Counting Duplicated Genome Segments Now Possible
Sunday, August 30, 2009 - 20:14
in Biology & Nature
A new computational method has proven its usefulness in counting duplicated sequences in human genomes and in initially assessing their content. Duplicated segments have been linked with several types of diseases, including intellectual impairment, schizoprhenia, lupus, Crohn's, psoriasis and macular degeneration. They have also been found in resistance to certain diseases, like HIV infections. Determining the number, content, and location of segmental duplications is vital to understanding their health implications.