# Study finds human gene knockouts widespread across populations 2026-08-10T05:20:30+00:00 | Health & Science | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet A large study from Pakistan, published in Nature, has found that about one in five people carry at least one gene where both copies are naturally switched off. Among 1,73,303 participants, researchers identified such 'human knockouts' across 6,476 genes, nearly a third of all protein-coding genes in humans. The Pakistan Genome Resource, analysed in June 2026, revealed that 47% of coding variants found were not previously seen in non-South-Asian populations. The study builds on earlier work from 2017, which showed that individuals lacking functional copies of the APOC3 gene had lower triglyceride levels, later helping develop the drug olezarsen. Separately, researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine found in mice that epigenetic modifications, chemical changes that switch genes on or off without altering DNA sequence, can break Mendelian inheritance rules, with implications for human health. ## Coverage - thehindu.com - thehindu.com Tags: epigenetics, methylation, mouse study, Nature Genetics, non-Mendelian inheritance, paramutation Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/study-finds-500-cases-of-non-mendelian-inheritance-in-mice/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/study-finds-500-cases-of-non-mendelian-inheritance-in-mice/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.