Current ratings for: Inherited gene copies 'randomly activated,' study suggests

Public / Patient:

5 (1 vote)

Health Professionals:

0 (0 votes)

It is common knowledge that with many illnesses, such as cancer, risk of development is partly determined by family history of the disease. But new research suggests that "random chance" decides if a certain gene copy that is inherited from our mother or father is actually used.

Researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in the UK say that their findings, published in the journal Science, may explain why some people become ill even if they have the same gene copy as healthy relatives.

The investigators explain that there are two copies of each gene in the human body - one which is inherited from our mother and one from our father.

They note that the majority of existing research suggests that both gene copies are used equally, but their new study suggests otherwise.

To reach their findings, the researchers created a technique which allowed them to closely analyze how genes work in individual cells - something lead author Dr. Rickard Sandberg says has not been done before.

See the original post here:
Inherited gene copies 'randomly activated,' study suggests

Comments are closed.