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Stem Cells Change Man's DNA

Posted by Zonk on from the oh-man-science-is-weird dept.

An anonymous reader writes "After receiving umbilical cord stem cells to replace bone marrow as treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Greg Graves temporarily had three different sets of DNA. Eventually, one of the two sets of cells transplanted into his bone marrow took root, leaving him different DNA in his blood from the rest of his body: 'If you were to do a DNA test of my blood and one from my skin, they'd be different,' Graves said. 'It's a pretty wild thing.'"

6 of 171 comments (clear)

  1. Beginning of the end? by h890231398021 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Perhaps this is the beginning of the end for the use of DNA as "incontrovertable" evidence in criminal cases?

    1. Re:Beginning of the end? by juancnuno · · Score: 3, Interesting

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydia_Fairchild

  2. first man-made chimera? by pohl · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Does this mean Mr. Graves is the world's first man-made chimera?

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  3. Re: So much for DNA evidence... by corsec67 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydia_Fairchild

    Summary: Woman is a Chimera (two sets of DNA), and gets a paternity test, first one fails, second succeds because they take from another part of her body.

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  4. as recalled by the csi tag by circletimessquare · · Score: 4, Interesting

    in that episode, there was a man who cleverly attempted to avoid culpability in a murder because his blood was a different genotype than the rest of him, because he was a chimera. the csi team spends much time in vain trying to pin the murder on the murderer's brothers, because genetic tests indicate he is related to the "real" murderer

    real but extremely rare, it developmentally consists of nonidentical twins in the womb whose embryos fuse very early on, when that is still possible (when they are only a couple of hundred cells, for example)

    then the organism consists of one individual, but one organ system might be a completely different genetic makeup than another organism. so sombody's nervous system could be genetic code A, while his spleen could be genetic code B. chimeras can go through life having no idea what they are, but sometimes, you can see it on their skin (a subtle zebra striping)

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  5. Re: So much for DNA evidence... by MyrddinBach · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Watch the Documentary from Discovery channel titled "I am my own Twin"

    This happens naturally in lots of people.

    It even touches on the subject of pigmentation - where babies of interracial couples are born with "checkberboard" skin.