The discovery will have a big impact on human protection against toxins because people have combatted various toxins made by other organisms, including cholera or anthrax bacteria, but there wasn’t clear information about toxin resistance until these findings.

“We’re interested in understanding how genomic variation leads to differences between individuals, so in this study, we’re looking at the most basic biological mechanisms underlying resistance to toxins in simple organisms, such as yeast,” said Meru Sadhu, Ph.D., an investigator in the Genetic Disease Research Branch at NHGRI and senior author of the study, in an NIH news release. “An important way that organisms vary is in how much they’re affected by toxins.”

NIH researchers determined the KTD1 gene provides resistance to the K28 toxin.

“This gene has never been studied before,” said Sadhu. “Identifying this gene is the first step to fully understanding what is happening on the molecular level.”

Researchers exposed different non-infected yeast to the K28 toxin to find out how these non-infected yeast resist the toxin.

“Those unaffected by the toxin were classified as highly resistant and the affected ones as sensitive,” said the NIH in their news release.

After that, the NIH says researchers compared the genomes of resistant versus sensitive yeast. This allowed them to identify which genes cause some yeast to be resistant.

the KTD1 protein may be involved in capturing the toxin in the vacuole, according to the hypothesis from NIH researchers.

Click here to read more about the findings.

The post NIH researchers identified a gene that makes yeast resistant to a lethal toxin appeared first on Science News Watch.

2021 covered the pandemic timeframe when many students experienced changes in home life and schooling, including some adapting to the hybrid model of in-person and online learning. The CDC’s new report also confirmed ongoing and extreme distress among LGBQ+ teens, who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or questioning.

The CDC also reported the following data statistics:

• Nearly 1 in 3 (30%) seriously considered attempting suicide—up nearly 60% from a decade ago.
• 1 in 5 (18%) experienced sexual violence in the past year—up 20% since 2017, when CDC started monitoring this measure.
• More than 1 in 10 (14%) had ever been forced to have sex—up 27% since 2019 and the first increase since CDC began monitoring this measure.

“Young people are experiencing a level of distress that calls on us to act with urgency and compassion,” said CDC Division of Adolescent and School Health Director Kathleen Ethier, Ph.D, in their release this month. “With the right programs and services in place, schools have the unique ability to help our youth flourish.”

Dial 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline:
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health-related issue or in need of crisis support, call or text 988. You can also chat with someone confidentially and free without any charge at 988lifeline.org.

988 is available 24/7/365.

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