For many years, scientists have sought the faulty genes in myelodysplasia, a blood cell disorder that arises late in life and segues, sometimes rapidly, sometimes quite slowly, into cancer. In that search, intense focus has been paid to a form of the disease called the 5q minus syndrome, where a chunk of DNA from chromosome 5 is characteristically lost from patient's blood cells. That kind of trademark error has kindled a deeper understanding of many diseases, especially cancers, but not so for this syndrome. More than three decades have transpired since the identification of its distinctive genetic blunder, and since then, research has brought little more than a glimmer of insight into what causes the disease. Now, researchers have lifted the seemingly impenetrable curtain surrounding the 5q minus syndrome, with the long-awaited discovery of the guilty gene.</img>
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