New study shows transmission of epigenetic memory across multiple generations

Phys.org  September 26, 2022 Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have shown how a common type of epigenetic modification can be transmitted via sperm not only from parents to offspring, but to the next generation (“grand offspring”) as well. This “transgenerational epigenetic inheritance,” may explain how a person’s health and development could be influenced by the experiences of his or her parents and grandparents. They focused on epigenetic mark (called H3K27me3) in C. elegans. This mark is known to turn off or “repress” the affected genes. They selectively stripped the histone mark from the chromosomes of C. elegans sperm, which were […]

3 Billion Bases of Our DNA: First Complete, Gapless Sequence of a Human Genome

SciTech Daily  April 17, 2022 According to researchers, having a complete, gap-free sequence of the roughly 3 billion bases (or “letters”) in our DNA is critical for understanding the full spectrum of human genomic variation and for understanding the genetic contributions to certain diseases. The work was done by the Telomere to Telomere (T2T) consortium, which included leadership from researchers at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health. These studies provide more accurate information about the genomic variants within 622 medically relevant genes…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE

Machine learning identifies antibiotic resistant bacteria that can spread between animals, humans and environment

Phys.org  April 20, 2022 An international team of researchers (China, UK) studied antimicrobial resistance gene overlap between E. coli isolates collected from humans, livestock and their shared environments in a large-scale Chinese poultry farm and associated slaughterhouse. By using a computational approach that integrates machine learning, whole-genome sequencing, gene sharing network and mobile genetic elements analysis they characterized the E. coli community structure, antimicrobial resistance phenotypes and the genetic relatedness of non-pathogenic and pathogenic E. coli strains. They uncovered the network of genes, associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR), shared across host species (animals and workers) and environments (farm and slaughterhouse). […]

Earth BioGenome Project begins genome sequencing in earnest

Science Daily  January 17, 2022 The Earth BioGenome Project, or EBP was launched in November 2018 to provide a complete DNA sequence catalog of all 1.8 million named species of plants, animals, and fungi as well as eukaryotes. The project functions as an international network of networks, coordinating numerous group-specific, regional, and national-scale efforts. The first two years of the EBP represented the startup phase. The goal for phase 1, through 2023, is to produce reference genomes representing about 9,400 taxonomic families. In addition to the International Scientific Committee, which develops standards for the project, the EBP has also formed […]