Chromosomes Content

Protein Integral to Sperm Development and Male Fertility Identified

Andy Fell — February 21, 2024 - 3:20pm

Early in the development of sperm, a strange event happens: the X and Y chromosomes condense into tight packages and are sequestered away from the other 44 human chromosomes. If any part of this process goes awry, the cells cannot mature into sperm. Researchers in the 51�ԹϺ�� Davis College of Biological Sciences have now identified an important link in this process — a little-known protein called ATF7IP2.

Study Provides Live View Into Dance of Chromosomes During Meiosis

Andy Fell — April 12, 2022 - 2:42pm

In the choreography of meiosis—the process responsible for sex cell division in all eukaryotic life—the pairing of homologous chromosomes (homologs) is essential. Errors in this process can lead to an incorrect number of chromosomes in sex cells, which can result in birth defects and miscarriages. Despite being studied for more than 100 years, mysteries about the process still abound.

Sequencing Puts Carnivore Chromosomes in Context

Andy Fell — February 21, 2022 - 4:28pm

Studies comparing animal genomes generally focus on the DNA sequence itself. A new study by researchers at the University of California, Davis shows how the three-dimensional scaffolding of chromosomes is related across several species of carnivores, offering a new approach of “comparative scaffotyping” that could be used to identify related genes across species and place them in context. The work, published the week of Feb.

Dark Centers of Chromosomes Reveal Ancient DNA

Andy Fell — June 18, 2019 - 5:02pm

Geneticists exploring the dark heart of the human genome have discovered big chunks of Neanderthal and other ancient DNA. The results open new ways to study both how chromosomes behave during cell division and how they have changed during human evolution.

Reconstruction of Ancient Chromosomes Offers Insight Into Mammalian Evolution

Andy Fell — June 21, 2017 - 11:50am

What if researchers could go back in time 105 million years and accurately sequence the chromosomes of the first placental mammal? What would it reveal about evolution and modern mammals, including humans?

In a study published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers have gone back in time, at least virtually, computationally recreating the chromosomes of the first eutherian mammal, the long-extinct, shrewlike ancestor of all placental mammals.

Vaccines Hitch a Genomic Ride to Ward off Deadly Chicken Disease

Patricia Bailey — November 17, 2016 - 4:18pm

A new study from 51�ԹϺ�� Davis and the U.S. Department of Agriculture describes how vaccines insert themselves into the chicken’s chromosomes to work against Marek's disease, a deadly virus of chickens, and how the vaccine's activity could offer a model for related human herpesvirus diseases such as chickenpox.