Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Content

Among the Academies: Defining Biology’s Systems

Jose Antonio Vadi — September 24, 2024 - 12:57pm

Our daily life consists of a science invisible to the naked eye. Think of how molecules come together to form tiny machines within different parts of our bodies, like how the neural networks of our brains are a product of neurons coming together and sending digital signals with other bodily functions.

How do we model the forces of nature that we cannot see but that are indispensable to our everyday life?

Protein Integral to Sperm Development and Male Fertility Identified

Andy Fell — February 21, 2024 - 3:20pm

Early in the development of sperm, a strange event happens: the X and Y chromosomes condense into tight packages and are sequestered away from the other 44 human chromosomes. If any part of this process goes awry, the cells cannot mature into sperm. Researchers in the 51�ԹϺ�� Davis College of Biological Sciences have now identified an important link in this process — a little-known protein called ATF7IP2.

Researchers Identify Protein Linked to Metastasis in Pancreatic Cancer

Andy Fell — February 02, 2024 - 9:00am

Pancreatic cancer is the No. 3 cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, and only 12% of patients survive five years after being diagnosed. Severe pancreatic cancer is associated with metastasis, and it is this spread of secondary tumors that usually causes death, but little is known about the molecular mechanisms that drive metastasis.

Experiments in Yeast Hint at Possible Origins of Cancer and Autism

Andy Fell — October 24, 2023 - 4:51pm

Cancer often starts with the reshuffling of DNA—akin to scrambling the pages of a dictionary. Exactly how this happens has long been a mystery. But researchers in the 51�ԹϺ�� Davis College of Biological Sciences have now arrived at one promising explanation.

Understanding Why BRCA2 Is Linked to Cancer Risk

Andy Fell — April 03, 2023 - 10:00am

A new study shows exactly how the gene BRCA2, linked to susceptibility to breast and ovarian cancer, functions to repair damaged DNA. By studying BRCA2 at the level of single molecules, researchers at the University of California, Davis, have generated new insights into the mechanisms of DNA repair and the origins of cancer. The work was published the week of March 27 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.