Mung Dynasty
06 Mar 2009, 11:24 PM
First 'resurrected' gene found in humans (http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16714-first-resurrected-gene-found-in-humans.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news)
A gene that is active in humans today died out during our primate evolution and came back to life again. This is the first time such a "resurrection" event has been identified, researchers say.
The family of genes known as IRGs are essential to mouse immunity. Without the genes, for instance, a mouse exposed to salmonella will die within a couple of days. Humans, however, only have one gene from this family, IRGM, and Cemalettin Bekpen, at the University of Washington in Seattle, wanted to know why.
To find out, he examined the genes backwards through our primate ancestry. Chimps and gorillas, he discovered, were like us: they had a single truncated but functional gene. But, to his surprise, macaques, a little further back on the tree, had mutations which made their IRGM gene totally useless.
Further trawling revealed that mouse lemurs – small nocturnal primates – had three gene copies from that family, one of them functional. So somewhere after mouse lemurs, the gene had been functionally extinguished, and after macaques, function had been restored.
Interesting stuff. Wonder what's next in the weekly lucky dip of genetics.
A gene that is active in humans today died out during our primate evolution and came back to life again. This is the first time such a "resurrection" event has been identified, researchers say.
The family of genes known as IRGs are essential to mouse immunity. Without the genes, for instance, a mouse exposed to salmonella will die within a couple of days. Humans, however, only have one gene from this family, IRGM, and Cemalettin Bekpen, at the University of Washington in Seattle, wanted to know why.
To find out, he examined the genes backwards through our primate ancestry. Chimps and gorillas, he discovered, were like us: they had a single truncated but functional gene. But, to his surprise, macaques, a little further back on the tree, had mutations which made their IRGM gene totally useless.
Further trawling revealed that mouse lemurs – small nocturnal primates – had three gene copies from that family, one of them functional. So somewhere after mouse lemurs, the gene had been functionally extinguished, and after macaques, function had been restored.
Interesting stuff. Wonder what's next in the weekly lucky dip of genetics.