X chromosome News and Research

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European scientists aim to identify causes of dementia

Dementia is common to a variety of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson disease and Down syndrome. This common symptom is one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people.

19 Dec 2018

Researchers uncover genes that play a key role in the inactivation of X chromosomes

In cell biology, men and women are unequal: men have an X chromosome, while women have two. How can we get around this difference?

19 Dec 2018

New compound blocks genetic cause of familial ALS and frontotemporal dementia

Since the ice bucket challenge went viral in 2014, raising awareness and funding for ALS research, scientists have learned much about a disease that disconnects muscles from nerves, leading to muscle atrophy and eventual death. Their ultimate goal is to create medications capable of stopping ALS in its tracks.

18 Dec 2018

Folate deficiency creates more damaging chromosomal abnormalities than previously known

Folate deficiency creates more problems in connection with DNA replication than researchers had hitherto assumed, researchers from the University of Copenhagen show in a new study.

14 Dec 2018

Geneticists discover how sex-linked disorders arise

Researchers have discovered a regulatory gene carried on the Y chromosome that determines whether a baby will be male or female and the risk of disease.

14 Dec 2018

MUHC's 'Dr. House' discovers new genetic disease and the gene responsible for it

A team from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre led by Dr. Donald Vinh, the RI's so-called "Dr. House" because of his research into rare diseases, has discovered a new human disease and the gene responsible for it, paving the way for the proper diagnosis of patients globally and the development of new therapies.

7 Dec 2018

Study reveals how the absence of Dna2 enzyme affects chromosome instability

Cells have in place a number of mechanisms to protect the integrity of the genome, including processes that repair mistakes that may occur during DNA replication.

6 Dec 2018

New massive sequencing platform implemented for double factor preimplantation genetic testing

A research team from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, in collaboration with the Blood and Tissue Bank of Catalonia, has managed to implement a massive sequencing platform for Preimplantation Genetic Testing for the first time in history.

5 Dec 2018

Researchers reveal previously unknown genetic effect that can raise or reduce risk of heart disease

Atherosclerotic disease, the slow and silent hardening and narrowing of the arteries, is a leading cause of mortality worldwide, responsible for more than 15 million deaths each year, including an estimated 610,000 people in the United States.

28 Nov 2018

Using molecular targeting approach to kill melanoma cells

In 1960, scientists described the "Philadelphia chromosome" that causes chronic myeloid leukemia, and in 2001 the Food and Drug Administration approved the drug imatinib to disable the action of this cancer-causing genetic change.

27 Nov 2018

A love of coffee and tea is mostly genetic

The morning coffee or tea can perk one up for the day, however, for some of us these beverages are too bitter. Researchers have now found that the bitter taste experienced is all down to genes. The new study titled, “Understanding the role of bitter taste perception in coffee, tea and alcohol consumption through Mendelian randomization,” was published in the latest issue of the journal Nature Scientific Reports.

25 Nov 2018

Researchers identify molecule to fight myotubular myopathy

Myotubular myopathy is a severe genetic disease that leads to muscle paralysis from birth and results in death before two years of age. Although no treatment currently exists, researchers from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, - working in collaboration with the University of Strasbourg, France, - have identified a molecule that not only greatly reduces the progression of the disease but also boosts life expectancy in animal models by a factor of seven.

19 Nov 2018

Reducing cellular proliferation could help deplete HIV reservoir and lead to a functional cure

A majority of the HIV-infected cells that persist in HIV-infected individuals even during suppressive antiretroviral therapy originated from cellular proliferation, not viral replication, according to new research published in Nature Communications.

17 Nov 2018

Non-coding genetic variant plays key role in endothelial function and disease incidence

Atherosclerotic disease, the slow and silent hardening and narrowing of the arteries, is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. It is responsible for more than 15 million deaths each year, including an estimated 610,000 people in the United States.

15 Nov 2018

New study provides deeper insight into chromosome segregation during mitosis

When a cell divides—a process known as mitosis—its chromosomes need to be separated and evenly distributed into the newly created daughter cells. Although this is known to be extremely complicated and to feature a range of cellular components, many of its details remain unclear, which has hampered efforts to develop treatments for when mitosis goes awry.

12 Nov 2018

Failed DNA repair triggers chromosomal chaos in cancer cells

Researchers have established the trigger for catastrophic events that occur within the chromosomes of cancer cells and lead to cancer cell death.

12 Nov 2018

Cardiovascular and Alzheimer's disease share common genetics in some individuals, study shows

Genetics may predispose some people to both Alzheimer's disease and high levels of blood lipids such as cholesterol, a common feature of cardiovascular disease, according to a new study by an international team of researchers led by scientists at UC San Francisco and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

9 Nov 2018