The research published in the journal Nature Genetics, has a wide implications for the study of human disease, especially when using mammalian research models. An example being, in many mouse models created for the study of gene expression related diseases, researchers don't usually take into account whether specific genetic expression originated from the mothers or the fathers. But the UNC research shows tat inheriting a mutation as different effects in mammals, depending on whether it was inherited from the mother or the father.
These genetic mutations that are handed down from parents sow up in many common but complex diseases that involve many genes. for instance, type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, schizophrenia, and cancers. Studying them in genetically diverse mouse models that take parent-to-origin into account will give scientist more precise insight into the underlying causes of disease.
The key to this research is the Collaborative Cross. Traditional lab rats are much more limited in their genetic diversity. The Collaborative Cross bred together various wild type mice to create wide diversity. According to Pardo-Manuel de Villena "this diversity is comparable to the variation found in the human genome".
For the Natural Genetics Study, Pardo-Manuel de Villena's Team selected three genetically diverse inbred strains of mice that were descended from a subspecies that evolved on different continents. These mice where them bed to create nine different type of offspring in which each strain was used as both father and mother. once he mice reached adulthood, the researchers measured how much gene expression was from the mother and father fr every single gene in the genome. James Crowley stated " We found that the vast majority of genes - about 80 percent - possessed variants that altered gene expression...And as this was when we discovered a new, genome-wide expression imbalance in favor of the dad several hundred genes. This imbalance resulted in offspring whose brain gene expression was significantly more like their father's."
I found this article to be interesting and I agree that we inherit some mutations from our parents, but i don't believe that they determine our essence. what makes us the way we are is a combination of genetic information and genes of our parents which is provided by mechanisms in DNA for recombination existing in every species which insures biodiversity in the frame of each species and work perfectly in te absence of mutations, which is highly undesirable.
No comments:
Post a Comment