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.

Archaeologist discovers 800-year-old genomes from bacterial infection in Byzantine skeleton

Eight hundred years ago, in a hardscrabble farming community on the outskirts of what was once one of the fabled cities of the ancient world, Troy, a 30-year-old woman was laid to rest in a stone-lined grave.

10 Jan 2017

Northwestern Medicine scientists identify targeted molecular therapy that halts childhood leukemia

Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered the genetic driver of a rare and lethal childhood leukemia and identified a targeted molecular therapy that halts the proliferation of leukemic cells.

6 Jan 2017

Potential drug could become first effective treatment option for Prader-Willi syndrome

Duke Health researchers have identified a drug-like small molecule that, in animal experiments, appears to be an effective treatment for a genetic disorder called Prader-Willi syndrome.

27 Dec 2016

Experimental drug improves survival, growth outcomes in mouse model of Prader-Willi syndrome

Drugs capable of activating silenced genes improve survival and growth outcomes in a mouse model of Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare and incurable childhood disease, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

27 Dec 2016

Researchers working to develop pill for inherited bleeding disorders

Motivated by the tribulations of hemophilia patients and their families, researchers funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering are working to develop a pill to treat this serious inherited bleeding disorder.

23 Dec 2016

UC researchers uncover obesity-related protein's role in leukemia development

Cancer researchers at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine have found an obesity-associated protein's role in leukemia development and drug response which could lead to more effective therapies for the illness.

22 Dec 2016

Researchers find new insights into silencing of X-chromosomes in human embryos

Researchers have discovered new insights into how one of the two X-chromosomes is silenced during the development of female human embryos and also in lab-grown stem cells.

16 Dec 2016

Genes that control immune system play key role in predisposition to HPV-related tumors

A number of genetic variants associated with susceptibility to oral cavity and pharyngeal cancer have been described in an international study published in the journal Nature Genetics.

16 Dec 2016

Researchers uncover first ‘off-switches’ for better control of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing

CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing is quickly revolutionizing biomedical research, but the new technology is not yet exact. The technique can inadvertently make excessive or unwanted changes in the genome and create off-target mutations, limiting safety and efficacy in therapeutic applications.

9 Dec 2016

GWAS identifies genomic locations linked to personality traits and psychiatric disorders

A meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies has identified six loci or regions of the human genome that are significantly linked to personality traits, report researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine in this week's advance online publication of Nature Genetics.

9 Dec 2016

Scientists identify biomarkers to predict patient’s response to breast cancer treatment

Why do some breast cancers respond to treatment while others resist it? A study led by researchers at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center may provide insight into this important question.

8 Dec 2016

Alkaloid in ayahuasca beverage triggers neurogenesis in human neural cells

Ayahuasca is a beverage that has been used for centuries by Native South-Americans. Studies suggest that it exhibits anxiolytic and antidepressant effects in humans.

7 Dec 2016

Study highlights requirement of protein in initiation of apoptosis in uveal melanoma

New research from the University of Liverpool has identified the role of a specific protein in the human body that can help prevent the survival and spread of eye cancer, by initiating cancer 'cell-suicide'.

6 Dec 2016

Research findings point to inherited genetic basis of ALL risk in children

A late-breaking abstract being presented today during the 58th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego identifies inherited genetic mutations in the gene IKZF1 that confer a higher likelihood of developing pediatric acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL).

6 Dec 2016

Starvation may shorten lifespans of children and male descendants, study suggests

New Tel Aviv University research suggests that periods of fasting or starvation may significantly shorten the lifespans of both children and their male descendants.

5 Dec 2016

Scientists discover unique genomic changes integral to testicular cancer development

Researchers led by scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute say they have identified unique genomic changes that may be integral to testicular cancer development and explain why the great majority are highly curable with chemotherapy - unlike most solid tumors.

1 Dec 2016

Protective barrier inside chromosomes helps prevent errors during cell division, study finds

Fresh insights into the structures that contain our genetic material could explain how the body's cells stay healthy.

1 Dec 2016

Scientists identify microrna that provides clues for quieting auditory hallucinations of schizophrenia

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have identified a small RNA (microRNA) that may be essential to restoring normal function in a brain circuit associated with the "voices" and other hallucinations of schizophrenia.

30 Nov 2016

Researchers engineer cells with 'built-in genetic circuit' that can inhibit tumour growth

Researchers at the University of Southampton have engineered cells with a 'built-in genetic circuit' that produces a molecule that inhibits the ability of tumours to survive and grow in their low oxygen environment.

24 Nov 2016

Scientists develop new technology that sheds light on HIV infection

A group of researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation and the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain, have developed a new technology that sheds light on the HIV infection and offers a first glance at the expression landscape of the HIV in the human genome.

23 Nov 2016