X chromosome News and Research

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Large study quashes idea of “gay gene”

A vast new study including almost half a million people has concluded that no single gene is associated with same-sex behavior.

2 Sep 2019

Simple technique to choose the sex of offspring by separating X and Y sperm

A simple, reversible chemical treatment can segregate X-bearing sperm from Y-bearing sperm, allowing dramatic alteration of the normal 50/50 male/female offspring ratio, according to a new study by Masayuki Shimada and colleagues at Hiroshima University, published on August 13 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology. The study was performed in mice, but the technique is likely to be widely applicable to other mammals as well.

From PLOS ONE 16 Aug 2019

Rettsyndrome.org funds research that will benefit boys and girls with MECP2-related disorders

Rettsyndrome.org announced their funding of two new research projects today. Jeannie T. Lee, MD, Ph.D. of Massachusetts General Hospital is awarded a two-year ANGEL Grant for $600,000 to focus on reactivating the silent X chromosome for Rett syndrome and Davut Pehlivan, MDof Baylor College of Medicine is awarded a two-year Mentored Clinical Fellowship for $250,000 to study MECP2 Duplication syndrome.

6 Jun 2019

Sussex scientists discover new genetic defect that causes intellectual disability

Researchers at the University of Sussex have discovered a new genetic defect which causes a form of intellectual disability; a finding that will improve screening programmes and help to end a 'diagnostic odyssey' for families across the globe.

1 May 2019

New gene therapy cures babies with fatal 'Bubble Boy' disease

A new gene therapy created by US researchers appears to have cured eight infant boys born with a rare genetic disorder referred to as “Bubble Boy” disease.

18 Apr 2019

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