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Gene expression altered by direction of forces acting on cell

September 29, 2020

Tissues and cells in the human body are subjected to a constant push and pull – strained by other cells, blood pressure and fluid flow, to name a few. The type and direction of the force on a cell alters gene expression by stretching different regions of DNA, researchers at Illinois and collaborators in China found in a new study.

The findings could provide insights into physiology and diseases such as fibrosis, cardiovascular disease and malignant cancer, the researchers said.


September 29, 2020


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Physical force alone spurs gene expression

April 3, 2020

Cells will ramp up gene expression in response to physical forces alone, a new study finds. Gene activation, the first step of protein production, starts less than one millisecond after a cell is stretched - hundreds of times faster than chemical signals can travel, the researchers report.

The scientists tested forces that are biologically relevant - equivalent to those exerted on human cells by breathing, exercising or vocalizing. They report their findings in the journal Science Advances.


April 3, 2020


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Novel chip-based gene expression tool analyzes RNA quickly and accurately

January 16, 2018

A University of Illinois and Mayo collaboration has demonstrated a novel gene expression analysis technique that can accurately measure levels of RNA quickly and directly from a cancerous tissue sample while preserving the spatial information across the tissue —something that conventional methods cannot do. The team's gene expression technique is described in a paper published today in the online edition of Nature Communications.


January 16, 2018


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