這項發表於NATURE的研究為唐氏(21染色體三體異常)患者帶來曙光。科學家將一段稱為XIST(the X-inactivation gene)的基因插入此病患者的幹細胞後使多餘的那條染色體失效, 從而糾正了細胞生長的異常。這段基因的作用是關閉女性胚胎中一條X染色體的表達以避免重複。
Humans are born with 23 pairs of chromosomes, including two sex chromosomes, making a total of 46 in each cell.
People with Down's syndrome have three - rather than two - copies of chromosome 21.
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Down's syndrome is caused by an extra chromosome
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