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.

More evidence of high oxidative stress levels found in Down syndrome neurons

Down syndrome, the most common genetic form of intellectual disability, results from an extra copy of one chromosome. Although people with Down syndrome experience intellectual difficulties and other problems, scientists have had trouble identifying why that extra chromosome causes such widespread effects.

28 May 2013

Loss of Merlin protein leads to abnormal growth of tumours

A study led by researchers from Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry has for the first time revealed how the loss of a particular tumour suppressing protein leads to the abnormal growth of tumours of the brain and nervous system.

17 May 2013

Researchers demonstrate how EGF accelerates division of cell nucleus

Biologists at Heidelberg University have discovered new approaches for the treatment of cancer. They investigated how a special signalling molecule, the epidermal growth factor (EGF), stimulates the separation of chromosomes in the cell. The researchers were able to demonstrate that EGF accelerates the division of the cell nucleus, i.e. mitosis, as well as boosts precision in chromosome segregation.

15 May 2013

Echevarne to distribute Natera's non-invasive prenatal screening test in Spain

Natera, a leading innovator in prenatal genetic testing, and Echevarne, a leading clinical analysis laboratory in Spain, today announced the signing of a distribution agreement for Echevarne to offer Natera's non-invasive prenatal screening test, Panorama, through its facilities in Spain.

From Natera 15 May 2013

Researchers identify link between GPR126 gene and adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

Researchers from the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences in Japan have identified the first gene to be associated with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (also called AIS) across Asian and Caucasian populations.

13 May 2013

National Institutes of Health names University of Rochester a Center for AIDS Research

The University of Rochester was named a Center for AIDS Research by the National Institutes of Health, a designation that infuses $7.5 million into HIV/AIDS work across the University and places it amongst the best in the nation for research to improve the prevention, detection and treatment of the disease.

10 May 2013

UA researchers discover genetic mutations that cause severe epilepsies in children

Researchers at the University of Arizona have successfully determined the genetic mutations causing severe epilepsies in seven out of 10 children for whom the cause of the disorder could not be determined clinically or by conventional genetic testing.

9 May 2013

TRACK-HD study: A set of tests could help identify progression of Huntington's disease

Scientists have identified a set of tests that could help identify whether and how Huntington's disease is progressing in groups of people who are not yet showing symptoms.

9 May 2013

Researchers explore biological processes of stem cell division

The human body contains trillions of cells, all derived from a single cell, or zygote, made by the fusion of an egg and a sperm. That single cell contains all the genetic information needed to develop into a human, and passes identical copies of that information to each new cell as it divides into the many diverse types of cells that make up a complex organism like a human being.

6 May 2013

CHOP research offers insights into epilepsy, schizophrenia, other neuropsych disorders

Medical researchers have manipulated human stem cells into producing types of brain cells known to play important roles in neurodevelopmental disorders such as epilepsy, schizophrenia and autism.

3 May 2013

Findings set the stage for identifying potential new drug targets, treatment strategies for AML

nvestigators for The Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network have detailed and broadly classified the genomic alterations that frequently underlie the development of acute myeloid leukemia, a deadly cancer of the blood and bone marrow.

2 May 2013

Details about genomic landscapes of AML and endometrial cancer revealed

Two studies from The Cancer Genome Atlas program reveal details about the genomic landscapes of acute myeloid leukemia and endometrial cancer.

2 May 2013

MRSA circulation among children greatest in hospitals

The hospital environment remains the most common source of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, show results from a systematic review and meta-analysis looking at nasal colonization in different groups of children.

29 Apr 2013

Study identifies gene variants associated with histological features of NAFLD

More patients could be diagnosed earlier with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease after a cohort study presented at the International Liver Congress 2013 identified variants within four genes significantly associated with the histological features of the disease.

24 Apr 2013

Discovery reverses the prevailing model of how dividing cells monitor equal distribution of chromosomes

Ludwig researchers Arshad Desai and Christopher Campbell, a post-doctoral fellow in his laboratory, were conducting an experiment to parse the molecular details of cell division about three years ago, when they engineered a mutant yeast cell as a control that, in theory, had no chance of surviving. Apparently unaware of this, the mutant thrived.

22 Apr 2013

Indiana researcher uses OMX light microscope to image mitosis process

Like a pair of dancers sheathed in blue, two chromosomes take the cell's center stage in this scene from the elegant—and usually perfectly performed—process of mitosis.

22 Apr 2013

Researchers find new potential target for anti-telomerase cancer therapy

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that alternative splicing - a process that allows a single gene to code for multiple proteins - appears to be a new potential target for anti-telomerase cancer therapy.

20 Apr 2013

Three MGH projects named among Top 10 Clinical Research Achievements of 2012

Three projects led by Massachusetts General Hospital investigators have been named among the Clinical Research Forum's Top 10 Clinical Research Achievements of 2012.

19 Apr 2013

North American scientists chart new territory in immunity research

Cracking the DNA code for a complex region of the human genome has helped 14 North American scientists, including five at Simon Fraser University, chart new territory in immunity research.