GoKawiil‘Partial reprogramming’, which winds back a cell’s biological clock, could enter clinical trials later this year. Plus, a single DNA tweak can make female mice grow testes and why obesity drugs are more effective in some people than others.
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Small changes to the non-coding genome can alter whether a mouse embryo (pictured here at 9.5 days old) develops male or female sex organs.Credit: Sinclair Stammers/SPL
A single DNA tweak in a non-coding region of the X chromosome called enhancer 13 (En13) can trigger ‘sex reversal’ in female mouse embryos. Researchers found that a modification to En13 caused female mice to develop male genitals and small testes, but En13 had to be altered on both copies of the X chromosome for the change to occur. The team suggests that En13, which is also present in people, is a site where a ‘battle of the sexes’ plays out.
Nature | 4 min read
Reference: Nature Communications paper
NASA’s Artemis II Moon mission is also a success for the European Space Agency (ESA) — the propulsion and life-support systems in the Orion spacecraft were built by European aerospace company Airbus on behalf of ESA. Airbus has already produced similar modules for the upcoming Artemis III and IV missions, which researchers hope is a sign that NASA will continue to collaborate internationally. The ESA is also considering certification of its own rocket for human spaceflight, but has no immediate plans to develop a launcher with enough power to travel to the Moon independently, says Didier Schmitt, head of the ESA’s future preparation team.
Nature | 5 min read
A set of genetic variants could help to explain why obesity drugs are more effective or cause more severe side effects in some people than others. Researchers found that people carrying one or two copies of a specific variant in the gene encoding the receptor for glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) — the hormone that many obesity drugs mimic — lost more weight during treatment than those with none. They also found two gene variants near the gene encoding the GLP-1 receptor that were linked to a higher chance of the drugs causing nausea and vomiting.
Nature | 4 min read
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