New insights into why humans are more susceptible to cancer and other diseases
Chimpanzees rarely get cancer, or a variety of other diseases that commonly arise in humans, but their genomic DNA sequence is nearly identical to ours. So, what's their secret? Researchers reporting in the September issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics, have found that differences in certain DNA modifications, called methylation, might play a role.
The researchers discovered hundreds of genes that display different patterns of methylation between the two species. These different patterns of methylation lead to different levels of expression, and many of the genes involved are linked to specific human diseases. Given that environmental factors can affect DNA methylation, these results might help researchers to better understand how differences in genetics and environmental exposure contribute to differences, including different disease vulnerabilities, between the two species.
DNA methylation doesn't change a cell's underlying genetic information, but it does affect gene activity and can have a profound impact on processes such as aging and the development of disease. By using new state-of-the-art techniques to look at methylation maps and gene expression in the brains of chimpanzees and humans, the investigators found that changes in DNA methylation at least partially explain the divergence of gene-expression patterns between these species.
In addition, differentially methylated genes showed striking links with specific neurological and psychological disorders and cancers to which modern humans are particularly susceptible, suggesting that changes in DNA methylation might be linked to the evolution of humans' vulnerability to certain diseases.
"Our results hint, but by no means provide proof, that epigenetic divergence—or changes of chemical properties of DNA—may be particularly important for some disease-related phenotypes that are pertinent to modern humans," says senior author Dr. Soojin Yi, from the Georgia Institute of Technology. "Such findings, in the long-term, may contribute to the development of better therapeutic targets for some human diseases," she adds.
Journal reference:
American Journal of Human Genetics
Provided by
Cell Press
-
Controlling patterns of DNA methylation
Oct 28, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Epigenetics alters genes in rheumatoid arthritis
Jul 03, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Genomes of identical twins reveal epigenetic changes that may play role in lupus
Dec 21, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Inherited epigenetics produced record fast evolution
Feb 29, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Epigenetic signals differ across alleles
Feb 12, 2010 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Motion perception revisited: High Phi effect challenges established motion perception assumptions
Apr 23, 2013 |
3 / 5 (2) |
2
-
Anything you can do I can do better: Neuromolecular foundations of the superiority illusion (Update)
Apr 02, 2013 |
4.5 / 5 (11) |
5
-
The visual system as economist: Neural resource allocation in visual adaptation
Mar 30, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
9
-
Separate lives: Neuronal and organismal lifespans decoupled
Mar 27, 2013 |
4.9 / 5 (8) |
0
-
Sizing things up: The evolutionary neurobiology of scale invariance
Feb 28, 2013 |
4.8 / 5 (10) |
14
-
Classical and Quantum Mechanics via Lie algebras
Apr 15, 2011
- More from Physics Forums - Independent Research
More news stories
Researchers identify new circadian clock component
Northwestern University scientists have shown a gene involved in neurodegenerative disease also plays a critical role in the proper function of the circadian clock.
Genetics
May 16, 2013 |
3 / 5 (1) |
1
|
Returning genetic incidental findings without patient consent violates basic rights, experts say
Informed consent is the backbone of patient care. Genetic testing has long required patient consent and patients have had a "right not to know" the results. However, as 21st century medicine now begins to use the tools of ...
Genetics
May 16, 2013 |
5 / 5 (1) |
3
|
Ethicists provide framework supporting new recommendations on reporting incidental findings in gene sequencing
In a paper published in Science Express, a group of experts led by bioethicists in the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine provide a framework for the new American College of Medical Geneti ...
Genetics
May 16, 2013 |
not rated yet |
0
Experts urge caution over use of new genetic sequencing techniques
The use of genome-wide analysis (GWA), where the entirety of an individual's DNA is examined to look for the genomic mutations or variants which can cause health problems is a massively useful technology for diagnosing disease. ...
Genetics
May 16, 2013 |
not rated yet |
0
Collecting DNA for human rights: How to help while safeguarding privacy
DNA databases might help identify victims of crime and human trafficking, but how do we safeguard the personal privacy of innocent victims and family members? A new report online May 15 in the Cell Press journal Trends in ...
Genetics
May 15, 2013 |
not rated yet |
0
The compound in the Mediterranean diet that makes cancer cells 'mortal'
New research suggests that a compound abundant in the Mediterranean diet takes away cancer cells' "superpower" to escape death. By altering a very specific step in gene regulation, this compound essentially re-educates cancer ...
Study shows how bilinguals switch between languages
(Medical Xpress)—Individuals who learn two languages at an early age seem to switch back and forth between separate "sound systems" for each language, according to new research conducted at the University of Arizona.
Study suggests new source of kidneys for transplant
Nearly 20 percent of kidneys that are recovered from deceased donors in the U.S. are refused for transplant due to factors ranging from scarring in small blood vessels of the kidney's filtering units to the organ going too ...
Discovery of circadian clock in mice hair reveals period of time when damage from radiotherapy can be quickly repaired
Discovering that mouse hair has a circadian clock - a 24-hour cycle of growth followed by restorative repair - researchers suspect that hair loss in humans from toxic cancer radiotherapy and chemotherapy ...
SARS-like virus claims new life in Saudi
A Saudi man who had contracted the coronavirus has died, raising the death toll in the kingdom from the SARS-like virus to 16, the health ministry announced on Monday on its Internet website.
Gym class reduces probability of obesity, study finds for first time
Little is known about the effect of physical education (PE) on child weight, but a new study from Cornell University finds that increasing the amount of time that elementary schoolchildren spent in gym class reduces the probability ...