Tiny genetic differences have huge consequences

January 21, 2008 | Source: PhysOrg.com

McGill University researchers have demonstrated that small differences between individuals at the DNA level can lead to dramatic differences in the way genes produce proteins, and these, in turn, are responsible for the vast array of differences in physical characteristics between individuals.

This study solves in part the mystery of how a relatively small number of differences within DNA protein coding sequences could be responsible for the enormous variety of phenotypic differences between individuals.