MissVelvetDress_75
Blue Crack Addict
[q]Study makes sense of Y chromosome Male genes can repair themselves
By Tim Friend
USA TODAY
Scientists have decoded the male Y chromosome, solving mysteries about how the chromosome works and why men exist.
The effort, a follow-up to the Human Genome Project, sequenced all genes on the Y chromosome. It provides the first clear view of the male genetic landscape, said David Page, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientist at the Whitehead Institute and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Y's genetic code, reported in Nature, shows the chromosome is a tightly run ship with genes dedicated primarily to one purpose: making lots of healthy sperm (about 10 trillion in a lifetime) to ensure the survival of humankind.
Scientists had assumed incorrectly that the Y chromosome is a genetic wasteland, losing pieces of itself over generations. Last year, one group predicted that the Y chromosome -- and men -- would become extinct in 10 million years.
Y's bad image is based on assumptions about chromosome pairing. Humans have 22 pairs of chromosomes, plus the female X and the male Y. When sperm and egg unite, the father's 23 chromosomes pair with the mother's.
Chromosomes are damaged over time, but the pairs are able to swap damaged parts for healthy ones, restoring chromosomes at conception. Women have two copies of the X chromosome; men have an X and Y. The XX pair can renew each other, but Y is alone, presumably unable to repair itself and on the way to oblivion.
''The Y has been the Rodney Dangerfield of chromosomes -- until now,'' Page said.
It was found that the single Y has evolved eight palindromes of genetic code -- letters that read the same backward and forward, like ''dad.'' Through this unexpected method, Y has created mirror images of its sperm-producing genes that enable it to repair damage.
''Our goal is to bring respectability to the male chromosome,'' Page said. ''The Y has been said to be the home for the remote-control gene, the belching gene and the refuse-to-ask-directions gene.''
[/q]
alright boys, so there is proof. lol this discussion provided a entertaining and lively debate during dinner tonight.
By Tim Friend
USA TODAY
Scientists have decoded the male Y chromosome, solving mysteries about how the chromosome works and why men exist.
The effort, a follow-up to the Human Genome Project, sequenced all genes on the Y chromosome. It provides the first clear view of the male genetic landscape, said David Page, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientist at the Whitehead Institute and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Y's genetic code, reported in Nature, shows the chromosome is a tightly run ship with genes dedicated primarily to one purpose: making lots of healthy sperm (about 10 trillion in a lifetime) to ensure the survival of humankind.
Scientists had assumed incorrectly that the Y chromosome is a genetic wasteland, losing pieces of itself over generations. Last year, one group predicted that the Y chromosome -- and men -- would become extinct in 10 million years.
Y's bad image is based on assumptions about chromosome pairing. Humans have 22 pairs of chromosomes, plus the female X and the male Y. When sperm and egg unite, the father's 23 chromosomes pair with the mother's.
Chromosomes are damaged over time, but the pairs are able to swap damaged parts for healthy ones, restoring chromosomes at conception. Women have two copies of the X chromosome; men have an X and Y. The XX pair can renew each other, but Y is alone, presumably unable to repair itself and on the way to oblivion.
''The Y has been the Rodney Dangerfield of chromosomes -- until now,'' Page said.
It was found that the single Y has evolved eight palindromes of genetic code -- letters that read the same backward and forward, like ''dad.'' Through this unexpected method, Y has created mirror images of its sperm-producing genes that enable it to repair damage.
''Our goal is to bring respectability to the male chromosome,'' Page said. ''The Y has been said to be the home for the remote-control gene, the belching gene and the refuse-to-ask-directions gene.''
[/q]
alright boys, so there is proof. lol this discussion provided a entertaining and lively debate during dinner tonight.
