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.

Scientists show why zebra finches have problems with reproduction

In birds and other species alike, pairs can face considerable difficulties with reproduction. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen have now shown in an extensive analysis of 23,000 zebra finch eggs that infertility is mainly due to males, while high embryo mortality is more a problem of the females.

20 Oct 2020

Genomic analysis of neuroblastoma sheds light on childhood solid tumors

Researchers have used insight from a comprehensive genomic analysis of neuroblastoma to learn about the process driving one of the most common childhood solid tumors. The findings revealed possible approaches for developing precision medicines to improve patient outcomes. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists led the study, which appears today in the journal Nature Communications.

15 Oct 2020

People born with a heart defect have low risk of moderate or severe COVID-19 infection

Results of a retrospective analysis suggest that people born with a heart defect who developed COVID-19 symptoms had a low risk of moderate or severe COVID-19 infection, according to a new article published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association.

14 Oct 2020

Genomic study shows the evolutionary history of banyan trees and their wasp pollinators

The banyan fig tree Ficus microcarpa is famous for its aerial roots, which sprout from branches and eventually reach the soil.

9 Oct 2020

Excess genetic exchanges impede the segregation of chromosomes into eggs

The exchange of DNA between chromosomes during the early formation of sperm and egg cells normally is limited to assure fertility.

8 Oct 2020

Plasma ABO protein is a causal risk factor for severe COVID-19

Researchers used an integrative genomics approach to find the genes responsible for COVID-19 and its severity.

7 Oct 2020

Researchers decipher evolution of the Y chromosome in great apes

New analysis of the DNA sequence of the male-specific Y chromosomes from all living species of the great ape family helps to clarify our understanding of how this enigmatic chromosome evolved.

6 Oct 2020

Cancer mutations are found in distinct regions that vary based on genomic structure and mutation

A new study from researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has discovered that mutations found in cancers do not accumulate randomly, but are found in distinct patterns that vary based on the three-dimensional organization of the genome in the cell as well as the underlying factors causing the mutations

6 Oct 2020

First biobank in Australia for chromosome 15 disorders

The first biobank in Australia aiming to improve research and treatments into rare genetic diseases caused by changes to genes on chromosome 15, including Prader-Willi Syndrome and Angelman Syndrome, will be established at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute.

5 Oct 2020

Genetic heritage from Neanderthals linked to severe COVID-19

Since first appearing in late 2019, the novel virus, SARS-CoV-2, has had a range of impacts on those it infects. Some people become severely ill with COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, and require hospitalization, whereas others have mild symptoms or are even asymptomatic.

30 Sep 2020

Neanderthal gene variant linked to higher risk of developing severe COVID-19

A study published in Nature shows that a segment of DNA that causes their carriers to have an up to three times higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 is inherited from Neandertals. The study was conducted by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

30 Sep 2020

Life-threatening COVID-19 associated with specific genetic variants

Results of a genome-wide association study on 2,244 critically-ill patients due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from 208 intensive care units across the United Kingdom revealed significant host-specific genetic determinants that can predispose people to the severe form of the disease. The report is currently available on the medRxiv preprint server.

28 Sep 2020

Auto-antibodies may explain why some people develop severe COVID-19

Now, a new study by an international team of health experts shows that some life-threatening cases of COVID-19 can be traced to specific weak spots in the patients' immune system.

28 Sep 2020

New drug offers hope for young boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

A new drug offers hope for young boys with the progressive neuromuscular disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) by potentially offering an alternative to high-dose glucocorticoids that have significant side effects.

25 Sep 2020

Study sheds new light on the role of Y chromosome genes

New light is being shed on a little-known role of Y chromosome genes, specific to males, that could explain why men suffer differently than women from various diseases, including Covid-19.

25 Sep 2020

About 10% patients with severe disease create auto-antibodies that attack the immune system

People infected by the novel coronavirus can have symptoms that range from mild to deadly. Now, two new analyses suggest that some life-threatening cases can be traced to weak spots in patients' immune systems.

25 Sep 2020

Men are dying from COVID-19 at a higher rate than women

A new review article from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center shows people who are biologically male are dying from COVID-19 at a higher rate than people who are biologically female.

22 Sep 2020

New methods help to accurately identify cancers’ hidden genetic losses, duplications

Understanding the specific mutations that contribute to different forms of cancer is critical to improving diagnosis and treatment.

17 Sep 2020

Sex and gender not receiving enough attention in COVID-19 trials

Researchers in Denmark and the Netherlands have conducted a study showing that sex and gender are not being adequately considered in clinical trials investigating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

15 Sep 2020

Exploring sex differences in gene expression

Males and females share the vast majority of their genomes. Only a sprinkling of genes, located on the so-called X and Y sex chromosomes, differ between the sexes. Nevertheless, the activities of our genes--their expression in cells and tissues--generate profound distinctions between males and females.

12 Sep 2020

Chromosome 4 News and Research

Further Reading

Scientists show why zebra finches have problems with reproduction

Genomic analysis of neuroblastoma sheds light on childhood solid tumors

People born with a heart defect have low risk of moderate or severe COVID-19 infection

Genomic study shows the evolutionary history of banyan trees and their wasp pollinators

Excess genetic exchanges impede the segregation of chromosomes into eggs

Plasma ABO protein is a causal risk factor for severe COVID-19

Researchers decipher evolution of the Y chromosome in great apes

Cancer mutations are found in distinct regions that vary based on genomic structure and mutation

First biobank in Australia for chromosome 15 disorders

Genetic heritage from Neanderthals linked to severe COVID-19

Neanderthal gene variant linked to higher risk of developing severe COVID-19

Life-threatening COVID-19 associated with specific genetic variants

Auto-antibodies may explain why some people develop severe COVID-19

New drug offers hope for young boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Study sheds new light on the role of Y chromosome genes

About 10% patients with severe disease create auto-antibodies that attack the immune system

Men are dying from COVID-19 at a higher rate than women

New methods help to accurately identify cancers’ hidden genetic losses, duplications

Sex and gender not receiving enough attention in COVID-19 trials

Exploring sex differences in gene expression

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