Chromosome Y News and Research

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The Y chromosome is one of the two sex chromosomes in humans (the other is the X chromosome). The sex chromosomes form one of the 23 pairs of human chromosomes in each cell. The Y chromosome spans about 58 million base pairs (the building blocks of DNA) and represents almost 2 percent of the total DNA in cells.

Each person normally has one pair of sex chromosomes in each cell. The Y chromosome is present in males, who have one X and one Y chromosome, while females have two X chromosomes.

Identifying genes on each chromosome is an active area of genetic research. Because researchers use different approaches to predict the number of genes on each chromosome, the estimated number of genes varies. The Y chromosome likely contains between 70 and 200 genes. Because only males have the Y chromosome, the genes on this chromosome tend to be involved in male sex determination and development. Sex is determined by the SRY gene, which is responsible for the development of a fetus into a male. Other genes on the Y chromosome are important for male fertility.

Many genes are unique to the X or Y chromosome, but genes in an area known as the pseudoautosomal region are present on both chromosomes. As a result, men and women each have two functional copies of these genes. Many genes in the pseudoautosomal region are essential for normal development.

Genes on the Y chromosome are among the estimated 20,000 to 25,000 total genes in the human genome.

MU researchers describe Down syndrome-associated catatonia

Down syndrome, due to an extra chromosome 21, occurs in 250,000 children and adults in the United States, making it the country's most common chromosomal disorder. Inherited heart defects, thyroid cancer, celiac disease and developmental disabilities are common Down syndrome complications.

19 Nov 2019

Scientists reverse learning and memory deficits with drugs in animal model of Down syndrome

In a surprising finding using the standard animal model of Down syndrome (DS), scientists were able to correct the learning and memory deficits associated with the condition -- the leading genetic cause of cognitive disability and the most frequently diagnosed chromosomal disorder in the U.S. -- with drugs that target the body's response to cellular stresses.

15 Nov 2019

Crick study reveals vital protective role of telomere t-loops

Loops at the ends of telomeres play a vital protective role preventing irretrievable damage to chromosomes, according to new research from the Crick.

From The Francis Crick Institute 12 Nov 2019

Adult SMA patients treated with Nusinersen show improvement in motor function

A study published in the Journal of Neuromuscular Diseases presents the first evidence of mild improvement or stabilization of motor and respiratory function in adults with spinal muscular atrophy type 3 (SMA3) treated with Nusinersen, which was the case even in patients who have had the disease for 20 years or more.

11 Nov 2019

DNA data provides scientific knowledge on historical extra-pair paternity in Western Europe

These days it's easy to resolve questions about paternity with over-the-counter test kits. Now, researchers have put DNA evidence together with long-term genealogical data to explore similar questions of biological fatherhood on a broad scale among people living in parts of Western Europe over the last 500 years.

11 Nov 2019

Children with Down syndrome at greater risk of an associated form of arthritis

A new study finds that children with Down syndrome are at an increased risk of an associated form of arthritis.

10 Nov 2019

Study uncovers cause for spatial-memory deficits in people with Down syndrome

Professor Juan Lerma's group, from the UMH-CSIC Institute of Neurosciences, in Alicante, has identified the gene called GRIK1, fundamental in the balance between excitation and inhibition in the brain, as one of the causes for people with Down syndrome having spatial orientation problems.

1 Nov 2019

Scientists visualize complex cellular machine to yield new insights in cancer

Cellular machines that control chromosome structure, such as the RSC complex, are mutated in about one-fifth of all human cancers.

31 Oct 2019

Researchers identify new kidney cancer subtypes and clues to better diagnosis, treatment

In what is believed to be the most comprehensive molecular characterization to date of the most common - and often treatment-resistant - form of kidney cancer, researchers at Johns Hopkins' departments of pathology and oncology, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine report evidence for at least three distinct subtypes of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), along with new revelations about the proteins that define them.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 31 Oct 2019

Study identifies a kinase as potential target to treat heart failure

An unexplored kinase in heart muscle cells may be a good target to treat heart failure, a disease that is only incrementally delayed by existing therapies.

31 Oct 2019

Botswana now the origin of humans

A group of scientists have reported their new theory that human life was first seen in northern Botswana, south of the Zambezi river in Africa, according to their article published in the journal Nature.

29 Oct 2019

Wisconsin study: 3 in 5 people with Down syndrome diagnosed with dementia by age 55

Not so many years ago, people with Down syndrome rarely survived to middle age. Many died young due to heart problems associated with the congenital condition.

29 Oct 2019

Some types of proteins can stabilize damaged DNA

At the University of Copenhagen, researchers have discovered how some types of proteins stabilize damaged DNA and thereby preserve DNA function and integrity. This new finding also explains why people with inborn or acquired defects in certain proteins cannot keep their DNA stable and develop diseases such as cancer.

28 Oct 2019

$5 million in federal funding to accelerate potential treatments for urea cycle disorders

An international research consortium co-led by Andrea L. Gropman, M.D., at Children's National Hospital has received $5 million in federal funding as part of an overall effort to better understand rare diseases and accelerate potential treatments to patients.

24 Oct 2019

Study reveals novel druggable driver gene in human gastrointestinal stromal tumors

Sarcomas - cancers that arise from transformed mesenchymal cells (a type of connective tissue) - are quite deadly. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors are the most common human sarcoma and are initiated by activating mutations in the KIT receptor tyrosine kinase.

24 Oct 2019

Study seeks participants with VCFS-related psychosis to help create biobank of cerebral organoids

A landmark study is calling for at least 50 people in the U.S. with Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome (VCFS)-related psychosis to provide blood samples to create the world’s largest VCFS biobank to date of tiny spheres of neural tissue called "cerebral organoids."

24 Oct 2019

Researchers receive $3.2 million NIH grant to pursue a deeper understanding of Down syndrome

Mount Sinai researchers have been awarded a $3.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to pursue a deeper understanding of Down syndrome, the most common genetic cause of intellectual and developmental disabilities in children and young adults, affecting more than 200,000 individuals in the United States.

22 Oct 2019

Newly discovered organelle could help prevent cancer

Scientists at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have discovered a strange new organelle inside our cells that helps to prevent cancer by ensuring that genetic material is sorted correctly as cells divide.

22 Oct 2019

Study shows how mouse X and Y chromosomes compete with each other to control sex of offspring

The molecular function of genes in mice has a major influence on the sex of their offspring, according to a new discovery that reveals more about the impact of genes on animal fertility.

21 Oct 2019

Researchers discover genes linked to sex ratio and male fertility in mice

One of the more recent trends among parents-to-be is the so-called gender reveal, a party complete with pink or blue cake to answer the burning question, "Is it a boy or girl?" After all, it's presumed that there's a 50-50 chance you'd have one or the other.

18 Oct 2019

Chromosome Y News and Research

Further Reading

MU researchers describe Down syndrome-associated catatonia

Scientists reverse learning and memory deficits with drugs in animal model of Down syndrome

Crick study reveals vital protective role of telomere t-loops

Adult SMA patients treated with Nusinersen show improvement in motor function

DNA data provides scientific knowledge on historical extra-pair paternity in Western Europe

Children with Down syndrome at greater risk of an associated form of arthritis

Study uncovers cause for spatial-memory deficits in people with Down syndrome

Scientists visualize complex cellular machine to yield new insights in cancer

Researchers identify new kidney cancer subtypes and clues to better diagnosis, treatment

Study identifies a kinase as potential target to treat heart failure

Botswana now the origin of humans

Wisconsin study: 3 in 5 people with Down syndrome diagnosed with dementia by age 55

Some types of proteins can stabilize damaged DNA

$5 million in federal funding to accelerate potential treatments for urea cycle disorders

Study reveals novel druggable driver gene in human gastrointestinal stromal tumors

Study seeks participants with VCFS-related psychosis to help create biobank of cerebral organoids

Researchers receive $3.2 million NIH grant to pursue a deeper understanding of Down syndrome

Newly discovered organelle could help prevent cancer

Study shows how mouse X and Y chromosomes compete with each other to control sex of offspring

Researchers discover genes linked to sex ratio and male fertility in mice

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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