Chromosome 8 (human)
hideChromosome 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.
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News tagged with chromosome 8
Two more genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's disease found
Sep 06, 2009 |
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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.
Cleft lip and palate: Genes more important than thought?
Mar 08, 2009 |
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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
Jan 05, 2009 |
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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, ...
Scientists discover novel mechanism that increases colorectal cancer risk
Jun 29, 2009 |
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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.
Search results for chromosome 8
Scientists demonstrate role of protein in distinguishing chromosome ends from DNA breaks
Sep 17, 2009 |
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The Stowers Institute's Baumann Lab has demonstrated how human cells protect chromosome ends from misguided repairs that can lead to cancer. The work, published in The EMBO Journal, a publication of the European Molecular Biolog ...
Male sex chromosome losing genes by rapid evolution, study reveals
Jul 17, 2009 |
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Scientists have long suspected that the sex chromosome that only males carry is deteriorating and could disappear entirely within a few million years, but until now, no one has understood the evolutionary ...
Sex Talk Revelations of the Lonely Y Chromosome
Sep 09, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- In the week that the University of Leicester celebrates the 25th anniversary of the discovery of DNA fingerprinting (Thursday September 10) new findings from the world-renowned University of Leicester Department ...
'Achilles' heel' in Y chromosome linked to sex disorders
Sep 03, 2009 |
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The unique mechanism behind the evolutionary survival of the human Y chromosome may also be responsible for a range of sex disorders, from failed sperm production to sex reversal to Turner Syndrome.
Researchers discover mechanism that prevents two species from reproducing
Oct 26, 2009 |
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Cornell researchers have discovered a genetic mechanism in fruit flies that prevents two closely related species from reproducing, a finding that offers clues to how species evolve.
New study rewrites textbook on key genetic phenomenon
Jul 01, 2009 |
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Because females carry two copies of the X chromosome to males' one X and one Y, they harbor a potentially toxic double dose of the over 1000 genes that reside on the X chromosome.
Small RNAs can play critical roles in male infertility/contraception
Apr 09, 2009 |
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University of Nevada School of Medicine scientists in the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology have discovered insight into the reproductive workings of the male sex chromosome that may have significant ...
The story of X -- evolution of a sex chromosome
Apr 16, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Move over, Y chromosome - it's time X got some attention. In the first evolutionary study of the chromosome associated with being female, University of California, Berkeley, biologist Doris ...
Dogs, humans, put heads together to find cure for brain cancer
Jul 06, 2009 |
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Pinpointing the genes involved in human brain cancer can be like looking for a needle in a haystack, and sometimes the needle you find may not be the right one. By comparing human and canine genomes, researchers at North ...
Novel genetic region identified for childhood asthma in Mexicans
Aug 28, 2009 |
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Genetic variants in a region on chromosome 9q may influence asthma development in Mexican children, according to research published in the August 28 issue of the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.
List of search results for chromosome 8
