Posted on 03/16/2005 10:34:23 AM PST by Pharmboy
LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have cracked the genetic code of the female X chromosome which is linked to more than 300 human diseases and may help to explain why women are so different from men.
It contains 1,100 genes, or about five percent of the human genome, along with information that may help to improve the diagnosis of illnesses ranging from hemophilia, blindness and autism to obesity and leukemia.
The discovery, by an international consortium of scientists, shows that females are far more variable than previously thought and, when it comes to genes, more complex than men.
"The X chromosome is definitely the most extraordinary in the human genome in terms of its inheritance pattern, its unique biology ... and in terms of its association with human disease," said Dr Mark Ross, of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Britain which led the consortium.
WHY THE DIFFERENCE?
Chromosomes, which are found in the nucleus of every cell, contain genes that determine the characteristics of an individual. Women have two X chromosomes while men have an X and a Y, which gives them their male features.
The research, which is reported in the science journal Nature, shows the Y is an eroded version of the X chromosome with only a few genes. The X chromosome is also bigger than the Y and because females have two copies, one X chromosome is largely switched off or inactivated.
But not all of the genes on the silenced chromosome are inactivated, which could explain some of the differences between men and women, according to Laura Carrel, of Penn State College of Medicine in Pennsylvania who also reported her findings in the journal.
The X inactivation also varies widely among women.
"The effects of these genes from the inactive X chromosome could explain some of the differences between men and women that aren't attributable to sex hormones," she said in a statement.
Genetic mutations and diseases such as color blindness, autism and hemophilia that are linked to the X chromosome tend to affect males because they do not have another X to compensate for the faults.
The X chromosome is also home to many genes linked to mental retardation and to the largest gene, called DMD, in the human genome. Mutations in DMD cause Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a disabling and fatal disease in men.
"There are a disproportionate number of known diseases mapped to the X chromosome," said Dr David Bentley, of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.
"In seeing what goes wrong, we can begin to understand the biological processes of the normal body much better," he added.
Vive la difference!
Pfaugh! GMTA.
>>>may help to explain why women are so different from men.<<<
Apparently these bozos haven't seen a naked man vs a naked woman, no need for this BS explanation about chromosomes, etc.
And to think that I learned from an old copy of Playboy in the 7th grade basketball locker room! lol
I wonder if they contacted Larry Summers for his comments!!
Don't let the Harvard faculty know.
I coulda saved them a lot of trouble. Women are certainly more complicated...
Women different than men????? Maybe some of um.
LOL life is good...long live women with curves!
Let's see, did I get this right? Women are XX rated and men are only X rated?
Don't mention this at Harvard...
Funny you mention that women are complictaed. I went out for a business dinner last night--four women and me. Waiter comes over to get the drink orders: OMG, you'd think this was a senate subcommittee hearing. They had to know all the ingredients of the weird drinks on the menu; then some ordered these concoctions and changed some of the ingredients. It never ended. Finally they got to me and I ordered a martini--and boy did I need it by then.
Gee, I thought it was because we had brains! LOL!
Couldn't resist...
Interesting article.
Men and women are not identical. Two things can be equal but not identical, like a matched set.
This should all be so obvious as not to need any explanation whatsoever. But some seem to want to legislate that there are no differences between men and women.
women? more complex and variable than a man? well duh. Anyone who has ever been in a relationship with a woman knows that already. Saying that a woman is more complex than a man is no great accomplishment, though. Like that great eloquent font of wisdom Jeff Foxworthy once said (paraphrased), "You're more complex than a person who will flip his underwear up in the air with his toes and try to catch it in his hand."
This is silly. Everyone knows men and women are the same and those silly little chromosomes don't have anything to do with anything. /sarcasm
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.