Mar 23, 2021 11:23 PM
Zombie genes lurch into action in postmortem brain
https://www.genengnews.com/news/zombie-g...tem-brain/
EXCERPT: In the brain, death doesn’t occur all at once, certainly not at the transcriptional level. And it doesn’t happen uniformly. Although the transcription of most genes gradually winds down, the transcription of some genes fades especially quickly, and that of some other genes actually surges, at least for a while.
These differences should be considered whenever gene expression information is derived from postmortem brain tissue. Otherwise, gene expression information might be poorly calibrated, leading to erroneous findings in studies that use postmortem brain tissues to find treatments and potential cures for disorders such as autism, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s disease.
[...] The results of this work appeared March 23 in Science Reports, in an article titled, “Selective time-dependent changes in activity and cell-specific gene expression in human postmortem brain.” (MORE - details)
The weird biology of asexual lizards (interview)
https://knowablemagazine.org/article/liv...al-lizards
INTRO: Many organisms dedicate their entire adult lives to finding a mate and producing offspring. The rhythms of sex govern the actions and choices of so many animals that it seems to be a rule of biology: Sex is important.
But life’s multifariousness yields some exceptions. A small percentage of animals reproduce asexually, though many of these also resort to sex now and then. These asexual outliers have different techniques for reproducing: Some small invertebrates create offspring by budding, growing small versions of themselves that eventually detach; others, like some corals, can divide themselves in two. Some fish species need males around only because they require sperm to kickstart their reproductive process, even though they only rarely incorporate any genetic material from those males.
And then there are the parthenogenetic lizards: entirely female species that produce eggs with no males required. These unusual lizards — there are a few dozen such species — avoid many of the pitfalls of sex.
But asexual reproduction comes with its own problems, as evolutionary biologist Sonal Singhal of California State University, Dominguez Hills, and her colleagues describe in an article about parthenogenesis in the 2020 Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics. By studying these lizards, the researchers hope to understand how parthenogenetic lizards evolved the ability to reproduce asexually, and to uncover hidden truths about biology and sex itself. Singhal spoke with Knowable Magazine about what these exceptions to the rule can teach us. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity... (MORE)
https://www.genengnews.com/news/zombie-g...tem-brain/
EXCERPT: In the brain, death doesn’t occur all at once, certainly not at the transcriptional level. And it doesn’t happen uniformly. Although the transcription of most genes gradually winds down, the transcription of some genes fades especially quickly, and that of some other genes actually surges, at least for a while.
These differences should be considered whenever gene expression information is derived from postmortem brain tissue. Otherwise, gene expression information might be poorly calibrated, leading to erroneous findings in studies that use postmortem brain tissues to find treatments and potential cures for disorders such as autism, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s disease.
[...] The results of this work appeared March 23 in Science Reports, in an article titled, “Selective time-dependent changes in activity and cell-specific gene expression in human postmortem brain.” (MORE - details)
The weird biology of asexual lizards (interview)
https://knowablemagazine.org/article/liv...al-lizards
INTRO: Many organisms dedicate their entire adult lives to finding a mate and producing offspring. The rhythms of sex govern the actions and choices of so many animals that it seems to be a rule of biology: Sex is important.
But life’s multifariousness yields some exceptions. A small percentage of animals reproduce asexually, though many of these also resort to sex now and then. These asexual outliers have different techniques for reproducing: Some small invertebrates create offspring by budding, growing small versions of themselves that eventually detach; others, like some corals, can divide themselves in two. Some fish species need males around only because they require sperm to kickstart their reproductive process, even though they only rarely incorporate any genetic material from those males.
And then there are the parthenogenetic lizards: entirely female species that produce eggs with no males required. These unusual lizards — there are a few dozen such species — avoid many of the pitfalls of sex.
But asexual reproduction comes with its own problems, as evolutionary biologist Sonal Singhal of California State University, Dominguez Hills, and her colleagues describe in an article about parthenogenesis in the 2020 Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics. By studying these lizards, the researchers hope to understand how parthenogenetic lizards evolved the ability to reproduce asexually, and to uncover hidden truths about biology and sex itself. Singhal spoke with Knowable Magazine about what these exceptions to the rule can teach us. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity... (MORE)