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.

UCLA study characterizes brain differences between people with genetic risk for schizophrenia, autism

A UCLA study characterizes, for the first time, brain differences between people with a specific genetic risk for schizophrenia and those at risk for autism, and the findings could help explain the biological underpinnings of these neuropsychiatric disorders.

24 May 2017

Research findings may provide answers for infertility in older women

Findings from new research led by the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and University College London may finally resolve, and potentially provide answers, as to why older women have higher incidences of miscarriage and have babies with chromosomal abnormalities.

18 May 2017

Sperm epigenetics and fertility

Epigenetics is a system of information that lies atop DNA to control which genes are accessible, active and inactive. Each cell in your body essentially has identical DNA, but they have different patterns of expression.

18 May 2017

Weekly doses of steroids help hasten recovery in muscle injuries

Weekly doses of glucocorticoid steroids, such as prednisone, help speed recovery in muscle injuries, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study. The weekly steroids also repaired muscles damaged by muscular dystrophy.

17 May 2017

Study identifies first genetic locus for anorexia nervosa

A landmark study led by UNC School of Medicine researchers has identified the first genetic locus for anorexia nervosa and has revealed that there may also be metabolic underpinnings to this potentially deadly illness.

12 May 2017

New technology could hold key to predicting outcome of blood cancer patients

Technology that can detect the length of small DNA structures in cancer cells could hold the key to predicting the outcome of patients with two different types of blood cancer.

11 May 2017

Study sheds light on neural mechanisms of Fragile X syndrome

A collaboration between scientists in Belgium, the United States, Norway, France and the UK has resulted in a study that sheds light on the neural mechanisms of Fragile X syndrome.

5 May 2017

Discovery of protein that causes liver disease brings hope for new treatments

In a world-first discovery, scientists at Sydney’s Westmead Institute for Medical Research have identified a protein that causes liver fibrosis (scarring), paving the way for new treatments for liver disease to be developed.

3 May 2017

Researchers uncover molecule that may explain smoking-CHD connection

Cigarette smoking accounts for about one-fifth of cases of coronary heart disease, one of the leading causes of death worldwide, but precisely how smoking leads to CHD has long been unclear.

2 May 2017

Researchers identify new antibiotic resistance gene in bacteria from dairy cows

Researchers of the University of Bern have identified a new antibiotic resistance gene in bacteria from dairy cows. This gene confers resistance to all beta-lactam antibiotics including the last generation of cephalosporins used against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

26 Apr 2017

Scientists use stem cells to identify underlying cellular defects that cause Angelman syndrome

Researchers at UConn Health used stem cells derived from patients with Angelman syndrome to identify the underlying cellular defects that cause the rare neurogenetic disorder, an important step in the ongoing search for potential treatments for Angelman and a possible cure.

25 Apr 2017

New test can quickly and accurately diagnose dangerous colistin-resistant bacteria

New research suggests it is possible to quickly and accurately diagnose some the most dangerous and drug-resistant types of bacterial infections, using equipment already owned by most hospitals.

24 Apr 2017

Collaboration between Hamilton Robotics and Illumina creates noninvasive streamlined prenatal testing solution

Hamilton Robotics continues to strengthen their ongoing partnership with Illumina, Inc. through the collaborative development of the VeriSeq™ NIPT Solution for high-throughput noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT).

From Hamilton Process Analytics 14 Apr 2017

Seeing genes inside living cells

For Mazhar Adli, the little glowing dots dancing about on the computer screen are nothing less than the fulfillment of a dream. Those fluorescent dots, moving in real time, are set to illuminate our understanding of the human genome, cancer and other genetic diseases in a way never before possible.

14 Apr 2017

Scientists discover potential trigger for MDS in children with rare genetic disorder

Myelodysplastic syndrome is an umbrella term used to describe disorders characterized by the bone marrow's inability to produce normal blood cells.

12 Apr 2017

Study explains how genetic mutations linked to telomere capping complex contribute to cancers

Scientists at The Wistar Institute have unveiled part of the protein complex that protects telomeres - the ends of our chromosomes. The study, published online in Nature Communications, explains how a group of genetic mutations associated with this protein complex contributes to various cancers.

10 Apr 2017

Illumina introduces fast, highly accurate Veriseq NIPT Solution in the European Union

Illumina, Inc. today announced the launch of the VeriSeq™ NIPT Solution, a CE-IVD marked next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based approach to noninvasive prenatal testing, including CE-IVD marked library prep and analysis software, which enables laboratories in the European Union to bring efficient, highly accurate NIPT in-house.

10 Apr 2017