Selfish genes can act as both makers, breakers of species
A selfish streak in genes known to drive species apart might occasionally bring them closer together, says a new study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Rochester.
A selfish streak in genes known to drive species apart might occasionally bring them closer together, says a new study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Rochester.
Plants & Animals
Dec 20, 2018
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In cell biology, men and women are unequal: men have an X chromosome, while women have two. How can we get around this difference? Geneticists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, turned to some historic research ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 19, 2018
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Each cell in a woman's body contains two X chromosomes. One of these chromosomes is switched off, because nobody can live with two active X chromosomes. Hendrik Marks and Henk Stunnenberg, molecular biologists at Radboud ...
Biotechnology
Aug 19, 2015
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Several genes have been lost from the Y chromosome in humans and other mammals, according to research published in the open access journal Genome Biology. The study shows that essential Y genes are rescued by relocating to ...
Biotechnology
May 27, 2015
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Many proteins interact with an RNA molecule called Xist to coat and silence one X chromosome in every female cell. Learning how genes are targeted and silenced may help researchers studying sex-specific diseases.
Biotechnology
Apr 3, 2015
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Sexually dimorphic animals are often distinguished by unequal number of the X-chromosomes. While males have only one X chromosome, females have two copies, prompting an evolutionary pressure for compensatory mechanisms against ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 19, 2014
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Calico cats, renowned and beloved for their funky orange and black patchwork or "tortoiseshell" fur, can thank X chromosome inactivation or "silencing" for their unique look.
Biochemistry
Feb 18, 2014
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Females carry two copies of the X chromosome which—unlike the male's gene-poor Y chromosome—are home to 1000 genes crucial to development. So how does the developing female embryo inactivate duplicate genes along the ...
Biotechnology
Oct 29, 2013
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Scientists historically have argued that evolution proceeds through gradual development of traits. But how can incremental changes apply to the binary switch between two sexes, male or female? Researchers at Case Western ...
Evolution
Jul 29, 2013
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Male fruit flies have one X chromosome per cell, females have two. So genes on the male X must work twice as hard to produce the same amount of protein as its female counterparts. An LMU team has found a new switch involved ...
Biotechnology
Jul 29, 2013
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