X chromosome News and Research

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Study reveals mechanism that regulates genes on sex chromosomes

In the human population, males have one X and one Y chromosomes and females have two X chromosomes. As a result, somatic cells have unique mechanisms that maintain the same gene expression levels on the X chromosome between both genders.

10 Mar 2021

Study uncovers unusual sex chromosomes of Australian iconic animals

The sex chromosomes genetically define the developmental fate of an embryo to become a male or a female individual, and usually, appear as one pair of morphologically different chromosomes between sexes.

8 Jan 2021

Cancer mutations occur in distinct patterns based on 3D structure of the genome

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

Researchers reconstruct the birth of a male sex chromosome in Atlantic herring

The evolution of sex chromosomes is of crucial importance in biology as it stabilises the mechanism underlying sex determination and usually results in an equal sex ratio.

10 Sep 2020

Researchers show how two X chromosomes communicate during embryo development

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have solved a mystery that has long puzzled scientists: How do the bodies of female humans and all other mammals decide which of the two X chromosomes it carries in each cell should be active and which one should be silent?

18 Aug 2020

A genetic switch in brain cells can toggle between sex-specific states when necessary

Biological sex is typically understood in binary terms: male and female. However, there are many examples of animals that are able to modify sex-typical biological and behavioral features and even change sex.

11 Aug 2020

New theory shows why Y chromosome may be more resilient than previously believed

The Y chromosome, which is relatively smaller than its counterpart, the X chromosome, has significantly reduced in size across 200 million years of evolution.

7 Aug 2020

New technology helps visualize entire genome at molecular resolution

Scientists from Harvard University, CNAG, and CRG have demonstrated a pioneering technology that helps observe hundreds of genomes under the microscope.

29 Jul 2020

Virginia Tech scientists reveal molecular cause underlying rare genetic disorder

Virginia Tech scientists have revealed how a nonfunctioning version of an ordinary gene impairs brain structure and function. The findings help explain a genetic form of microcephaly -- a condition where babies' heads are small and grow more slowly than their peers.

28 Jul 2020

RNA editing repair technique shows promise for treating neurological disorders

Researchers have effectively edited RNA in a living creature such that the repaired RNA subsequently rectified a mutation in a protein that leads to Rett syndrome—a debilitating neurological disorder that affects people.

15 Jul 2020

Researchers identify osmotic stress as stimulator of cellular waste disposal

Cellular waste disposal, where autophagy and lysosomes interact, performs elementary functions, such as degrading damaged protein molecules, which impair cellular function, and reintroducing the resulting building blocks such as amino acids into the metabolic system.

29 Jun 2020