Chromosome X News and Research

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The X chromosome is one of the two sex chromosomes in humans (the other is the Y chromosome). The sex chromosomes form one of the 23 pairs of human chromosomes in each cell. The X chromosome spans about 155 million base pairs (the building blocks of DNA) and represents approximately 5 percent of the total DNA in cells.

Each person normally has one pair of sex chromosomes in each cell. Females have two X chromosomes, while males have one X and one Y chromosome. Early in embryonic development in females, one of the two X chromosomes is randomly and permanently inactivated in somatic cells (cells other than egg and sperm cells). This phenomenon is called X-inactivation or Lyonization. X-inactivation ensures that females, like males, have one functional copy of the X chromosome in each body cell. Because X-inactivation is random, in normal females the X chromosome inherited from the mother is active in some cells, and the X chromosome inherited from the father is active in other cells.

Some genes on the X chromosome escape X-inactivation. These genes are located at the tip of the short (p) arm of the X chromosome in an area known as the pseudoautosomal region. Although many genes are unique to the X or Y chromosome, genes in 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.

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 X chromosome likely contains between 900 and 1,400 genes.

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

MIT researchers devise new system to genetically engineer viruses to combat harmful bacteria

In the hunt for new ways to kill harmful bacteria, scientists have turned to a natural predator: viruses that infect bacteria. By tweaking the genomes of these viruses, known as bacteriophages, researchers hope to customize them to target any type of pathogenic bacteria.

23 Sep 2015

Protein-based modular system could help detect viral infection or kill cancer cells

MIT biological engineers have developed a modular system of proteins that can detect a particular DNA sequence in a cell and then trigger a specific response, such as cell death.

22 Sep 2015

Thomas Jefferson University provides routine genomic fingerprinting to cancer patients

Cancer medicine is moving towards understanding what drives each particular patient's cancer. But not every patient has had access to this level of individualized care.

18 Sep 2015

Study confirms pathogenic role of beta amyloid in dementia as seen in AD and Down syndrome

More than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Of them, 400,000 also have Down syndrome. Both groups have similar looking brains with higher levels of the protein beta amyloid.

18 Sep 2015

Researchers identify triple mechanism that prevents onset of chromosomal instability

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona researchers have identified for the first time the triple mechanism that stops chromosome separation in response to situations that compromise the integrity of the genetic information. The loss of this response capacity is characteristic of cancerous cells.

18 Sep 2015

Research: Spindle matrix protein supports assembly of spindle matrix, microtubules in cell-division process

Every high school biology class learns about the tiny cells that comprise our bodies, as well as about many of the diverse actions that they perform.

18 Sep 2015

Avillion enrolls patients in BFORE Phase III trial to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia

Avillion LLP, a co-developer of late-stage pharmaceutical assets, announces the completion of enrolment in a global Phase III clinical trial called "BFORE," which is designed to assess the effectiveness and safety of BOSULIF (bosutinib) as a first-line treatment for patients with chronic phase Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+) chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML).

15 Sep 2015

Molecular biology research holds promise in understanding cancer growth, aging

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University have found molecular evidence of how a biochemical process controls the lengths of protective chromosome tips, a potentially significant step in ultimately understanding cancer growth and aging.

15 Sep 2015

Penn Medicine researchers show that DNA editing errors can lead to cancer

Sometimes when the immune system makes small mistakes, the body amplifies its response in a big way: Editing errors in the DNA of developing T and B cells can cause blood cancers. Now, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania have shown that when the enzyme key to cutting and pasting segments of DNA hits so-called "off-target" spots on a chromosome, the development of immune cells can lead to cancer in animal models.

11 Sep 2015

VolitionRx receives new U.S. patent for Nucleosomics platform

VolitionRx Limited, a life sciences company focused on developing blood tests for a broad range of cancer types and other conditions, today announced the grant of US Patent Number 9,128,086 entitled "Detection of Histone Modification in Cell-Free Nucleosomes". This patent is already issued in Europe to the Company under the number EP1668368B1.

10 Sep 2015

Cortical hyperexcitability has a driving role in ALS

Cortical hyperexcitability is an intrinsic feature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis symptoms in patients carrying the chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 gene hexanucleotide repeat expansion, show study findings.

9 Sep 2015

Researchers use stem cell-derived 'mini-brains' to identify drug candidate for rare neurological disorder

Using "mini-brains" built with induced pluripotent stem cells derived from patients with a rare, but devastating, neurological disorder, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say they have identified a drug candidate that appears to "rescue" dysfunctional cells by suppressing a critical genetic alteration.

9 Sep 2015

Huntington’s disease prevention breakthrough? An interview with Professor Lesley Jones

Huntington’s disease is an inherited disease which, whilst quite rare, is one of the more common inherited neurodegenerative diseases. About 1 in 6,000 people in the UK are at risk and what’s horrible about this disease is that if one of your parents has it, then you have a fifty-fifty chance of inheriting it.

2 Sep 2015

Gene ZSCAN4 may help treat Down syndrome

For people with Down syndrome, news from Elixirgen, LLC may brighten their day. The biotechnology company, located in the Science + Technology Park at Johns Hopkins, has outlined one of the best potential therapies yet for people with Down syndrome and other chromosome disorders in a paper entitled, "Correction of Down syndrome and Edwards syndrome aneuploidies in human cell cultures," published in the journal DNA Research.

31 Aug 2015

Researchers identify drugs that may enhance ability of TKI dasatinib to kill human cancer cells

Researchers have discovered how a common mutation in a high-risk leukemia subtype drives the cancer's aggressiveness and have identified drugs that may work with existing precision medicines to improve survival. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists led the study, which was published online today in the journal Cancer Cell.

28 Aug 2015

New review article reveals Y chromosome’s role in cardiovascular and immune function, cancer

The role of sex in human disease is a growing area of research. Although estrogen (in females) and androgens (in males) are often seen as possible causes for such differences, sex chromosomes, including the male-specific Y chromosome, may also play a role. However, it has been difficult to understand how the Y chromosome could contribute to disease in men, in part because it is much more difficult to sequence than all other chromosomes.

28 Aug 2015

Common gene mutation may cause brain damage associated with ALS and FTD

Johns Hopkins researchers say they have discovered some of the first steps in how a very common gene mutation causes the brain damage associated with both amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

27 Aug 2015

Study of genetic risk factors of IBD in African-Americans published in Gastroenterology journal

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, along with colleagues at Emory University and Cedars-Sinai, have published in the journal Gastroenterology the first major, in-depth analysis of genetic risk factors of inflammatory bowel disease in African-Americans.

26 Aug 2015

New assessment tool under development can help detect physical traits of Klinefelter syndrome

Klinefelter syndrome is the most common disorder of the male sex chromosomes, yet is rarely diagnosed in children. A new assessment tool is being developed by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) to help pediatricians detect the physical traits of the syndrome. The tool could pave the way for early interventions that prevent and treat a range of physical, psychological, social, and cognitive impairments.

26 Aug 2015

UC Davis researchers reveal how four proteins come together to help assemble tubulin

When they think about how cells put together the molecules that make life work, biologists have tended to think of assembly lines: Add A to B, tack on C, and so on. But the reality might be more like a molecular version of a 3-D printer, where a single mechanism assembles the molecule in one go.

21 Aug 2015

Chromosome X News and Research

Further Reading

MIT researchers devise new system to genetically engineer viruses to combat harmful bacteria

Protein-based modular system could help detect viral infection or kill cancer cells

Thomas Jefferson University provides routine genomic fingerprinting to cancer patients

Study confirms pathogenic role of beta amyloid in dementia as seen in AD and Down syndrome

Researchers identify triple mechanism that prevents onset of chromosomal instability

Research: Spindle matrix protein supports assembly of spindle matrix, microtubules in cell-division process

Avillion enrolls patients in BFORE Phase III trial to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia

Molecular biology research holds promise in understanding cancer growth, aging

Penn Medicine researchers show that DNA editing errors can lead to cancer

VolitionRx receives new U.S. patent for Nucleosomics platform

Cortical hyperexcitability has a driving role in ALS

Researchers use stem cell-derived 'mini-brains' to identify drug candidate for rare neurological disorder

Huntington’s disease prevention breakthrough? An interview with Professor Lesley Jones

Gene ZSCAN4 may help treat Down syndrome

Researchers identify drugs that may enhance ability of TKI dasatinib to kill human cancer cells

New review article reveals Y chromosome’s role in cardiovascular and immune function, cancer

Common gene mutation may cause brain damage associated with ALS and FTD

Study of genetic risk factors of IBD in African-Americans published in Gastroenterology journal

New assessment tool under development can help detect physical traits of Klinefelter syndrome

UC Davis researchers reveal how four proteins come together to help assemble tubulin

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