Latest Chromosome Stories
NHGRI-supported researchers streamline DNA sequencing strategies to find rare disease genes quicklyUsing a new, rapid and less expensive DNA sequencing strategy, scientists have discovered genetic alterations that account for most cases of Kabuki syndrome, a rare disorder that causes multiple birth defects and mental retardation. Instead of sequencing the entire human genome, the new approach sequences just the exome, the 1-2 percent of the human genome that contains protein-coding...
PHILADELPHIA, July 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --A genetics research team based at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia continues to discover recurrent translocations--places in which two chromosomes exchange pieces of themselves. As many as 1 in 600 persons carry balanced chromosome translocations, which involve no loss or gain of DNA. Most such people appear healthy, but may have a child with abnormal chromosome composition and disabilities resulting from disrupted, extra or missing...
Fast-growing farm-raised salmon and trout that are sterile can now be produced using a method developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists. Blocking reproduction can enhance growth, and is important for fish being reared in situations where reproduction is undesirable.The method allows researchers to more efficiently and reliably produce fish that have three sets of chromosomes, instead of the usual two sets. Fish with the extra set of chromosomes can't reproduce, so the energy...
SEATTLE, July 21 /PRNewswire/ -- A Seattle-area mother and her four-month-old daughter represent a tiny number of births nationwide - perhaps among the first three- using a technology that could be the next major advancement in reducing multiple miscarriages. Sheila Gruber, 34, of Duval, had suffered two consecutive miscarriages prior to undergoing a form of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryonic analysis that allows geneticists to examine about one-fourth of the entire human genome -...
Although clubfoot is one of the most common congenital birth defects, few genetic causes have been found. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found what they believe to be the most common cause of inherited clubfoot yet discovered.By performing a routine genetic screening on 66 patients with an inherited form of clubfoot, Christina Gurnett, MD, PhD, a Washington University pediatric geneticist and neurologist at St. Louis Children's Hospital, and her...
Researchers from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, and the Max-Planck Institute of Immunobiology Freiburg have identified a novel protein complex that regulates around 4000 genes in the fruit fly Drosophila and likely plays an important role in mammals, too. Published today in Molecular Cell, their findings explain how another regulatory protein can lead a double life."This new complex seems to be one of the major regulatory complexes both in Drosophila...
Y chromosome linked to fatal aneurysmResearch currently being undertaken at the University of Leicester may identify reasons underlying an increased risk of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAA) in men.In her doctoral study, Cardiovascular Sciences student Lisa Bloomer is looking into the causes of the male predominance of AAA, with a particular emphasis on genetic basis of the disease. Preliminary results from the study will be showcased at the University of Leicester's Festival of Postgraduate...
Nuclear pores are the primary gatekeepers mediating communication between a cell's nucleus and its cytoplasm. Recently these large multiprotein transport channels have also been shown to play an essential role in developmental gene regulation. Despite the critical role in nuclear function, however, nuclear pore complexes remain somewhat shadowy figures, with many details about their formation shrouded in mystery.Now a team of investigators from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies has...
Many tumor cells would not be viable due to aberrant chromosome distribution if they had not developed a special trick. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center have investigated which genes are responsible for this survival strategy of cancer cells. The revealed that cancer cells rely on the tension of specific protein fibers to be able to multiply. Thus, proteins which maintain this tension are promising targets for new, target-specific anticancer drugs: If they are switched off,...
Whitehead Institute researchers have determined a key part of how cells regulate the chromosome/microtubule interface, which is central to proper chromosomal distribution during cell division."This is the surveillance machinery that makes sure that the chromosomes are divided correctly between cells," says Whitehead Member Iain Cheeseman.The findings are published in this week's issue of Molecular Cell.During cell division, the cell's DNA is consolidated into X-shaped chromosome...
