A research group led by Tamal Das, Associate Professor, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Hyderabad, studied how the cellular environment influences mitochondrial positioning, impacting cellular identity. Their research sheds light on cellular adaptation mechanisms and offers potential therapeutic interventions for diseases characterised by abnormal tissue stiffness, such as cancer and fibrosis.

A recent collaborative study led by Giriraj R Chandak, CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, examined height differences among children in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared to high-income countries (HICs). They discovered that besides genetic factors, epigenetic modifications, particularly in the SOCS3 gene, significantly influence height, showing potential implications for childhood interventions to reduce future non-communicable disease risks.

A recent study by researchers at the National Institute of Immunology (NII), New Delhi, led by Arnab Mukhopadhyay, used C. elegans to show how damage to somatic tissues in the body can influence the development of reproductive cells—particularly eggs. They found that DNA damage signals from uterine tissue can stop egg cell formation through a key FOXO transcription factor, which is a highly conserved protein across different organisms.

A team of researchers at the Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB), Faridabad created a mouse model with a deleted MYH3 gene to study congenital musculoskeletal disorders. They found that the loss of this gene led to traits resembling spondylocarpotarsal synostosis syndrome (SCTS) in adult mice, shedding light on MYH3-associated conditions. This work holds promise for understanding rare genetic disorders.

A team of researchers from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata and IISER Pune engineered a lipopeptide-based siRNA transporter, ensuring that siRNAs could efficiently enter the cytoplasm of the cells in functional form and perform gene silencing.

A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, have identified a key determinant motif in the G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that facilitates its interaction with β-arrestins. The study provides crucial insights into the complex mechanism, opening new avenues for therapeutic interventions and advancing our understanding of GPCR-mediated signalling.

A team of scientists from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru, has discovered that mutations not only provide genetic variation but also actively influence evolution, aiding organisms in adapting to new environments. Their study on E. coli revealed that altering mutation biases can lead to a greater number of beneficial mutations, providing new insights into evolution.