Preimplantation Genetic Screening (PGS / PGT-A) can help to identify embryos compatible with life as part of IVF cycles. Current techniques use DNA from the embryo or from the culture media to assess the number of chromosomes present.
Telomeres form caps on the ends of chromosomes that prevent fusion of chromosomal ends and provide genomic stability. During gametogenesis, reprogramming of the germ cells leads to elongation of telomeres up to their species-specific maximum. In normal somatic cells, telomeres are progressively shortened with every cell division. This shortening in normal human cells limits the number of […]
Small changes in the sequence of human chromosomes can have detrimental effects in the person’s health and development. The often affect multiple genes but are too small to be visible with traditional karyotyping methods. These changes seem to appear near regions of low complexity (repetitive sequence regions) with some consistency as novel mutations. The following […]
Some of the landmarks in the history of DNA sequencing and molecular biology.
Quick introduction to epigenetics – one of the other layers of information in the genome.