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.
Study Uncovers Ties between Atherosclerosis Risk SNPs and Circular Non-Coding RNA Levels
Using a variety of genetic approaches, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers have shown that some SNPs previously linked to atherosclerosis risk can affect the splicing of a long, non-coding RNA that's found in both circular and linear forms in human cells.
New to GenomeWeb? Register quickly here for free access.