Saturday, April 23, 2011
Angry Mice
When sexual reproduction happens there is a process called imprinting that happens. This process is the act of activating genes from either the father, or mother side of the parentage. Researchers have recently uncovered that lab mice with their fathers gene Grb10, caused the mice to be more aggressive. This social dynamic was found by a group of scientists that were at the Department of Biology & Biochemistry and Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, UK and was published in the Nature Journal. This group found that mice altered during embryonic growth to shut off one gene and always activate another showed dramatically higher aggression in social situations. "Thus Grb10 is, so far, a unique imprinted gene, able to influence distinct physiological processes, fetal growth and adult behaviour, owing to actions of the two parental alleles in different tissues." Most importantly, humans carry this gene as well. And what proves true for lab mice may prove true for us as well. 
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Knowing that the Grb10 gene is associated with aggression in humans can be an important discovery in understanding people and the ways they react to certain situations. Aggression in America is actually a very prevalent issue, however environmental factors have been blamed. This knowledge of the grb10 gene could help screen individuals who are going into certain fields that are known to cause increased aggression in individuals. Jobs such as police work and the military should use gene tests for this gene to see whom they should subject to certain lines of work.
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