CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -The discovery was made by a team of researchers working on the Cancer Grand Challenges initiative. These small pieces of genetic material, also known as oncogenes, can make cancer cells more resistant to current cancer treatments.

Detailed explanation-2: -Following DNA replication in the next cell cycle, the sister chromatids fuse once again and the BFB cycle can be repeated. These events lead to the amplification of DNA sequences residing near the telomere that eventually loop out and thus form extrachromosomal DNA elements.

Detailed explanation-3: -The first appearance of ecDNA was observed in the metaphase of neuroblastoma cells in 1965 12. Later, Alt et al. confirmed the presence of a new oncogene, MYCN, in ecDNA in the neuroblastoma cell line.

Detailed explanation-4: -Extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) is a double-stranded DNA molecule found in various organisms, including humans. In the past few decades, the research on eccDNA has mainly focused on cancers and their associated diseases.