Chromosome 18 News and Research

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Humans normally have 46 chromosomes in each cell, divided into 23 pairs. Two copies of chromosome 18, one copy inherited from each parent, form one of the pairs. Chromosome 18 spans about 76 million base pairs (the building blocks of DNA) and represents approximately 2.7 percent of the total DNA in cells.

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. Chromosome 18 likely contains between 300 and 500 genes.

Genes on chromosome 18 are among the estimated 20,000 to 25,000 total genes in the human genome.

Historic DNA analysis identifies Down and Edwards syndromes in ancient humans

By analyzing ancient DNA, an international team of researchers have uncovered cases of chromosomal disorders, including what could be the first case of Edwards syndrome ever identified from prehistoric remains.

20 Feb 2024

Is your DNA steering you towards a vegetarian diet?

Researchers using the UK Biobank identified genetic markers linked to strict vegetarianism, revealing potential connections between vegetarianism, lipid metabolism, and brain activity. The study highlighted genes, particularly those active in the brain and related to cholesterol movement, as influential in an individual's inclination towards a vegetarian lifestyle.

9 Oct 2023

Novel deep learning model to assess Alzheimer's disease progression risk

Patterns in the Alzheimer's disease (AD) trajectory using Mendelian randomization (MR) and deep learning (DL).

3 Oct 2023

Nanopore sequencing contradicts human genome integration of SARS-CoV-2

Now a new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv* server dismisses the possibility, raised by that study, that the virus inserts its genetic material into the host cell’s genome.

2 Jun 2021

FISH technique can be used to probe sperm DNA for chromosomal defects

Chemotherapy and radiation treatments are known to cause harsh side effects that patients can see or feel throughout their bodies.

19 Jan 2021

DZD researchers discover additional genetic cause for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

In Germany about 18 million people suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver. The causes of this disease are manifold and include environmental as well as genetic factors.

19 May 2020

Researchers identify why lymphoma patients may become resistant to specific drug

With more targeted therapies being approved each year for cancer, the development of drug resistance to these agents is a growing concern.

16 May 2019

New research focuses on noise sensitivity and general fearfulness of canine behavior

Researchers in the Hannes Lohi research group in the University of Helsinki focused on two forms of canine fearfulness: noise sensitivity and general fearfulness.

24 Jan 2019

Study discovers new genetic risk loci linked to children's food allergies

What role do genes play in egg, milk, and nut allergies? A study published in Nature Communications, led by the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, has found five genetic risk loci that point to the importance of skin and mucous membrane barriers and the immune system in the development of food allergies.

24 Oct 2017

Researchers analyze false-positive results from new prenatal genetic screens

Prenatal blood screening for extra or missing chromosomes in the fetus might give false-positive results if the mother's genome contains more than the usual number of certain DNA segments.

6 Apr 2015

Researchers discover mitochondrial and nuclear tRNA-lookalikes in human genome

Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are ancient workhorse molecules and part of the cellular process that creates the proteins, critical building blocks of life that keep a cell running smoothly.

9 Oct 2014

DNA regions that contained telomeres generate RNAs

RNA is one of the most primitive molecules associated with life that has awakened most interest over the last decade; a sister molecule to cellular DNA from which it originates via a process called transcription.

4 Sep 2014

Caregivers selected to receive the 2013 Shire BRAVE Awards

Selflessness, determination, courage and hope. These are among the qualities that describe the eighteen caregivers from around the world who have been selected as recipients of the 2013 Shire BRAVE Awards, an international program that honors the bravery and devotion of non-professional carers.

27 Nov 2013

DANSR/FORTE assay more effective in diagnosing Edwards and Down syndrome

Using a noninvasive test on maternal blood that deploys a novel biochemical assay and a new algorithm for analysis, scientists can detect, with a high degree of accuracy, the risk that a fetus has the chromosomal abnormalities that cause Down syndrome and a genetic disorder known as Edwards syndrome.

22 Feb 2012

DNA-based prenatal blood test can also identify trisomy 13 and 18

A newly available DNA-based prenatal blood test that can identify a pregnancy with Down syndrome can also identify two additional chromosome abnormalities: trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) and trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome). The test for all three defects can be offered as early as 10 weeks of pregnancy to women who have been identified as being at high risk for these abnormalities.

3 Feb 2012

Researchers develop new animal model for studying hemophilia A

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have developed a new animal model for studying hemophilia A, with the goal of eventually treating people with the disorder.

3 Sep 2010

GWA Study helps scientists identify genetic variant that increases tuberculosis susceptibility in African populations

Scientists have identified a genetic variant which increases susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB) in African populations using a technique known as a genome-wide association (GWA) study. This is the first novel disease variant to be identified using this technique in Africans and demonstrates that such studies are viable in African populations, which have a high degree of genetic diversity.

9 Aug 2010

Study finds EPB41L3 'protector gene' inactivated in 65% of ovarian cancers

A new gene that normally protects against ovarian cancer is switched-off in two-thirds of cases of the disease, reveals a study published in the journal Neoplasia today.

3 Jul 2010

Gene causing progressive form of hair loss identified

A team of investigators from Columbia, Rockefeller and Stanford Universities has identified a new gene involved in hair growth, as reported in a paper in the April 15 issue of Nature. This discovery may affect future research and treatments for male pattern baldness and other forms of hair loss.

15 Apr 2010

Microarray analysis can identify chromosome abnormalities in children with Pitt-Hopkins syndrome

Researchers at Signature Genomic Laboratories, which performs diagnostic genetic testing of chromosome abnormalities in individuals with unexplained physical and developmental disabilities, recently showed that microarray analysis can identify small DNA alterations in individuals with Pitt-Hopkins syndrome, a rare and poorly characterized genetic disorder.

19 Nov 2009