{"id":457715,"date":"2026-05-20T03:26:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T03:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/457715\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T03:26:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T03:26:11","slug":"human-cells-can-exchange-genomic-dna-that-alters-cell-behavior","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/457715\/","title":{"rendered":"Human Cells Can Exchange Genomic DNA That Alters Cell Behavior"},"content":{"rendered":"

Newswise \u2014 DALLAS \u2013 May 19, 2026 \u2013 Scientists at\u00a0Children\u2019s Medical Center Research Institute at UT\u00a0Southwestern<\/a>\u00a0(CRI) have discovered that large pieces of DNA can transfer directly between human cells, and the DNA can persist and change how the recipient cell functions. The findings, published today in\u00a0Cell<\/a>, challenge a long-standing view that the genomes of individual human cells evolve independently from one another.<\/p>\n

The study shows DNA damage and errors in cell division can cause pieces of genomic DNA to escape from the nucleus and move into nearby cells through nanotubes \u2013 thin, tubelike structures that briefly form when some cells come into contact.<\/p>\n

Once inside a recipient cell, transferred DNA can enter the nucleus and become incorporated into\u00a0the cell\u2019s genome. Researchers found that transferred DNA persisted through multiple rounds of cell division, remained biologically active, and conferred new traits to recipient cells.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a surprising discovery,\u201d said study leader\u00a0Peter Ly, Ph.D.<\/a>, Assistant Professor in CRI and of\u00a0Cell Biology<\/a>,\u00a0Pediatrics<\/a>, and in the\u00a0Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center<\/a>. \u201cOur findings suggest neighboring cells may be able to directly reshape one another\u2019s genomes in ways we did not anticipate.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Study first author Elizabeth Maurais, Ph.D., a recent graduate of the Genetics, Development and Disease Program at UT\u00a0Southwestern, and other Ly Lab researchers uncovered this process while studying how cells respond to genomic instability, including DNA damage caused by chemotherapy and radiation treatment.<\/p>\n

Using advanced live-cell microscopy, the team observed DNA moving from one cell to another. In one experiment, pieces of the Y chromosome transferred from male cells into female cells. The transferred DNA carried male-specific genes that became active in the female cells, indicating the transferred DNA remained functional after entering the recipient cell.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many open questions. We now want to understand how widespread this process is, how it is regulated at the cellular and molecular levels, and what role it may play in human health and disease, including cancer,\u201d Dr. Ly said. \u201cThese findings may have important implications for understanding how cancer genomes evolve and acquire large-scale chromosomal alterations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Researchers also observed DNA transfer between different types of human cells, which Dr. Ly said suggests the findings may be a general feature of human cell biology.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This research was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), the U.S. Department of Defense, The Welch Foundation, a UT\u00a0Southwestern Haberecht Wildhare-Idea Research Grant, a UT\u00a0Southwestern Synergy Grant for Collaborative Research, and the Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research.<\/p>\n

Dr. Ly is a CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research. Dr. Maurais received an NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Fellowship from the National Cancer Institute.<\/p>\n

About CRI<\/p>\n

Children\u2019s Medical Center Research Institute at UT\u00a0Southwestern (CRI) is a joint venture of UT\u00a0Southwestern Medical Center and Children\u2019s Medical Center Dallas. CRI\u2019s mission is to perform transformative biomedical research to better understand the biological basis of disease. Located in Dallas, Texas, CRI is home to interdisciplinary groups of scientists and physicians pursuing research at the interface of regenerative medicine, cancer biology, and metabolism \u2013 relentless discovery toward the treatments of tomorrow.<\/p>\n

X\/Twitter<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0YouTube<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n

About UT\u00a0Southwestern Medical Center<\/p>\n

UT\u00a0Southwestern, one of the nation\u2019s premier academic medical centers, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution\u2019s faculty members have received six Nobel Prizes and include\u00a027\u00a0members of the National Academy of Sciences, 25 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 13 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of\u00a0nearly 3,400 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT\u00a0Southwestern physicians in more than 80 specialties care for more than 143,000 hospitalized patients, attend to more than 470,000 emergency room cases, and oversee nearly 5.3 million outpatient visits a year.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t