COVID-19 Infections May Reshape Genetic Landscape

COVID-19 Infections May Reshape Genetic Landscape

Chromatin is folded into compartments, loops, and domains. It has two types of compartments; A and B. The A compartment has active genes and the B compartment silenced genes. The two are separate.
However, infected lung cells show a mingling of the compartments. These genes are activated in response to viral infection. This could explain why infected patients release fewer interferons than in other viral infections.
The infected cells have depleted cohesin proteins. This results in loosely folded domains that are not activated. This is a manipulation that may make the virus interfere with cellular defenses.
Infected …

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Silent Mutations Make Noise In Cancer

Silent Mutations Make Noise In Cancer

The impact of synonymous mutations in cancer has been overlooked for a long time. However, recent research shows their significance in various biological processes.
One way in which these mutations have an effect is by altering regulatory proteins to DNA. The amino acid remains unchanged but these mutations can disrupt the specific sequences required for accurate interactions.
Synonymous mutations impact splicing patterns by binding sites for the splicing proteins. This alteration can lead to the omission of critical DNA segments. In a severe form of cancer, a mutation was found to interfere with the splicing.

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