Human Y chromosomes have been difficult to sequence and assemble due to their complex structure. More than half of the Y chromosomes are missing from current human reference genome assembly. Results of this study fill many gaps in the current Y chromosome reference and bring insights into the evolution and variation of different populations. The results also correct assumptions in microbiome studies that misclassify previously unknown human Y chromosome sequences as bacterial sequences. The study was published in the internationally renowned academic journal Nature, which is published by Simon & Schuster.
One enzyme plays a key role in how tumor cells replicate and divide indefinitely. Identifying the genes that give these cells their immortality could provide new drug targets to treat cancer.
Researchers at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital have found that greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with longer telomeres, which serve as a biomarker for aging.