Scientists have changed DNA by making a female from a male
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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It's no secret that the development of science is proceeding at a rapid pace. However, we still do not know much about our own organism. For example, from school we know that a pair of X chromosomes in the genome means that a girl will be born, and the presence of X and Y chromosomes indicates the birth of a boy. And do we know what processes control all this?
Recently, scientists began to investigate the so-called "junk" DNA. The result surprised them: genetics were able to change the gender of the rodent, without affecting the sex chromosomes.
The discovery was made by a group of scientists under the supervision of the author of the research project of Robin Lowell-Beige, a representative of the London Institute of Francis Crick. Specialists have determined that the pair of genes are responsible for stimulating the mechanism of sexual development: it is a question of the Sox9 gene and the Sry gene. One of them forms the next genital organs from the parts of the sex cell structures. The next gene "turns on" after the full formation of the sex of the embryo. Further - more: if Sry is damaged, the female embryo becomes a male.
The researchers did not stop there. Continuing the experiment, they found a "junk" DNA site next to the Sox9 gene. This segment received its "name" - Enh13. Its property is to force cellular proteins to decipher the chromosomal part in which the Sox9 gene resides. This increases his active ability, triggering the development mechanism of the male type.
After this, the scientists set the experience by crossing a pair of rodents: the first specimen had a damaged Enh13, and the other had not been disturbed. As development, some embryos belonged to females, and others to males. Specialists limited the activity of the functioning gene Enh13, after which all the representatives of males lost their male characteristics in the form of genital organs: in place of female symptoms appeared. As a result, all the born rodents had signs of a female, despite the fact that with the onset of pregnancy, everything was the other way around.
According to the results of the experiments, the scientists concluded: most of the changes and disorders that affect the sexual development of mammals may be the result of mutations in the above genes, or in "junk" DNA. After all, not in all cases, sexual deviations from the norm are caused by damage to the sex cell structures.
By the way, when talking about "junk" DNA, scientists always had in mind the sequence of genomic DNA, whose functions have not yet been determined. Recently, this issue has been studied especially carefully: specialists have found that about 92% of DNA, previously considered "junk", actually controls the activity of active genes. Some of them define cellular specificity, others - are responsible for hereditary pathologies, etc.
The course of an unusual study is described in the pages of the journal Science.
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