Sunday, March 22, 2015

Reasearchers Find the Gene that Makes Us 3D

Researchers at the the University of Bath in England found that the YAP gene plays a role in the 3D body shape of vertebrate. YAP gene helps to regulate organ size, tissue tension, direction and alignment of organs in humans and other vertebrates. Researchers first experimented on the YAP gene in an embryo of a medaka fish, or Japanese rice fish, by mutating the gene. Researchers found that embryos with YAP mutation were flatter in the direction of gravity and tissues did not align correctly, especially the tissues in the lens of the eye. After, researchers tried the mutation on 3D clusters of human cells and found tissues to be unable to maintain the right amount of tension to be the correct shape and properly function. If human tissues were unable to hold up against gravity, many of our organs would not function at all or improperly. Researchers hope the discovery may lead to further growth and advancement in the field of regenerative medicine.

If this study is helpful in the field of regenerative medicine, this could be another alternative to organ transport. People would not have to depend on an organ donor to live. Most people would not have to die waiting for an organ transplant and the survival rate of those on the waitlist would increase.

Original Link: http://www.popsci.com/researchers-find-gene-makes-us-3d
Related Link: http://www.genecards.org/cgi-bin/carddisp.pl?gene=YAP1

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