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.

Impairment of specific gene increases susceptibility to opioid addiction and binge eating, study shows

Impairment of a particular gene raises increases susceptibility to opioid addiction liability as well as vulnerability to binge eating according to a new study.

13 Jun 2017

Anorexia nervosa linked to genetic anomalies on chromosome 12

A large-scale, international whole-genome analysis has now revealed for the first time that anorexia nervosa is associated with genetic anomalies on chromosome 12.

12 Jun 2017

New cancer drug shows promise to treat leukemia in mouse models

Almost 6,000 new cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL, are expected to be diagnosed this year in the United States. The blood cancer can affect both children and adults.

9 Jun 2017

Study finds evidence that genes influence empathy

New research has found empathy may have a genetic component that also influences personality, cognition, and psychiatric conditions. Further, although not a novel finding, researchers noted women generally performed better on a test used to gauge empathy than their male counterparts.

9 Jun 2017

Researchers uncover protective mechanism of rotifers that may have implications for aging research

Rotifers are tough, microscopic organisms highly resistant to radiation and repeated cycles of dehydration and rehydration.

6 Jun 2017

Researchers find new way to block type 1 diabetes

Researchers at The Jackson Laboratory, Cyteir Therapeutics and collaborating institutions have found a way to protect beta cells from destruction -- achieving a longtime, elusive goal that could lead to therapies preventing type 1 diabetes (T1D).

1 Jun 2017

Phase 2 clinical study examines Alzheimer's disease drug to treat adults with Down syndrome

A phase 2 clinical trial in young adults with Down syndrome of a drug being investigated for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease supports further investigation of its potential.

1 Jun 2017

Collaborative effort to develop rare disease patient registries

The Orphan Disease Center in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania will collaborate with Pulse Infoframe Inc., a medical informatics company, to develop rare disease patient registries aimed at enabling international collaboration to better understand these diseases, as well as accelerate and improve clinical studies to develop new therapies.

31 May 2017

Innate genetic advantage contributes to better outcomes in newborn infant girls than boys, research shows

Newborn infant girls have better outcomes than their male counterparts due to an innate genetic advantage in responding to acute infections, according to new research from RCSI.

26 May 2017

Scientists identify key gene in 22q11.2 that contributes to genitourinary birth defects

The 22q11.2 region of human chromosome 22 is a hotspot for a variety of birth defects. Scientists learned about this region because it is deleted in about 1 in 4,000 births, causing the loss or duplication of up to 40 genes.

25 May 2017

UCLA study characterizes brain differences between people with genetic risk for schizophrenia, autism

A UCLA study characterizes, for the first time, brain differences between people with a specific genetic risk for schizophrenia and those at risk for autism, and the findings could help explain the biological underpinnings of these neuropsychiatric disorders.

24 May 2017

Research findings may provide answers for infertility in older women

Findings from new research led by the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and University College London may finally resolve, and potentially provide answers, as to why older women have higher incidences of miscarriage and have babies with chromosomal abnormalities.

18 May 2017

Sperm epigenetics and fertility

Epigenetics is a system of information that lies atop DNA to control which genes are accessible, active and inactive. Each cell in your body essentially has identical DNA, but they have different patterns of expression.

18 May 2017

Weekly doses of steroids help hasten recovery in muscle injuries

Weekly doses of glucocorticoid steroids, such as prednisone, help speed recovery in muscle injuries, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study. The weekly steroids also repaired muscles damaged by muscular dystrophy.

17 May 2017

Study identifies first genetic locus for anorexia nervosa

A landmark study led by UNC School of Medicine researchers has identified the first genetic locus for anorexia nervosa and has revealed that there may also be metabolic underpinnings to this potentially deadly illness.

12 May 2017

New technology could hold key to predicting outcome of blood cancer patients

Technology that can detect the length of small DNA structures in cancer cells could hold the key to predicting the outcome of patients with two different types of blood cancer.

11 May 2017

Study sheds light on neural mechanisms of Fragile X syndrome

A collaboration between scientists in Belgium, the United States, Norway, France and the UK has resulted in a study that sheds light on the neural mechanisms of Fragile X syndrome.

5 May 2017

Discovery of protein that causes liver disease brings hope for new treatments

In a world-first discovery, scientists at Sydney’s Westmead Institute for Medical Research have identified a protein that causes liver fibrosis (scarring), paving the way for new treatments for liver disease to be developed.

3 May 2017

Researchers uncover molecule that may explain smoking-CHD connection

Cigarette smoking accounts for about one-fifth of cases of coronary heart disease, one of the leading causes of death worldwide, but precisely how smoking leads to CHD has long been unclear.

2 May 2017

Researchers identify new antibiotic resistance gene in bacteria from dairy cows

Researchers of the University of Bern have identified a new antibiotic resistance gene in bacteria from dairy cows. This gene confers resistance to all beta-lactam antibiotics including the last generation of cephalosporins used against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

26 Apr 2017