Chromosome 6 News and Research

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Humans normally have 46 chromosomes in each cell, divided into 23 pairs. Two copies of chromosome 6, one copy inherited from each parent, form one of the pairs. Chromosome 6 spans about 171 million base pairs (the building blocks of DNA) and represents between 5.5 percent and 6 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 6 likely contains between 1,100 and 1,600 genes.

Genes on chromosome 6 are among the estimated 20,000 to 25,000 total genes in the human genome.

Research unravels possible factor for female bias in lupus

The autoimmune disease lupus, which can cause fatigue, a facial rash, and joint pain, strikes females far more often than males. Eight-five percent of people with lupus are female, and their second X chromosome seems partly to blame.

5 Apr 2019

Maternal smoking and pre-eclampsia may affect fertility of offspring

Low levels of oxygen in the womb - which can be caused by smoking or conditions such as pre-eclampsia - may cause problems with fertility later in life, a study carried out in rats suggests.

29 Mar 2019

People born with short telomeres found to have short-lived immune system cells

Scientists at Johns Hopkins say they have found that people born with abnormally short chromosome endcaps, or telomeres, have immune system cells that age and die prematurely.

27 Mar 2019

Study finds novel opportunity for treating subgroup of cancer patients with MSI-H tumors

Researchers have identified a protein critical for the survival of a particular type of tumor cell, according to a study published today in eLife.

27 Mar 2019

Research provides opportunities for biological control of insect-borne pathogens

Researchers from INRA, CIRAD, CEA, the University of Montpellier, and Chicago and Vanderbilt Universities in the United States have developed an innovative method for analyzing the genome of the Wolbachia bacterium.

27 Mar 2019

Immune system errors linked to development of childhood leukemia

Genetic mutations that drive the development of a common type of childhood leukemia can be traced back to errors by the immune system during the production of antibodies.

25 Mar 2019

Study: Female birds have longer, healthier lifespan when they have help raising offspring

Female birds age more slowly and live longer when they have help raising their offspring, according to new research from the University of East Anglia.

22 Mar 2019

Chemistry researchers patent new method for making anti-leukemia compounds

Chemistry researchers at Oregon State University have patented a method for making anti-leukemia compounds that until now have only been available via an Asian tree that produces them.

21 Mar 2019

MIT announces creation of the Alana Down Syndrome Center

As part of MIT's continued mission to help build a better world, the Institute announced the creation of the Alana Down Syndrome Center, an innovative new research endeavor, technology development initiative, and fellowship program launched with a $28.6 million gift from Alana Foundation, a nonprofit organization started by Ana Lucia Villela of São Paulo, Brazil.

21 Mar 2019

Researchers determine factors that cause stress development in the human body

In today's life, we often encounter situations when the organism's functions are overstrained, and the action of extreme factors causes the development of a stress response.

15 Mar 2019

Study sheds new light on early development of embryos

By applying gene analysis to individual cells from early mouse embryos, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered previously unknown cellular stages of fetal development from fertilized egg to living being. The study is published in the scientific journal Cell Reports.

5 Mar 2019

Radiation after surgery in children with ependymoma nearly triples survival rate

Radiation immediately following surgery in children with ependymoma, the third most common pediatric brain tumor, can nearly triple survival.

5 Mar 2019

Research on mosaic embryos gives new hope to people seeking infertility treatments

Not every embryo contains 46 perfect chromosomes. Some have more, others have fewer. The result is a common abnormality known as aneuploidy, which occurs in as many as 80 percent of human embryos.

5 Mar 2019

Second-ever case of semi-identical (sesquizygotic) twins

Doctors report on a woman who gave birth to semi-identical twins in 2014. This is the second time this is known to have occurred after the first case in 2007.

28 Feb 2019

Breakthrough chromosome imaging could aid in development of new treatments

Chromosomes, each containing hundreds or thousands of genes, act like a detailed instruction manual for how cells should develop and behave.

28 Feb 2019

Johns Hopkins researchers find genetic cause of olfactory neuroblastoma

By sequencing the entire genomes of tumor cells from six people with a rare cancer of the nose and sinus cavity, Johns Hopkins researchers report they unexpectedly found the same genetic change¾one in a gene involved in muscle formation¾in five of the tumors.

28 Feb 2019

Study finds specific mechanism that protects cells from natural DNA errors

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have identified a specific mechanism that protects our cells from natural DNA errors - an 'enemy within' - which could permanently damage our genetic code and lead to diseases such as cancer.

27 Feb 2019

Biologists uncover mechanism that determines faithful inheritance of short chromosomes

A team of biologists has uncovered a mechanism that determines faithful inheritance of short chromosomes during the reproductive process.

27 Feb 2019

New test could be a ‘game changer’ in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia

The first test to quickly and accurately predict how people will respond to standard treatment for the most common type of leukemia has been developed at Cardiff University. The technology could guide doctors’ decisions on which drugs to give to patients.

27 Feb 2019

'Chromosome scanner' that protects against cancer identified

In a new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have identified one of the main mechanisms behind the repair of serious damage to the human DNA. A 'scanner' inside the cells decides whether or not so-called flawless DNA repair, which protects against cancer, is launched.

26 Feb 2019