Yang Wu, Meng Wu, Yukun Tian, Hao Chen, Xizhe Sun, Chukang Ma, Jiayao Liu, Fuyu Xia, Yu Liu, Xiaomeng Pei, Jing Wang, Guogang Zhao, Nan Wang, Fangfang Wang, Qing Liu, Fei Yu, Xiaofei Fan, Zehe Wang, Elena Ermilova, Jon S West, Qi Cheng
{"title":"Feature Cover: Light-Activated Nucleic Acid Amplification Systems Using Photo-Caged DNA Polymerase or Primers (Advanced Genetics 2/07).","authors":"Yang Wu, Meng Wu, Yukun Tian, Hao Chen, Xizhe Sun, Chukang Ma, Jiayao Liu, Fuyu Xia, Yu Liu, Xiaomeng Pei, Jing Wang, Guogang Zhao, Nan Wang, Fangfang Wang, Qing Liu, Fei Yu, Xiaofei Fan, Zehe Wang, Elena Ermilova, Jon S West, Qi Cheng","doi":"10.1002/ggn2.70039","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ggn2.70039","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Light-Activated Nucleic Acid Amplification: Making Molecular Diagnostics \"Start on Light\" The cover artwork illustrates a light-triggered nucleic acid amplification platform in which dormant photo-caged DNA polymerases or primers are rapidly activated by 365 nm UV illumination. The transition from darkness to glowing activation symbolizes precise spatiotemporal control over molecular diagnostics. Flowing DNA structures and illuminated reaction pathways represent synchronized amplification with low background and high sensitivity. The highlighted polymerase and primer motifs reflect the dual photocaging strategies developed in this work, while icons representing RAA, Taq PCR, and Pfu PCR emphasize the platform's broad compatibility across amplification systems. At the base, an integrated portable fluorescence device signifies the seamless combination of UV activation and real-time detection, underscoring the potential of programmable, field-deployable molecular diagnostics and next-generation intelligent biosensing technologies.</p>","PeriodicalId":72071,"journal":{"name":"Advanced genetics (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":"7 2","pages":"70039"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13374819/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148474534","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yang Wu, Meng Wu, Yukun Tian, Hao Chen, Xizhe Sun, Chukang Ma, Jiayao Liu, Fuyu Xia, Yu Liu, Xiaomeng Pei, Jing Wang, Guogang Zhao, Nan Wang, Fangfang Wang, Qing Liu, Fei Yu, Xiaofei Fan, Zehe Wang, Elena Ermilova, Jon S West, Qi Cheng
{"title":"Light-Activated Nucleic Acid Amplification Systems Using Photo-Caged DNA Polymerase or Primers.","authors":"Yang Wu, Meng Wu, Yukun Tian, Hao Chen, Xizhe Sun, Chukang Ma, Jiayao Liu, Fuyu Xia, Yu Liu, Xiaomeng Pei, Jing Wang, Guogang Zhao, Nan Wang, Fangfang Wang, Qing Liu, Fei Yu, Xiaofei Fan, Zehe Wang, Elena Ermilova, Jon S West, Qi Cheng","doi":"10.1002/ggn2.202500055","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ggn2.202500055","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Precise control over nucleic acid amplification is essential for achieving reliable, quantitative, high-throughput, and multiplexed molecular diagnostics, particularly in point-of-care and field settings. However, conventional isothermal amplification methods, especially rapid assays at ambient temperature such as recombinase-aided amplification (RAA), suffer from spontaneous initiation and lack of synchronization across parallel reactions. Here, light-activatable RAA systems employing two photocaging strategies to achieve spatiotemporal control are reported. In the first, a photocaged DNA polymerase is engineered via site-specific incorporation of p-azido-L-phenylalanine and conjugation with a 2-nitrobenzyl-modified ssDNA blocker through click chemistry. This approach offers high stability, making it advantageous for long-term storage and lyophilized formats. In the second, 6-nitropiperonyloxymethyl-modified primers are synthesized to block hybridization or extension until UV activation, offering operational simplicity and rapid integration into existing workflows. Both strategies independently suppressed background activity in the dark and restored full amplification efficiency upon exposure at 365 nm. The systems exhibited high sensitivity, low background, and compatibility with portable diagnostics. A custom-built device integrating UV activation and real-time fluorescence detection enabled seamless, on-demand operation. This modular platform provides flexible light-gated amplification solutions, allowing the selection of polymerase- or primer-based caging according to storage stability or workflow requirements, thereby advancing precise and field-ready molecular diagnostics.</p>","PeriodicalId":72071,"journal":{"name":"Advanced genetics (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":"7 2","pages":"e00055"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13374820/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148474512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Madiha Khalid, Muhammad Mukhtar, Muhammad Saqlain, Abdul Sami, Shahid Mehmood Baig, Amber Nawaz, Sadaf Moeez, Ch Muhammad Fahim Ayaz, Tahzeeb Fatima, Farah Fatima, Janghoo Lim, Muhammad Nawaz, Ghazala Kaukab Raja
{"title":"Locus-Specific Genetic Associations at the <i>DAOA</i> Gene in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder.","authors":"Madiha Khalid, Muhammad Mukhtar, Muhammad Saqlain, Abdul Sami, Shahid Mehmood Baig, Amber Nawaz, Sadaf Moeez, Ch Muhammad Fahim Ayaz, Tahzeeb Fatima, Farah Fatima, Janghoo Lim, Muhammad Nawaz, Ghazala Kaukab Raja","doi":"10.1002/ggn2.202500064","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ggn2.202500064","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>DAOA</i> gene has been implicated in both schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD), where genetic variants were associated with each disorder individually. However, the common variants shared between SZ and BD within this gene remain underexplored. The current study investigates locus-specific genetic variants with a focus on <i>DAOA</i>. A total of 120 BD and 200 SZ patients, along with equal numbers of age- and sex-matched controls from the Pakistani population, were included for genotyping, risk association analysis, haplotype, genotype-phenotype analysis, and clinical correlations. The <i>DAOA</i> SNP rs2391191 (G/A) showed a nominal association with both SZ and BD. In contrast, rs1935062 showed no association with either disorder, but genotype-phenotype analysis indicated nominal associations with disorder-specific clinical features, such as insomnia and disorganized thoughts in BD, and restricted mood and feelings of threat in SZ patients. Our findings suggest locus-specific associations for SZ and BD at the <i>DAOA</i> locus; however, due to the limited sample size, these findings should be considered exploratory and require further validation in larger cohorts. Further, patterns of allele frequencies and effect sizes diverge from several European studies and global reports, highlighting the population-specific genetic architecture and allelic heterogeneity.</p>","PeriodicalId":72071,"journal":{"name":"Advanced genetics (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":"7 ","pages":"e00064"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13374824/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148474487","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Weiwei Guo, Ying Shi, Shanshan Wu, Hong Yang, Anqi Lin, Peng Luo
{"title":"Front Cover: PDMSA: A Web-Based Tool for Pan-Cancer Survival Analysis Using DNA Methylation Levels as Biomarkers (Advanced Genetics 2/07)","authors":"Weiwei Guo, Ying Shi, Shanshan Wu, Hong Yang, Anqi Lin, Peng Luo","doi":"10.1002/ggn2.70036","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ggn2.70036","url":null,"abstract":"<p><b>PDMSA: A Pan-Cancer Survival Analysis Web Tool</b></p><p>The cover art, illustrating the work of Guo et al. (article e00069), presents a cherry blossom tree as a metaphor for data-driven precision oncology. The divided background contrasts favorable prognosis (moonlit upper right) with poor survival outcomes (darkened lower quadrants), encoding the prognostic stratification central to PDMSA. DNA double helices embedded within the blossoms symbolize methylation-driven cancer regulation, while the root system of flowing binary code reflects the large-scale genomic data foundation. Data cubes inscribed with TCGA, GEO, and PDMSA represent the multi-database integration encompassing over 16 million records across 39 cancer types. Ascending staircases reference Kaplan-Meier survival curve architecture. Access PDMSA at robinl-lab.com/PDMSA.\u0000\u0000 <figure>\u0000 <div><picture>\u0000 <source></source></picture><p></p>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </figure></p>","PeriodicalId":72071,"journal":{"name":"Advanced genetics (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":"7 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13052137/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147635279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}