Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Frogs Demonstrate the Necessity of Hormones for Proper Development
The University of Cincinnati recently published an article describing how endocrinology researchers have successfully altered the thyroid hormone receptor (THR) in the very early stages of tadpole development. In the study, one of two egg cells was disrupted and monitored. As more cell divisions took place and the tadpoles were developing, it was easy to see which parts of the tadpoles were mutated. Once developed, the frogs showed the mutation in about half of their bodies! Since half of the body was mutated and the other half developed normally, the frogs became perfect subjects to study how mutations affect an organism. This is because the frogs had a control side (the un-mutated side) and a mutated side within the same animal, making comparison between the two more efficient. Researchers would observe and describe how cells functioned in the control side of the frog, then switch to the mutated side of the frog to see how the functions changed. By creating this "ideal model" of frogs, researchers can now extend their knowledge into other organisms, such as mice.
The article then goes on to further explain how the use of mutating frogs can be helpful in understanding the development in humans. Both organisms have peak blood levels that provide the developing creature with a surplus of hormones. This similarity can be used to decipher which hormones aid in which developmental process. Then, the hormone can be extensively studied using the frogs and accurately applied to humans. Currently, it is very difficult to study this in humans; therefore, this genetic breakthrough of using frogs as the subjects can push the field into a whole new era of research. Furthermore, this article has made it clear the importance of hormones in proper development of many organisms.
I find this article intriguing because it explained how closely related the development processes of frogs and humans. I did not realize this before reading the article and it makes me wonder what else the frogs can be used for. Can they describe how certain illnesses are not treatable? Can the frogs be used to create new hormones that regulate or alter certain processes? I feel as though the sky is the limit for these frogs. If researchers keep at it, then the knowledge about humans can be exponentially increased.
Original Article: Science Daily
Additional Article: Thyroid Hormone Treatment
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