Puzzle of Genetic Inheritance at Cell Division Solved

I couldn't find this to be posted earlier, but I do appologize if it has. But apparently this is a major breakthrough that has taken biologists 150 years to "chip" away at. I'm excited by this news, but I don't really understand the scope of its potential benefits, maybe some of you can shed some light on this and we can have a discussion on it.

Ben Black, assistant professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics, and Nikolina Sekulic, a postdoctoral fellow in the Black lab, report in the September 16 issue of Nature the structure of the CENP-A molecule, which defines a part of the chromosome called the centromere. This is a constricted area to which specialized molecules called spindle fibers attach that help pull daughter cells apart during cell division.

"Our work gives us the first high-resolution view of the molecules that control genetic inheritance at cell division," says Black. "This is a big step forward in a puzzle that biologists have been chipping away at for over 150 years."

Besides the major advance in the understanding of the molecules driving human inheritance, this work also brings about the exciting prospect that the key components are now in hand to engineer clinically useful artificial chromosomes that will be inherited alongside our own natural chromosomes—and with the same high fidelity.

Source: Puzzle of Genetic Inheritance at Cell Divsion Solved

Here's another source that seems to be a bit more detailed for those of you that are interested:

Science Daily

Starred and flagged in an effort to help you get a conversation going.

Interesting stuff imho. I wonder what the real implications are (both short term and far flung) of this discovery?


I personally am unsure of what it will "do" but I think it's very interesting!





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Regarding the chromosomes being created artificially, does this imply that we may be able to cure downs syndrome for example? Or any other disease connected with the chromosome?