News from God's kingdom

Human Chromosome 19 Sequence Completed:

 

Press Release: March 31, 2004 (Joint Genome Institute):: Walnut Creek, CA--The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and Stanford University report today the completion of the sequencing of human chromosome 19, the most gene-rich of all the human chromosomes. This achievement is described in the April 1, 2004 edition of the journal Nature. Embedded in this sequence information are critical regulatory networks of genes tasked with controlling such functions as repairing DNA damage caused by exposure to radiation and to other environmental pollutants.

From the journal Nature, April 1, 2004:: Chromosome 19 has the highest gene density of all human chromosomes, more than double the genome-wide average. The large clustered gene families, corresponding high G + C content, CpG islands and density of repetitive DNA indicate a chromosome rich in biological and evolutionary significance. A hallmark feature of chromosome 19 is its unusually high density of genes. On average, 26 protein-coding gene loci were found per megabase, and exons cover 3.55 Mb of the sequence (6.4%), a percentage significantly higher than the genome-wide average of 1.5%. Chromosome 19 is also unusual in its density of repeat sequences. Nearly 55% of this chromosome consists of repetitive elements