as the first naturally occurring paramutation documented in a mammal.
A bioRxiv preprint from 2026 proposes that astrocytes — not only neurons — may contribute to the pathophysiology of CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder, a rare developmental epileptic encephalopathy.
A preprint using a humanised APOE-TOMM40 mouse model reports that TOMM40 poly-T variants associated with Alzheimer's disease risk produce distinct lipid profiles depending on sex and tissue type.
A PLOS Genetics study in Haloferax volcanii identifies CsmR as a transcriptional regulator that simultaneously controls archaellum-driven movement and morphological form, extending understanding of archaeal gene regulation.
A bioRxiv preprint reports that a betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase gene, LsBADH1, is responsible for the production of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline — the compound behind the characteristic sweet fragrance of certain lettuce cultivars.
A preprint from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory describes a helper-dependent adenoviral vector approach targeting two genomic loci to overcome low homology-directed repair rates in CFTR replacement.
A STAT News commentary argues that the bottleneck for transformative gene therapies is no longer biological but financial, calling for structural reform in how payers and health systems fund one-time curative treatments.
Using temporally controlled overexpression and single-cell RNA sequencing, researchers at Yale University identify how two transcription factors repress the progenitor state to promote somite formation.
A bioRxiv preprint analyses postmortem brain samples from 168 admixed Black American adults to resolve how inherited genetic variation and environmental exposure jointly shape the brain methylome — an underrepresented population in such research.
A bioRxiv preprint describes two engineered fusion promoters — Pikali and Nocchu — that drive broader and more balanced transgene expression across both rod and cone photoreceptors than existing options, a longstanding challenge in retinal gene therapy research.
A PLOS Genetics study dissects how a single mutation in the Tel2-Tti1-Tti2 co-chaperone complex can knock out one PIKK kinase whilst leaving five others intact.
Early data from a Phase 1 study of VERVE-102, a base-editing therapy targeting PCSK9, show substantial LDL-cholesterol reductions at high doses, though the therapy remains at an early investigational stage.
Using single-stranded DNA as a sensitive mutational reporter, researchers characterise how redox agents enhance mutation rates during horizontal gene transfer and leave distinct genomic footprints.
A bioRxiv preprint using high-throughput phenotyping and doubled haploid populations identifies genetic variants governing maize root architecture under cold stress, with implications for temperate-region breeding.
A bioRxiv preprint introduces POCKET-seq, a sequencing approach that reveals frequent off-target dCas9-KRAB binding and shows it can generate false-positive results in CRISPR interference genetic screens.
Disabling the transcription factor NFIL3 in engineered CAR T cells prolonged their anti-tumour activity in mouse models, according to new research reported by ScienceDaily.
Research by Fujioka, Ke, Schedl, Jaynes and colleagues shows that the Drosophila insulator elements homie and nhomie can interact with distant copies individually or together, producing distinct outcomes for enhancer–promoter communication.
A bioRxiv preprint using wild and wild-derived Drosophila lines finds that standing genetic variation is sufficient to produce virtually every predicted qualitative change in Rh5/Rh6 expression in R8 photoreceptors, illustrating the breadth of phenotypic potential in natural populations.
A preprint from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory reports that AAV-mediated delivery of the HGD gene to the liver normalised homogentisic acid accumulation in Hgd-deficient mice, pointing to a potential curative approach for this rare metabolic disorder.
Researchers studying the hexaploid crucian carp Carassius gibelio report that asexual females use meiosis without chromosomal crossover — achiasmatic meiosis — to produce unreduced eggs carrying both the clonal genome and supernumerary B chromosomes.
Researchers at the University of Tennessee publish a quantitative model in PLOS Genetics estimating how frequently ribosomes abandon transcripts before reaching a stop codon, and what energy burden these nonsense errors place on the cell.
A University of California San Francisco team has applied to the FDA for permission to run a small first-in-human trial of gene therapy delivered before birth for a rare lysosomal storage disorder.
A new actively maintained mtDNA reference tree incorporating hundreds of thousands of sequences replaces the retired PhyloTree resource and substantially increases haplogroup resolution for population and ancestry research.
Researchers at Columbia University have used population genetic and functional approaches to show that spatially clustered amino acid substitutions in the Drosophila Trio protein arise through intramolecular epistasis, providing rare direct evidence for a theoretically predicted but empirically understudied evolutionary constraint.
A bioRxiv preprint reports that loss of the innexin gene inx-20 in the alimentary tract of the roundworm C. elegans substantially prolongs reproductive span independently of somatic ageing, suggesting gut-to-germline signalling shapes the timing of reproductive senescence.
A PLOS Genetics study shows that the neuromedin U receptor NMUR-1 tempers insulin pathway activity in C. elegans, shaping how the worm survives on distinct bacterial food sources.
Research described by ScienceDaily suggests that Earth's earliest animals may have held back their own evolutionary diversification through asexual reproduction, and that environmental pressures favouring sexual reproduction were associated with a subsequent acceleration in biodiversity.
A bioRxiv preprint using multi-omic and patient-derived cell analyses reports that loss of cytoplasmic UBA1 activity in VEXAS disrupts ER-associated degradation and mitochondrial homeostasis, activating the cGAS-STING innate immune axis.
A bioRxiv preprint reports a multi-tissue investigation connecting genome-wide association study risk loci for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis to biological function via transcriptomic and functional analyses.
Researchers report that the B-box protein BBX5 promotes shade avoidance in plants by activating the transcription factor PIF4 alongside genes involved in auxin biosynthesis and signalling, with phyB modulating BBX5 stability.
A bioRxiv preprint from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory reports that ALS-associated SOD1 mutants bind and downregulate the TIM23 mitochondrial protein import complex in a yeast model, identifying a potential molecular mechanism linking SOD1 toxicity to organellar dysfunction.
A paired eDNA/eRNA study across coral reef and seagrass habitats near San Andres Island, Colombia, tests whether RNA-based metabarcoding provides a more temporally resolved snapshot of living marine communities.
A bioRxiv preprint presents a chromatin accessibility and transcriptomic atlas of human dendritic cell development from haematopoietic stem cells, integrating GWAS data from immune-mediated diseases to pinpoint which DC subsets mediate inherited genetic risk.
Researchers analysing human polymorphism data from gnomAD find that CpG mutation rates vary with flanking sequence in ways only partially explained by methylation, refining models of heritable mutation risk.
New NHS England data show that mobile scanning units deployed at supermarkets, sports stadiums and high streets have detected 10,678 lung cancers, more than three-quarters at stages one or two.
The D4Z4caster assay uses targeted bisulfite sequencing of the D4Z4 repeat array to stratify individuals who may carry the epigenetic hallmarks of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.
A bioRxiv preprint identifies threonine 428 within a conserved TQ motif of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pch2 AAA+ ATPase as a key residue governing the protein's localisation and function during meiotic prophase I.
A bioRxiv preprint from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory introduces the single mutation frequency spectrum, a revised approach to analysing rare allele data that accounts for identical-by-state variants arising from recurrent mutation events.
A large-scale analysis finds beneficial mutations are more common than the neutral theory predicts, but environmental change may prevent them from fixing in populations.
Research in the short-lived turquoise killifish finds that collisions between ribosomes accumulate with age and may contribute to the protein clumps associated with neurodegenerative disease.
A bioRxiv preprint uses abstract multicellular development modelling to argue that increased ploidy — in both diploid hybrids and polyploids — reduces the impact of gene expression noise on cell fate determination, offering a mechanistic basis for heterosis.
A bioRxiv preprint uses a scalable 'one-pot' single-cell RNA-seq approach to map expression quantitative trait loci in yeast during acute salt stress and nutrient repletion, extending eQTL analysis from steady-state transcript levels into dynamic physiological transitions.
A bioRxiv preprint applies landscape genomics to Aedes albopictus, the tiger mosquito, finding that urban structure creates directional asymmetries in gene flow with implications for understanding the spread of dengue, Zika, and chikungunya vectors.
The WormFood CURE, a course-based undergraduate research programme, used a C. elegans multivulva phenotype assay to screen environmental bacteria for bioactive metabolites and found two Bacillus strains capable of suppressing ectopic Ras pathway activation.
A bioRxiv preprint combining ancient DNA genomics with a new interdisciplinary burial-rite database reports that cultural affiliation accounts for the majority of spatiotemporal variation in prehistoric mortuary practices.
Cancer Research UK analysis shows melanoma incidence has reached its highest recorded level in the UK, raising questions about prevention, surveillance, and the role of genetic risk factors.
A bioRxiv preprint reports exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the EAGL measure in 2,708 US participants, introducing a knowledge comprehension subscale alongside standard subjective and objective knowledge components.
A bioRxiv preprint reports that targeting a doublesex locus generating dominant female-sterile alleles can accelerate population suppression by CRISPR-based gene drive, overcoming a key resistance mechanism.
Researchers examining mechanosignalling in zebrafish report that the transcriptional co-activator Yap1 is expressed transiently in muscle and notochord precursors and is required to prevent kyphoscoliosis during vertebral development.
A new computational system named PerturbFate tracks how diverse genetic mutations reshape cell fate over time, identifying convergent regulatory nodes that may represent targets shared across many cancer types.
A reconstructed evolutionary family tree of blood cells suggests that key features of the human immune system are inherited from unicellular life forms predating the emergence of animals.
Nusinersen and risdiplam will be routinely available on the NHS in England following an evidence-collection access scheme, giving families with spinal muscular atrophy long-term certainty.
A PLOS Genetics study uses a surrogate yeast system to characterise how mutations in the DHFR enzyme of Pneumocystis jirovecii confer resistance to trimethoprim and related antifolate drugs.
A pre-registered bioRxiv preprint replicating findings in 925 twin pairs identifies extinction learning rate — but not safety learning rate — as both heritable and associated with anxiety severity, pointing to a potential computational endophenotype.
A bioRxiv preprint describes TransCisPredict, a computational framework that incorporates both cis- and trans-variants to predict protein expression levels and enable proteome-wide association studies at biobank scale.
A bioRxiv preprint from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory proposes that the chromosomal architectural protein Su(Hw) generates specificity in topologically associating domain boundary contacts in Drosophila, helping to explain how TADs form independently of loop extrusion.
A commentary in Nature Human Behaviour challenges widespread framing of polygenic risk scores as fixed biological traits, with implications for research communication and public understanding.
A PHG Foundation analysis highlights how genetic variants affecting red blood cell biology can cause HbA1c to misclassify diabetes risk, with disproportionate impact across ancestry groups.
A new systematic review published in 2026 concludes that prostate-specific antigen blood testing likely reduces the risk of death from prostate cancer, though over-diagnosis and over-treatment remain concerns.
A large-scale study genetically characterising feline tumours has identified conserved cancer-driving mutations across cats, dogs and humans, including genes associated with aggressive breast cancers.
A bioRxiv preprint identifies rare protein-altering variants in the insulin/IGF-1 signalling and mTOR pathway among exceptionally long-lived individuals, with in vitro functional effects consistent with lifespan extension across species.
A new study shows MYC protein recruits DNA-repair machinery at break sites, suggesting a mechanism by which tumours recover from chemotherapy and radiotherapy damage.
A preprint reports that antisense oligonucleotides designed to silence a specific dominant-negative ATAD3A variant can correct associated disease features in a zebrafish model, pointing towards a potential therapeutic strategy for this rare neurodevelopmental disorder.
A bioRxiv preprint describes a homozygous missense variant in MGME1 — a nuclear-encoded gene essential for mitochondrial DNA maintenance — identified in five affected individuals from unrelated South Indian families presenting with multi-systemic mitochondrial disease.
A preprint from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory profiles nearly 2.7 million transcriptomes to characterise why some people living with HIV fail to recover immune function despite antiretroviral therapy.
A bioRxiv preprint reports that inhibiting the epigenetic regulator SMCHD1 can reactivate silenced maternal copies of genes in the Prader-Willi syndrome imprinted locus in cellular and animal models.
A PLOS Genetics study identifies an intronic variant in the Ferredoxin Reductase gene that generates a cryptic exon, causing a fatal autosomal recessive neurological disease in Quarter Horses.
A bioRxiv preprint introduces a method using early embryonic markers to screen for meiotic drivers — selfish genetic elements that bias their own transmission through gametogenesis — aiming to make detection more tractable in under-studied organisms.
Analysis of thousands of Japanese genomes reveals evidence for a distinct ancestral component linked to the ancient Emishi people, challenging the long-held dual-origins model of Japanese population history.
A bioRxiv preprint describes sustained preservation of retinal integrity and function following AAV8-delivered PEX1 gene therapy in a murine model of Zellweger spectrum disorder.
A five-laboratory evaluation published as a preprint on bioRxiv finds that an amplification-based Oxford Nanopore workflow can reliably detect clinically relevant variants in genes with architectures that challenge short-read methods.
Genome-wide data from 19 individuals on Hispaniola, including four from the earliest pre-Ceramic Lithic Age occupation, reveal a single ancestry source for early Caribbean populations and affinities to Central and South America.
A PLOS Genetics study finds that articular chondrocytes and skin fibroblasts — two cell types sharing a common developmental origin — accumulate somatic mutations through markedly different processes, with implications for understanding tissue ageing and disease.
A bioRxiv preprint reports that mice lacking both Cry1 and Cry2 circadian clock genes develop spontaneous emphysema-like pathology, linking circadian disruption to alveolar destruction and COPD-like disease.
Using MCPH1-deficient cells that retain compacted interphase chromosomes, researchers find that Xist RNA spreads to A1-sub-compartment-associated peripheral zones, implicating 3D genome organisation in dosage compensation.
Cancer Research UK reports on a laboratory study suggesting cells retain an epigenetic record of past inflammatory episodes, potentially explaining the elevated cancer risk associated with inflammatory bowel conditions.
A bioRxiv preprint develops a general statistical approach to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium inference at X-linked loci, addressing longstanding ambiguities that arise from sex-specific genotype structures and differing assumptions about allele frequency differences between sexes.
A census of the US research marmoset population, co-ordinated through the NIH Marmoset Coordinating Center, uncovers previously uncharacterised genomic diversity and population structure across laboratory colonies.
A bioRxiv preprint presents kinference, a tool designed to identify closely related pairs of individuals for Close-Kin Mark-Recapture analyses, a genomic approach increasingly used to estimate population size and demography in fish and wildlife management.
A bioRxiv preprint drawing on 27,308 participants from the Singapore Chinese Health Study reports genome-wide associations and regulatory mechanisms underlying blood pressure traits in an East Asian cohort.
A bioRxiv preprint investigates how genetic perturbations in meiotic double-strand break repair — particularly involving PRDM9 — cause extensive disruption to spermatogenesis in mammalian models.
A peer-reviewed theoretical study published in PLOS Genetics examines the evolutionary forces that maintain concentrated recombination hotspots across eukaryotes, with implications for understanding genetic diversity and genome stability.
Scientists at the University of Rochester report that transferring a gene responsible for high-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid production from naked mole rats into mice improved their health and extended lifespan in a laboratory model.
Theoretical work on bioRxiv extends population genetic models to describe how a sudden reduction in population size alters the exposure of deleterious recessive alleles to selection and the long-term trajectory of inbreeding depression.
A paper in Nature Medicine reports that Australia has passed legislation preventing life insurers from using genetic test results to discriminate against applicants — a significant regulatory development with implications for genetic testing uptake.
Researchers report that reduced TORC1 activity extends lifespan in the roundworm C. elegans partly by boosting production of dafachronic acid, a bile acid-like steroid hormone, implicating a conserved nuclear hormone receptor pathway.
An opinion piece in STAT News contends that obituary coverage of Craig Venter has reduced a complex institutional history to a misleadingly simple rivalry narrative.
A bioRxiv preprint from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory suggests the ω subunit of bacterial RNA polymerase regulates transcriptional processivity and helps resolve collisions with the replication machinery, challenging its traditional characterisation as a mere assembly chaperone.
A bioRxiv preprint uses rapid protein depletion to demonstrate that the TRMT6/61A methyltransferase complex installs a protective chemical mark on precursor tRNAs before processing, with loss triggering rapid degradation by the exonuclease XRN2.
A preprint on bioRxiv reports a semi-automated screen of nearly 1,000 whole-genome-sequenced worm strains that prioritises thousands of candidate genes influencing sleep behaviour following cellular injury.
A bioRxiv preprint reports that the histone acetyltransferase RTT109 is necessary for the structural integrity of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2-silenced chromatin domains in the model fungus Neurospora crassa, independently of its canonical H3K56 acetylation activity.
Researchers report that the histone acetyltransferase KAT6A is required for normal expression of developmental control genes in neural stem and progenitor cells, with implications for understanding Arboleda-Tham syndrome.
Researchers have developed a new genetic reporter assay in fission yeast that detects gross chromosomal rearrangements, identifying natural hotspots including inverted long terminal repeats.
A Cancer Research UK analysis explores the host genetic, microbial, and environmental factors that determine why gastric adenocarcinoma develops in roughly 1% of people infected with H. pylori.
A review article in Nature Genetics surveys how ancient genomic data have transformed understanding of which genetic variants were favoured by natural selection across human prehistory.
Researchers studying genetic data from diverse African groups, including the Nama people, find evidence that modern humans evolved from multiple interconnected populations rather than a single ancestral source.
About Genetic Current
Genetic Current is the news section of Evagene, an academic, research, and educational pedigree-modelling platform. Stories are AI-drafted summaries of items from trusted public sources, written for researchers, clinicians, educators, students, genealogists, and patients with an interest in genetics. Summaries are for educational and research purposes only and are not medical advice.
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