Genetic changes in human ancestors may partly explain why humans don’t have tails like apes, suggests a study published today that appears on the cover of the scientific journal Nature.
The study, conducted by scientists at New York University Grossman School of Medicine in the US, compared the DNA (genetic code) of anuran apes (such as gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans) and human DNA with that of apes. tail and identified a DNA insertion common to apes and humans but absent in apes.
In the lab, the team genetically manipulated mice to test whether inserting the TBXT gene affected their tails and found several effects: Some rodents were born without tails.
The scientists say the differences in tail length they found did not arise from mutations in the TBXT gene, but from the insertion of a piece of DNA called AluY into the gene’s regulatory code in the ancestors of monkeys and humans, New York University said in a statement.
The note emphasizes that genes often influence more than one bodily function, so “changes that are beneficial in one place may be harmful in another.”
The study authors found a small increase in defects in the neural tube (the embryonic structure that gives rise to the brain and spinal cord) in the genetically manipulated mice.
In future experiments, the team wants to test the theory that, as an “ancient evolutionary compensation,” tail loss in humans contributed to neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida, which is currently seen in “one in thousands of human births.”
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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