If you currently use a spreadsheet like Microsoft Excel for data analysis, you might be interested in taking a look at this tutorial on how to transition from Excel to R by Tony Ojeda. The tutorial explains how to use R functions in place of Excel formulas, including tools like =AVERAGE and =VLOOKUP. For the most part, it uses modern R packages to keep the R code clear and concise.

You'll likely still be using Excel as a data source, though, so you'll also want to check out this guide to importing data from Excel to R from MilanoR.

Reference http://www.r-bloggers.com/an-r-tutorial-for-microsoft-excel-users/

What Are Chromosome Rearrangements?

Chromosome rearrangements are structural changes that alter the normal configuration of chromosomes. These changes can involve large segments of DNA — from thousands to millions of base pairs — and can occur spontaneously, be inherited, or result from exposure to mutagens (like radiation or chemicals).

Common Types of Rearrangements:

1. Deletions – Loss of a chromosome segment

2. Duplications – Repetition of a segment

3. Inversions – A segment breaks off, flips, and reattaches

4. Translocations – Segments exchange places between non-homologous chromosomes

5. Insertions – A segment is inserted into another part of the genome

These changes can disrupt genes directly or affect gene regulation, leading to disease.

How Do Chromosome Rearrangements Cause Disease?

The impact of a rearrangement depends on which genes are involved, how much DNA is affected, and when the rearrangement occurs (in development vs. adulthood). Here are some key mechanisms:

• Gene disruption: Breaking a gene can lead to loss of function or the creation of a non-functional protein.

• Gene fusion: Joining parts of two genes may form a novel hybrid gene with new functions (common in cancer).

• Dosage effects: Extra or missing gene copies can disturb the balance of gene expression.

• Position effects: Moving a gene to a new regulatory environment may silence or over-activate it.

Chromosome Rearrangements in Human Disease

1. Developmental Disorders

• Cri-du-chat syndrome: Caused by a deletion on chromosome 5p. Affected infants often have a high-pitched cry and intellectual disability.

• Williams syndrome: Results from a microdeletion on chromosome 7q, affecting genes related to cardiovascular and cognitive function.

2. Cancer

Cancer is perhaps the most striking example of disease caused by chromosome rearrangements.

• Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML): Caused by a translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22, forming the Philadelphia chromosome. This creates the BCR-ABL fusion gene, which drives uncontrolled cell growth.

• Burkitt lymphoma: Involves translocation of the MYC gene, leading to excessive cell division.

• Ewing sarcoma: A fusion of EWSR1 and FLI1 genes through translocation promotes tumor development.

3. Infertility and Miscarriages

Balanced rearrangements (like inversions or translocations) in carriers may not cause disease directly but can result in:

• Recurrent miscarriages

• Infertility

• Birth defects in offspring

Detecting Rearrangements

Thanks to modern genomics, chromosome rearrangements can now be detected with high precision using:

• Karyotyping – Classic method for detecting large rearrangements

• FISH (Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization) – Uses fluorescent probes to target specific DNA sequences

• Array CGH (Comparative Genomic Hybridization) – Detects copy number changes across the genome

• Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) – Identifies even small or complex rearrangements at base-pair resolution

Looking Forward: The Future of Chromosome Medicine

Understanding chromosome rearrangements is now central to:

• Personalized medicine

• Genetic counseling

• Targeted therapies, especially in cancer (e.g., tyrosine kinase inhibitors for BCR-ABL fusion)

With the rise of long-read sequencing and single-cell genomics, even previously “invisible” rearrangements are being uncovered, offering new insights into both rare diseases and common conditions.

Final Thoughts

Chromosome rearrangements remind us that genetics isn't just about which genes we have — but where they are, how they're arranged, and when they're active. As our tools grow sharper, so does our ability to diagnose, understand, and treat diseases rooted in genomic architecture.

In a way, the genome is like a book not just defined by its words, but also by how the chapters are ordered. Rearranging them can create a new story — sometimes harmful, sometimes insightful — and understanding these changes is key to writing a healthier future.

• Function(data, options)

Even quit is a function

• q()

So is help

help(read.table)

Provides the help page for the FUNCTION ‘read.table’

help.search(“t test”)

Searches for help pages that might relate to the phrase ‘t test’

NOTE: quotes are needed for search strings, they are not needed when referring to data objects or function names.

There is a short cut for help,

? shows the help page on a function name, same as help(function)

?read.table

?? searches for help pages on functions, same as help.search(‘phrase’)

??“t test”

Information is usually returned from a function, by default this is printed to screen

read.table(‘data.tsv’)

This can always be stored, we call what it is stored in an ‘object’

mydata

here mydata is an object of type dataframe

Reminder:

• Vector: a list of numbers, equivalent to a column in a table
• Data Frame = a collection of vectors. Equivalent to a table

Hint:

• Up/Down arrow keys can be use to cycle through previous commands

Central University of Jharkhand has been granted funds by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Govt. of India to establish “DBT-Boost to CUJ Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Departments for Education and Research” Applications are invited for the Assistant Professor on purely temporary basis. The appointments shall be initially for a period of one year, renewable every year depending on the satisfactory performance, till the end of project.

Position: ASSISTANT PROFESSOR (Total 03)
Salary: 45,000/- (fixed) per month
Essential Qualifications: i. Good academic record with at least 55% marks (or an equivalent grade in a point scale wherever grading system is followed) at the master’s degree level with specialization in Biodiversity and Systematic/ Systems Biology/ Biophysics/ Bioinformatics from an Indian University, or an equivalent degree from an accredited foreign university. ii. Besides fulfilling the above qualifications, the candidates must have cleared the National Eligibility Test (NET) conducted by the UGC, CSIR or similar test accredited by the UGC like SLET/SET. iii. Notwithstanding anything contained in i. and ii. candidates, who are or have been awarded Ph.D Degree in accordance with the University Grants Commission (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of Ph.D. Degree) Regulation, 2009, shall be exempted from therequirement of the minimum eligibility condition of NET/SLET/SET for recruitment and appointment of Assistant Professor. iv. NET/SLET/SET shall also not be required for such disciplines for which NET/SLET/SET in not conducted.
Desirable: Preference will be given to candidates having Ph.D in any of the above mentioned areas with NET

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER :

Last Date to Apply for this job 24/3/2015

REFERENCE:

Central University of Jharkhand (CUJ) Recruitment 2015 – Advt. No.: CUJ/Advt./14-15/15 Date: 26th Feb. 2015.

More at http://cuj.ac.in/careers.php

In addition to providing a broad sample of the diversity in S. bicolor, the genotypes included in this study are known to display agronomically important traits including stay-green drought resistance, insect resistance, grain size and grain quality.

Find more at http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2013/130827/ncomms3320/full/ncomms3320.html

http://molbiolabccsumrt.webs.com/

Applications are invited for one post of RA in a DBT funded research project “Creation of Bioinformatics Infrastructure Facility (BIF) for the promotion of Biology Teaching through Bioinformatics (BTBI) Scheme of BTISet”.

Candidate should have a Ph.D. degree in Bioinformatics/Biotechnology/Genetics and Plant Breeding with adequate experience in the area of Bioinformatics. If a suitable candidate for the post of RA is not available, a JRF/SRF may be appointed.

Candidate for the post of JRF/SRF should have Master’s degree in relevant subject with adequate experience in the area of Bioinformatics and should be NET/DBT-BINC qualified

Interested candidates may send their bio-data to Prof. H. S. Balyan (hsbalyan@gmail.com) (in exceptional case, bio-data may also be submitted at the time of interview) and attend the interview on Monday, March 30, 2015 at 11:00 AM in the Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding, Ch. Charan Singh University, Meerut. Candidates shall bring their original documents at the time of interview for verification. No interview letters will be issued and no TA/DA will be paid.

Code in almost all popular languages using Coding Ground. Edit, compile, execute and share your projects, 100% cloud.

http://www.tutorialspoint.com/codingground.htm

Address of the bookmark: http://www.tutorialspoint.com/codingground.htm

Note: This image/cartoon is create only for fun. It has nothing to do with any scientific findings.