Chromosome 4 News and Research

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Humans normally have 46 chromosomes in each cell, divided into 23 pairs. Two copies of chromosome 4, one copy inherited from each parent, form one of the pairs. Chromosome 4 spans more than 191 million DNA building blocks (base pairs) and represents more than 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 4 likely contains between 1,300 and 1,600 genes.

Genes on chromosome 4 are among the estimated 20,000 to 25,000 total genes in the human genome.

Genetic variations in Y chromosome affect men's risk of coronary heart disease: Scientists

Scientists in the UK have shown that genetic variations in the Y chromosome affect a male's risk of coronary heart disease. It is well known that males have a higher incidence of coronary heart disease than females due, in part, to the Y chromosome they inherit from their fathers. To investigate the role of the Y chromosome further, a team from the University of Leicester carried out research to determine whether genetic variations in the Y-chromosome affect risk for males.

30 Aug 2010

Study finds common risk factors linked with painkiller addiction

A new Geisinger study begins to unlock the puzzle of painkiller (opioid) addiction - why some people are more likely to become addicted than others. Geisinger investigators have found that patients with four common risk factors have a significantly higher risk of addiction. In addition, a history of severe drug dependence and drug abuse compounds the risk.

30 Aug 2010

Battery of tests for quick assessment of cognitive abilities in Down syndrome patients

Neuroscientists in the Down Syndrome Research Group at the University of Arizona have created a battery of tests that quickly aid in the assessment of the cognitive abilities of persons with Down syndrome.

27 Aug 2010

Fox Chase Cancer Center to host Philadelphia Chromosome Symposium

In celebration of a seminal discovery in cancer biology, Fox Chase Cancer Center will host the Philadelphia Chromosome Symposium: Past, Present and Future, on September 28, 2010, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at The Chemical Heritage Foundation, 315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. The event marks the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the first genetic abnormality associated with cancer, and the first to lead to a targeted therapy for cancer.

25 Aug 2010

Researchers identify molecular signals that impact male fertility: Research

Male infertility is a common medical problem, affecting millions of men in the United States annually. Its causes include an inability to make productive sperm. Now, using yeast as a model organism, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are beginning to identify the molecular signals that could in part underlie that problem.

25 Aug 2010

Research finds variation in sex chromosome may cause lupus in men

Genes reside along long chains of DNA called chromosomes. UCLA researchers have found that a variation in a gene on the sex chromosome X may enhance an immune response that leads to lupus in men.

24 Aug 2010

Researchers discover unusual property of meiosis may lead to Down syndrome

In a study of egg cells using time-lapse microscopy, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research have discovered an unusual property of meiosis - cell division that produces reproductive cells in sexually reproducing organisms.

23 Aug 2010

Researchers find new way to study oncogene's role in DNA repair

A key step in understanding the origins of familial breast cancer has been made by two teams of scientists at the University of California, Davis. The researchers have purified, for the first time, the protein produced by the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA2 and used it to study the oncogene's role in DNA repair.

23 Aug 2010

US oncology announces its contributions in development of 42 novel cancer therapies

US Oncology, Inc., the nation's leading integrated oncology company, announced today that in less than two decades it has played a role in the development of 42 novel cancer therapies approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

21 Aug 2010

Study finds genetic change in chromosome 4 causes FSHD

The Muscular Dystrophy Association today heralds a landmark muscular dystrophy advance by an international study team of scientists and physicians from the Netherlands, United States, France and Spain. Led by MDA-grantee Silvère van der Maarel, Ph.D., at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, the collaborative study of more than 2,300 people found that two distinct genetic changes on chromosome 4 must be present to cause facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD).

21 Aug 2010

Tasigna receives approval for chronic myeloid leukemia in Canada

Tasigna (nilotinib) capsules have been approved with conditions in Canada as a new therapy for patients with CML, in the chronic phase (first phase) of the disease. Patients must be resistant to or intolerant of at least one prior therapy, including (Pr)Gleevec (imatinib mesylate), an established standard of care.

20 Aug 2010

Genetic architecture controlling growth of 'back-up' blood vessels uncovered

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have uncovered the genetic architecture controlling the growth of the collateral circulation - the "back-up" blood vessels that can provide oxygen to starved tissues in the event of a heart attack or stroke.

20 Aug 2010

Scientists discover genetic flaw that causes facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy

Nearly two decades after they identified the specific genetic flaw that causes a common type of muscular dystrophy, scientists believe they have figured out how that flaw brings about the disease. The finding by an international team of researchers settles a longstanding question about the roots of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy or FSHD.

20 Aug 2010

Genome-wide study identifies key genetic variant associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital found that patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) who carry an allele of the PNPLA3 gene have an increased risk of developing advanced disease, including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis, and cirrhosis. A second study supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) validates these findings and further concludes that in pediatric patients, the same allele is associated with earlier disease presentation.

18 Aug 2010

Research confirms genetic link to advanced fatty liver disease

17 Aug 2010

Researchers discover genetic alterations responsible for Kabuki syndrome

Using a new, rapid and less expensive DNA sequencing strategy, scientists have discovered genetic alterations that account for most cases of Kabuki syndrome, a rare disorder that causes multiple birth defects and mental retardation. Instead of sequencing the entire human genome, the new approach sequences just the exome, the 1-2 percent of the human genome that contains protein-coding genes.

16 Aug 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

Alnylam publishes research findings of Sort1 gene role in cardiovascular disease development

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today the publication of new research findings in the journal Nature describing the discovery and validation of the role of the gene Sort1 in the development of cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction (MI). This work was done with collaborators at University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) School of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and the Broad Institute. The collaborative effort combined genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and RNAi technology to identify and validate novel genes as targets for new therapies for heart disease.

6 Aug 2010

Scientists identify genetic variant that increases risk of schizophrenia

A group of scientists has identified a genetic variant that substantially increases the risk for developing schizophrenia in Ashkenazi Jewish and other populations. The study, published by Cell Press on August 5th in the American Journal of Human Genetics, associates a deletion on chromosome 3 with increased incidence of schizophrenia.

6 Aug 2010

Researchers identify gene associated with susceptibility to chronic pain caused by nerve injury

Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and elsewhere have succeeded in identifying for the first time a gene associated with susceptibility to chronic pain caused by nerve injury in humans, signaling a significant step toward better understanding and treating of the condition.

6 Aug 2010

Chromosome 4 News and Research

Further Reading

Genetic variations in Y chromosome affect men's risk of coronary heart disease: Scientists

Study finds common risk factors linked with painkiller addiction

Battery of tests for quick assessment of cognitive abilities in Down syndrome patients

Fox Chase Cancer Center to host Philadelphia Chromosome Symposium

Researchers identify molecular signals that impact male fertility: Research

Research finds variation in sex chromosome may cause lupus in men

Researchers discover unusual property of meiosis may lead to Down syndrome

Researchers find new way to study oncogene's role in DNA repair

US oncology announces its contributions in development of 42 novel cancer therapies

Study finds genetic change in chromosome 4 causes FSHD

Tasigna receives approval for chronic myeloid leukemia in Canada

Genetic architecture controlling growth of 'back-up' blood vessels uncovered

Scientists discover genetic flaw that causes facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy

Genome-wide study identifies key genetic variant associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Research confirms genetic link to advanced fatty liver disease

Researchers discover genetic alterations responsible for Kabuki syndrome

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

Alnylam publishes research findings of Sort1 gene role in cardiovascular disease development

Scientists identify genetic variant that increases risk of schizophrenia

Researchers identify gene associated with susceptibility to chronic pain caused by nerve injury

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