The complete sequence of the human chromosome

A group of scientists completes the sequence of the chromosome 1, associated to 350 illnesses

An international team of scientists has completed the sequence of the chromosome 1, the one bigger than all and associated to some 350 illnesses, according to those responsible for the investigation.

The complete sequence of that chromosome that contain 8% of the whole genetic human information and 3.141 genes, was published in the last number of the scientific British magazine Nature.


This attainment is the last chapter of the human genome, according to the scientists that have participated in the investigation, to the front of which figure the Institute Wellcome Trust Sanger in Hinxton, in Cambridgeshire (southeast of England), and the University Duke in Durham, in New Carolina (EE UU).

Several types of cancer and Alzheimer

Some 350 illnesses are related with modifications of the chromosome 1, among them several types of cancer and neurological problems, as the wrong of Alzheimer or the Parkinson's disease, the investigators indicated. In fact, the complete published sequence this Wednesday you have already been used to identify more than a thousand of new genes and the scientists hope you contribute to find new treatments and diagnostics of illnesses.

"The publication of the sequence of the last and human bigger chromosome completes the history of the human" genome, Simón explains to Gregory, in charge of the project in the Institute Wellcome Trust Sanger. "The chromosome 1 contain fascinating histories of the biology of the chromosomes, of our evolution and our health", you have assured.

Ten years to complete the studio

Each human chromosome is compound for a molecule of DNA in form of a double helix and integrated by millions of chemical bases represented by the letters TO, C, T and G. In short, the Chromosome 1 contain 223.569.464 bases of the genetic code that, in the event of being treated mecanográficamente, they would occupy 60.000 pages.

The investigation team, formed by about 150 British and American scientists, you have taken ten years in completing the studio.