Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Crossing Over01:30

Crossing Over

Crossing over is the exchange of genetic information between homologous chromosomes during prophase I of meiosis I. Genetic recombination gives rise to allelic diversity in the newly formed daughter cells. In humans, crossing over produces genetically distinct haploid egg and sperm cells that undergo fertilization to produce unique offspring. Before cell division starts, the germ cell’s chromosome(s) undergo duplication in the S phase of the cell cycle. As the cells enter prophase I, duplicated...
Crossing Over01:34

Crossing Over

Unlike mitosis, meiosis aims for genetic diversity in its creation of haploid gametes. Dividing germ cells first begin this process in prophase I, where each chromosome—replicated in S phase—is now composed of two sister chromatids (identical copies) joined centrally.
The homologous pairs of sister chromosomes—one from the maternal and one from the paternal genome—then begin to align alongside each other lengthwise, matching corresponding DNA positions in a process called synapsis.
In order to...
Chirality in Nature02:30

Chirality in Nature

Chirality is the most intriguing yet essential facet of nature, governing life’s biochemical processes and precision. It can be observed from a snail shell pattern in a macroscopic world to an amino acid, the minutest building block of life. Most of the snails around the world have right-coiled shells because of the intrinsic chirality in their genes. All the amino acids present in the human body exist in an enantiomerically pure state, except for glycine - the sole achiral amino acid. The...
Exon Recombination02:32

Exon Recombination

The evolution of new genes is critical for speciation. Exon recombination, also known as exon shuffling or domain shuffling, is an important means of new gene formation. It is observed across vertebrates, invertebrates, and in some plants such as potatoes and sunflowers. During exon recombination, exons from the same or different genes recombine and produce new exon-intron combinations, which might evolve into new genes. 
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon has three reading...
Chromatin Immunoprecipitation- ChIP02:36

Chromatin Immunoprecipitation- ChIP

Chromatin immunoprecipitation, or ChIP, is an antibody-based technique used to identify sites on DNA that bind to transcription factors of interest or histone proteins. It also helps determine the type of histone modifications such as acetylation, phosphorylation, or methylation.
Types of ChIP
ChIP can be divided into two types - X-ChIP and N-ChIP. X-ChIP involves in vivo cross-linking of histones and regulatory proteins to DNA, fragmenting the DNA by sonication, and isolating the protein-DNA...
Position-effect Variegation02:32

Position-effect Variegation

In 1928, a German botanist Emil Heitz observed the moss nuclei with a DNA binding dye. He observed that while some chromatin regions decondense and spread out in the interphase nucleus, others do not. He termed them euchromatin and heterochromatin, respectively. He proposed that the heterochromatin regions reflect a functionally inactive state of the genome. It was later confirmed that heterochromatin is transcriptionally repressed, and euchromatin is transcriptionally active chromatin.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Rethinking temperate coral restoration beyond tropical paradigms.

Nature ecology & evolution·2026
Same author

A review of coral reef restoration initiatives in the Western Indian Ocean Region.

PloS one·2026
Same author

Exploring ecological facilitation toward precision coral reef restoration.

The Science of the total environment·2026
Same author

Proteome-Wide 4-Hydroxy-2-Nonenal Signature of Oxidative Stress in the Marine Invasive Tunicate Botryllus schlosseri.

Proteomics·2025
Same author

From fragment to form: whole-body regeneration in a model urochordate.

NPJ Regenerative medicine·2025
Same author

From seabed to sickbed: lessons gained from allorecognition in marine invertebrates.

Frontiers in immunology·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Creating Avian Forebrain Chimeras to Assess Facial Development
04:10

Creating Avian Forebrain Chimeras to Assess Facial Development

Published on: February 18, 2021

Quo vadis chimerism?

Baruch Rinkevich1

  • 1Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research; National Institute of Oceanography; Haifa, Israel.

Chimerism
|May 7, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Natural chimerism, where organisms contain genetically distinct cells, offers ecological and evolutionary advantages but also presents significant risks. Understanding this complex biological phenomenon is crucial for potential medical applications.

Area of Science:

  • Biology
  • Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Multicellular organisms possess robust immunity against foreign agents.
  • Natural chimerism, involving genetically distinct cells within an organism, is prevalent across diverse species, including humans.
  • Chimerism presents a complex interplay of costs and benefits, influencing an organism's life history.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the ecological and evolutionary significance of natural chimerism.
  • To detail the benefits and costs associated with allogeneic chimerism.
  • To advocate for the study and clinical application of natural chimerism.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on natural chimerism across various phyla.
  • Analysis of documented benefits and costs of chimerism in different organisms.

More Related Videos

Assessing Signaling Properties of Ectodermal Epithelia During Craniofacial Development
09:25

Assessing Signaling Properties of Ectodermal Epithelia During Craniofacial Development

Published on: March 24, 2011

Generating Chimeric Zebrafish Embryos by Transplantation
21:01

Generating Chimeric Zebrafish Embryos by Transplantation

Published on: July 17, 2009

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Creating Avian Forebrain Chimeras to Assess Facial Development
04:10

Creating Avian Forebrain Chimeras to Assess Facial Development

Published on: February 18, 2021

Assessing Signaling Properties of Ectodermal Epithelia During Craniofacial Development
09:25

Assessing Signaling Properties of Ectodermal Epithelia During Craniofacial Development

Published on: March 24, 2011

Generating Chimeric Zebrafish Embryos by Transplantation
21:01

Generating Chimeric Zebrafish Embryos by Transplantation

Published on: July 17, 2009

  • Comparative study of chimerism in natural versus mammalian contexts.

    • Main Results:

    • Natural chimerism provides benefits such as enhanced genetic variability, improved ecological traits, and reproductive advantages.
    • Chimerism also incurs costs, including parasitism, developmental instability, disease, and reproductive issues.
    • These costs and benefits are observed in mammalian chimerism, including humans.

    Conclusions:

    • Natural chimerism is a significant evolutionary force with profound ecological implications.
    • The 'double-edged sword' nature of chimerism necessitates careful consideration of its advantages and disadvantages.
    • Medical sciences should investigate and leverage the properties of natural chimerism for therapeutic purposes.