editors’ picks

Individuals born with a rare gene mutation that leads to a nonfunctional sodium channel Nav1.7 are unable to feel pain. Although previous attempts to develop an analgesic drug by blocking Nav1.7 have been largely unsuccessful, researchers at University College London discovered recently that Nav1.7-deficient humans and transgenic mice had elevated levels of opioid peptides. These opioids likely contribute to the painlessness and elucidate a potential analgesic approach that combines specific sodium channel blockade with a low dose of opioids.

The CRISPR-Cas9 system has been making major waves in the field of gene editing for some time now. Now, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have shown that not only is this gene-editing tool transforming the field of basic science research, but it can have a great impact on genetic studies in more exotic organisms like slime mold and octopi.

The CRISPR-Cas9 technology is a powerful system for genome editing. It works by making targeted modifications to DNA. Guided by short RNAs known as CRISPR RNA or crRNA, the Cas9 protein is targeted to a specific sequence that is complementary to the crRNA sequence. Cas9 is highly efficient at cleaving at its target site. However, off-target cleavage, that is, binding to and cutting sites that are not fully complementary to the guide RNA, is a major drawback of the system.

The CRISPR-Cas9 technology is a powerful system for genome editing. It works by making targeted modifications to DNA. Guided by short RNAs known as CRISPR RNA or crRNA, the Cas9 protein is targeted to a specific sequence that is complementary to the crRNA sequence. Cas9 is highly efficient at cleaving at its target site. However, off-target cleavage, that is, binding to and cutting sites that are not fully complementary to the guide RNA, is a major drawback of the system.

A garden book might note a columbine’s delicate leaves and gracefully nodding flowers, but at least one species, Aquilegia eximia, has been shown to have a trick or two up its sepal.

If you’re undergoing surgery for esophageal cancer, you may want to schedule it for a Monday or Tuesday. Researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden found that patients who undergo esophageal cancer surgery early in the week have a greater chance of long-term survival than those who have surgery at the end of the week. These findings were recently published in the journal Annals of Surgery.

Contrary to conventional belief, having a “bird brain” may not be a bad thing — at least for identifying cancer on radiology images. A recent study from the University of Iowa and the University of California (UC) Davis, showed that trained pigeons performed as well as humans in identifying benign and malignant breast tissue on digitized slides and mammograms. The results help elucidate how physicians process visual cues on diagnostic images and highlight pigeons’ ability to interpret complex visual images.

Why is cancer so rare in elephants? Scientists have observed this for decades, yet the explanation has eluded them until recently. Researchers at the University of Utah’s Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) and Arizona State University discovered elephants have extra copies of genes encoding p53, a tumor suppressor, and more robust apoptosis (programmed cell death) of damaged cells that may lead to cancer. According to the authors, these findings may aid future development of anti-cancer therapies in humans.

Scientists have discovered that a protein commonly associated with malaria could one day lead to the cure for cancer. Found quite by accident, by researchers at the University of British Columbia and the University of Copenhagen studying why pregnant women are more susceptible to malaria, this protein binds to a particular type of sugar molecule that is found in the placenta and is prevalent in a high proportion of cancers. The researchers were not surprised by this finding, since cancers and the placenta both grow rapidly, often at the expense of other tissues.

Crows have been shown to associate dead bodies of their own kind with danger, and are also known to remember the faces of individual humans who have threatened them.