Don’t need much sleep? Mutation linked to thriving with little rest

 A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has identified a genetic mutation linked to people who naturally require very little sleep without suffering negative effects. These “naturally short sleepers” function well on just three to six hours of sleep per night, compared to the typical eight. Led by neuroscientist Ying-Hui Fu at the University of California, San Francisco, the research highlights a mutation in the gene SIK3, which may play a role in reducing sleep needs by supporting brain homeostasis—a process thought to help reset the brain during sleep.

Fu’s team first began studying short sleepers in the 2000s, identifying a mutation in the circadian rhythm gene of a mother and daughter. Since then, they’ve discovered five mutations across four genes associated with this trait. In the most recent study, they introduced the SIK3 mutation into mice, which then required about 31 minutes less sleep per day and showed heightened enzyme activity at brain synapses.

Although this mutation alone doesn’t cause drastic reductions in sleep need, it adds to a growing understanding of the genetic basis of sleep. Researchers hope these findings could eventually lead to treatments for sleep disorders or new insights into how sleep is regulated in the human brain.

Who Owns Your DNA?

In recent years, DNA testing kits have been becoming increasingly popular. Companies like 23andMe, AncestryDNA, and MyHeritage have made it very easy to learn about your ancestry, health risks, and even quirky genetic traits. But while mailing off your saliva might seem harmless, the big question that a lot of people forget to ask is what actually happens to your DNA after the test is done? When you agree to these tests, you're often agreeing to let these companies store your genetic data and potentially even sell it.

 

Unlike a password or a credit card number, you can’t change your genetic code if it’s leaked or stolen. In the wrong hands, this information could potentially be used by insurance companies, employers, or even law enforcement in ways you didn’t expect. While laws like the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act protect against some misuse, those laws don’t cover everything, and they don’t stop private companies from doing questionable things with your genetic information. 

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/16/5-biggest-risks-of-sharing-dna-with-consumer-genetic-testing-companies.html

https://www.ashg.org/advocacy/gina/

Ancient Jellies, Modern Tricks: How Sea Blobs Beat Us to DNA Mastery

     Scientists recently discovered that even super simple sea creatures called comb jellies have a surprisingly advanced way of controlling their genes. This method, known as distal gene regulation, lets parts of DNA that are far apart loop around and interact, like sending messages across long distances. These loops help control which genes turn on or off, and when. What’s really surprising is that comb jellies don’t use the same proteins humans and other animals use for this process—they’ve got their own unique way of doing it. This means that this complex gene control system evolved way earlier than scientists thought—like over 650 million years ago.

    This discovery is a huge deal because it shows that the ability to tightly control gene activity isn’t just something that showed up in more modern or complex animals. It was already happening way back in early animals, helping them grow different types of cells and body structures. Understanding how these ancient systems work could even help us learn more about our own DNA and how it affects health, development, and disease today.

Plants Need First Aid Too

         Plants get injured just like humans, but don't have the ability to heal themselves as efficiently as we do, that was until recent discoveries. Researchers discovered a way to help plants recover from damage by using a pure form of cellulose that acts like a band aid. Bacterial cellulose is commonly used in human medicine to help treat wounds and burns. Núria Sánchez Coll, a plant biologists and her team started testing patches that were made up of not only bacterial cellulose but also silver nanoparticles, which served as a antimicrobial agent while helping the plants heal. As they observed the healing process, they noticed that the plants treated with the cellulose and silver nanoparticles were healing faster and more efficiently than expected. The researchers wanted to better understand molecular process of this so they made small cuts on the leaves of  Nicotiana benthamiana and Arabidopsis thaliana, placing cellulose bandages on half of them. The results after a week were that 80% of wounds were almost fully healed while the untreated wounds were still clearly damaged. The patches not only healed the plants wounds but also kept the plants more hydrated. Plant hormones that were likely produced by bacteria were found in the bacterial cellulose, this could be why the plants responded so well to the treatment even after patches were sterilized. Scientists think that the bacterial cellulose activated a new set of genes - it shut down some of the genes that are normally used for healing and switched on other genes that help the plant fight infections. 

    I thought this article was very interesting because it showed how scientists were able to use bacteria cellulose -  something thats already used in human medicine - to help plants heal more efficiently. I never thought about how when plants get damaged it usually takes a very long time for them to heal compared to animals and humans, mostly because plants don't have specialized cells that move as quickly to repair wounds. It's amazing that the researchers basically created a band aid for plants out of natural materials. I also learned that bacterial cellulose contains plant hormones that affect which genes are activated in the healing process. I think these plant band-aids would be very helpful in the agriculture industry, especially if they work well outside of lab conditions. This article just shows how scientific ideas that are used in one industry could be applied in another. 

AI-designed DNA Controls Genes in Mammalian Cells For the First Time

    A study carried out at the Centre for Genomic Regulation(CGR) in Barcelona, had recently discovered the first reported instance of generative AI designing synthetic molecules that can successfully control gene expression in healthy mammalian cells. The model can be told to create synthetic fragments of DNA with custom criteria, and then predict which combination of nucleotides (A, T, C, G) are needed for the gene expression patterns required in specific types of cells. Researchers then chemically synthesized roughly 250 nucleotide DNA fragments and then add them to a virus, which will then carry the modified DNA into a desired cell. 

    For proof that the AI modification was successful, researchers asked the AI to design synthetic fragments that activate a gene coding for a fluorescent protein in certain cells while leaving other gene expression patterns untouched. They created the desired fragments from scratch and transferred them into a mouse's genome, where the modified sequence fused with the mouse's genome in random places. The results of this study could be used to find new ways for gene therapy developers to boost or weaken the activity of genes in certain cells or tissues. This use of AI can also be used to find alter a person's genes and make treatments more effective and reduce side effects. This concept hasn't been tested yet, but researchers intend to start investigating this soon. AI-generated enhancers can help engineer ultra-selective switches that can be designed to have specific on/off patterns required in specific types of cells. A level of accuracy which is crucial for creating therapies that avoid unintended effects in healthy cells.

Universal Antivenom may be Created in an Unusual Way

 A man has been getting bit by venomous snakes from all over the world for around 18 years to create a universal antivenom. This man is Tim Friede and he has been injected with over 650 doses of venom from over 15 of the most venomous snakes in the world. His hope is to slowly build immunity to create antibodies to neutralize the effects of venom. Scientists say that Friede's blood has in fact already started to produce antibodies that can neutralize snake venom. As crazy as this sounds Friede is trying his best to save people all over the world as venomous snakes cause around 120,000 deaths per year. With the creation of a universal antivenom that would allow for doctors to not have to worry about the identification of the snake and get the antivenom injected immediately. With a universal antivenom, thousands of lives could be saved every year.

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Research

Plants That Smell Like Rotting Flesh?

A recent change in several plants' genetics has caused them to give off a very putrid odor. This new change makes the plants smell of rotting flesh to attract flies and pollinate them. Scientists in Japan duplicated the gene SBP1 and mutated a few Amino Acids in the gene's enzyme. The SBP1 gene makes a specific enzyme to help break down methanethiol, the compound responsible for bad breath in humans. However, the mutated enzymes in the plants combine two methanethiol molecules, making the smell ten times worse. 

The thought of plants smelling like rotting flesh is disgusting, but it's very interesting to see how easily genes can be manipulated. For example, poppy plants have evolved the ability to produce morphine. I'm curious to see what scientists will try to do next in the plant world.

The Hospital Bacteria that can Break Down Plastic

 The bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is usually an opportunist bacteria that causes infection in patients. Researchers from the United Kingdom took a culture of P. aeruginosa from a wound and found an enzyme that was able to break down a plastic that is commonly used in hospitals. They called this enzyme Pap1, which is the only enzyme not from environmental bacteria that has the ability to break down polycaprolactone plastic. To further study this new enzyme they inserted the gene that codes for the enzyme into E. coli to test its isolated properties. The conclusion being that the E. coli was also able to break down the PCL plastic along with plastic beads. On the other hand the P. aeruginos without the enzyme was no longer able to break down the plastics. This is a scare for the medical world as the combination of degrading plastic with a bacteria that can cause infections creates complications with sterilization. With this new founding aseptic techniques may need to be updated in order to combat this enzyme.