Chromosome 8 (human)

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Chromosome 8 is one of the 23 pairs of chromosomes in humans. People normally have two copies of this chromosome. Chromosome 8 spans about 145 million base pairs (the building material of DNA) and represents between 4.5 and 5.0% of the total DNA in cells.

The chromosome has two arms, 8p and 8q. The short arm, 8p, has about 45 million base pairs, about 1.5% of the genome, and includes 484 genes and 110 pseudogenes; about 8% of its genes are involved in brain development and function, and about 16% are involved in cancer. A unique feature of 8p is a big region of about 15 megabases that appears to have a high mutation rate, and which shows an immense divergence between human and chimpanzee, suggesting that its high mutation rates have contributed to the evolution of the human brain.

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 8 is likely to contain between 700 and 1,000 genes.

For more information about Chromosome 8 (human), read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with chromosome 8

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Two more genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's disease found

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created Sep 06, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

An international team of scientists has identified two more genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. The findings are reported in the online edition of the journal Nature Genetics.


Scientists discover novel mechanism that increases colorectal cancer risk

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Jun 29, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1

Finnish Academy Professors Lauri Aaltonen and Jussi Taipale have identified and described a mechanism whereby a single-base change in the human genome increases the risk of colorectal cancer.


Cleft lip and palate: Genes more important than thought?

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created Mar 08, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Comparing 500,000 snippets of human DNA put scientists from the University of Bonn on the right track. A genetic variant on chromosome 8 occurs with significantly higher frequency in people with cleft lip and palate than ...


Team finds breast cancer gene linked to disease spread

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Jan 05, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 0

A team of researchers at Princeton University and The Cancer Institute of New Jersey has identified a long-sought gene that is fatefully switched on in 30 to 40 percent of all breast cancer patients, spreading the disease, ...





Search results for chromosome 8


Why females live longer than males: is it due to the father's sperm?

Medicine & Health / Research

created 11 hours ago | popularity 4.4 / 5 (8) | comments 3

Researchers in Japan have found that female mice produced by using genetic material from two mothers but no father live significantly longer than mice with the normal mix of maternal and paternal genes. Their findings provide ...


Gene mismatch influences success of bone marrow transplants

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created Nov 22, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

A commonly inherited gene deletion can increase the likelihood of immune complications following bone marrow transplantation, an international team of researchers reports in the November 22 advance online issue of Nature Ge ...


Scientists identify DNA that regulates antibody production

Medicine & Health / Research

created Nov 20, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- When foreign invaders trip the immune system’s alarm, antibodies need to be specially sculpted to attack them head on. New research now shows that gene segments called enhancers control the reshuffling of ...


PLoS Genetics 2009 maize genome collection

Biology / Biotechnology

created Nov 19, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Maize is an important crop in many countries of the world. It is widely used for human consumption, animal feed, and industrial materials. It also is considered an exemplar plant species for studying domestication, molecular ...


Beyond genomics, biologists and engineers decode the next frontier

Beyond genomics, biologists and engineers decode the next frontier

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Nov 18, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of Princeton biologists and engineers has dramatically improved the speed and accuracy of measuring an enigmatic set of proteins that influences almost every aspect of how cells and ...


New Down syndrome treatment suggested by study in mice

Medicine & Health / Research

created Nov 18, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (5) | comments 1

At birth, children with Down syndrome aren't developmentally delayed. But as they age, these kids fall behind. Memory deficits inherent in Down syndrome hinder learning, making it hard for the brain to collect experiences ...


Largest gene study of childhood IBD identifies 5 new genes

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created Nov 15, 2009 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (3) | comments 0

In the largest, most comprehensive genetic analysis of childhood-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), an international research team has identified five new gene regions, including one involved in a biological pathway ...


Chromosomes dance and pair up on the nuclear membrane

Chromosomes dance and pair up on the nuclear membrane (w/ Video)

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Nov 13, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Meiosis - the pairing and recombination of chromosomes, followed by segregation of half to each egg or sperm cell - is a major crossroads in all organisms reproducing sexually. Yet, how the ...


curly hair

Single gene may cause curly hair

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created Nov 10, 2009 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (8) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists in Australia have identified a single gene that strongly influences whether you have curly or straight hair.


Study shows that some malignant tumors can be shut down after all

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Nov 09, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (8) | comments 1

Oncologists have had their hands tied because more than half of all human cancers have mutations that disable a protein called p53. As a critical anti-cancer watchdog, p53 masterminds several cancer-fighting operations within ...



List of search results for chromosome 8