As you know, there are creatures on our planet that have an incredible ability to regenerate, allowing you to regrow lost limbs and restore organs. And many scientists have long argued that almost any organism has the same capabilities - you just need to "turn on" the right genes. And recently, German scientists from the Max Planck Institute discovered such genes.
In the course of their research, the university staff examined the larva of the amphibian ambystoma mexicanum. The fact is that in just a few weeks she can completely restore the lost limbs. Together with bone, cartilage, muscles, nerves and blood vessels. Moreover, this amphibian can easily cope with spinal fractures, which are deadly for most mammals.
In the process of studying ambystoma mexicanum larvae, experts sequenced their genome and identified key genes in it that are responsible for limb regeneration. But this process took quite a long time. The fact is that the genome under study consists of 32 billion DNA base pairs (which is about 10 times more than in humans). To decipher the entire genome, scientists took 72 million reads of DNA fragments, in which they were helped by the PacBio analytical platform, which allows sequencing several hundred thousand fragments in one read. In the course of further analysis of the genome, the researchers discovered several unique genes that are expressed during the regeneration process. It should be noted that at first it was believed that the main of them is the PAX3 gene, like in other representatives of the species, but it turned out that PAX3 is completely absent in ambystoma mexicanum,and its function is performed by the PAX7 gene.
Of course, there is no talk of "transplanting" new genes into humans yet, and this process requires further study. But now it is possible to use the unique properties to create drugs for wound healing and in new ways to restore damaged tissues.
Vladimir Kuznetsov