Scientists of KIT and the
Stability of the genome is ensured by a series of mechanisms. If these are lacking, the risk of cancer and other severe diseases is increased. Fanconi anemia is a recessive hereditary disease associated with dysplasia, degeneration of bone marrow, and an increased risk of leukemia and tumors. FANCM is one of the genes responsible for Fanconi anemia. So far, the deactivation of FANCM has been known to lead to genome instability in somatic cells, i.e. body cells that are not involved in reproduction. "We have now proven that FANCM does not only ensure genome stability in somatic cells, but also controls inheritance," explains Dr. Alexander Knoll from the Botanical Institute II of KIT, first author of the publication in The Plant Cell.
According to the findings, FANCM plays a key role in the combination of paternal and maternal traits in the germ cells. The gene can be detected in nearly all organisms, from bacteria to yeast to plants to man. For their studies, the researchers from
Article reference: Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres