Connection Between Epigenome, Selective Mutability, Evolution, and Human Disease
Li, Harris et al., PLoS Genetics
Researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine and elsewhere propose a "connection between the epigenome, selective mutability, evolution, and human disease" based on the findings of their study on associations of structural mutability with germline DNA methylation and with non-allelic homologous recombination mediated by low-copy repeats. "Combined evidence from four human sperm methylome maps, human genome evolution, structural polymorphisms in the human population, and previous genomic and disease studies consistently points to a strong association of germline hypomethylation and genomic instability," the Baylor-led team writes.
The Tip of the Legal Iceberg, Folks
May 14, 2009
Here's a lawsuit raising interesting questions in the field of personal genomics. Kamel at BayBlab talks about the case of a girl born with Fragile X syndrome who "is suing a sperm bank after genetic tests showed the genetic condition was carried on the father's X chromosome," he writes. "In this age of personal genomes and genetic testing, how much responsibility does a sperm bank have to screen for genetic disorders with every available test?" The outcome of the case will likely have direct legal consequences as genetic screening becomes more and more commonplace, he adds.
Ironic...if they would have
Ironic...if they would have screened for fragile X she wouldn't have been born to sue them...