Latest X chromosome Stories
Two new studies offer insight into sex chromosome evolution by focusing on papaya, a multimillion dollar crop plant with a sexual problem (as far as growers are concerned) and a complicated past. The findings are described in two papers in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research reveals that the papaya sex chromosomes have undergone dramatic changes in their short evolutionary histories (they are about 7 million years old; by comparison, human sex chromosomes...
The study, published yesterday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), looked at how genes on sex-linked chromosomes are passed down generations and linked to fertility, using the specific example of the W chromosome in female chickens. The results confirm that although these chromosomes have shrunk over millions of years, and have lost many of their original genes, those that remain are extremely important in predicting fertility and are, therefore, unlikely...
NEW HAVEN, Conn., May 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- JS Genetics announces the availability of XCAT-KS, its proprietary buccal swab test for the diagnosis of Klinefelter syndrome (KS) and other male sex chromosome aneuploidies. Klinefelter syndrome, a condition in which males have an extra X chromosome, is one of the most common genetic abnormalities in males. It is estimated that about one in every 500 males has an extra X chromosome. Klinefelter syndrome can affect physical development...
Findings provide tools for better understanding of the human genome Chromosomes are strands of DNA that contain the blueprint of all living organisms. Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes that instruct how genes are regulated during development of the human body. While scientists have developed an understanding of the one-dimensional structure of DNA, until today, little was known about how different parts of DNA are folded next to each other inside the nucleus. Using a powerful DNA...
A chromosomal abnormality in children with a deadly form of brain cancer is linked with a poorer chance of survival, clinician scientists at The University of Nottingham have discovered. The study led by experts at Nottingham's Children's Brain Tumour Research Centre as part of a European collaboration could potentially lead to a new diagnostic test to allow doctors to identify youngsters who are at the highest risk associated with an ependymoma tumor and may need aggressive life-saving...
Males of the world, fear not -- researchers have determined that the chromosome which determines maleness is not shrinking after all, and concerns that the gender could be headed for extinction are apparently unfounded. The study, which was led by Jennifer Hughes and David Page of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and the MIT Department of Biology, have compared the genes of the human Y chromosome to those of chimpanzees and rhesus macaques, according to Guardian Science...
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Feb. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Verinata Health, Inc., a privately-held company dedicated to maternal and fetal health, today announced the presentation of top-line results from its prospective, blinded, multicenter validation study to detect fetal chromosomal aneuploidies, or an abnormal number of chromosomes, across the entire genome. The study was specifically designed to include all samples with any abnormal karyotype in order to emulate real-world testing in...
Genetic mutations that boost an individual’s adaptability have greater chances of getting through to X chromosomes – at least in chimpanzees, according to new Danish research. One of the most important questions for evolution researchers is how a species develops and adapts during the course of time. An analysis of the genes of twelve chimpanzees has now demonstrated that the chimpanzee X chromosome plays a very special role in the animal’s development. The analysis was carried out...
Stress-induced genomic instability facilitates rapid cellular adaption in yeast Cells trying to keep pace with constantly changing environmental conditions need to strike a fine balance between maintaining their genomic integrity and allowing enough genetic flexibility to adapt to inhospitable conditions. In their latest study, researchers at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research were able to show that under stressful conditions yeast genomes become unstable, readily acquiring or...
Vocabulary of epigenetics expanding In 2009, the DNA alphabet expanded. Scientists discovered that an extra letter or "sixth nucleotide" was surprisingly abundant in DNA from stem cells and brain cells. Now, researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have mapped the patterns formed by that letter in the brains of mice, observing how its pattern of distribution in the genome changes during development and aging. Those patterns, stable or dynamic depending on the gene, suggest...
