Zebrafish Regenerative Ability May Lead To Help In Humans

esocid tips us to news out of Duke University Medical Center, where researchers have discovered a type of microRNA that is related to the ability of zebrafish to regenerate lost or damaged organs. This is the result of a study initiated after it was discovered that zebrafish were able to recover from "massive injury" to the heart through their own regenerative biology. The scientists hope to be able to use this information to bring about similar healing in humans. Zebrafish have also been helpful in cancer research. "In zebrafish, one or more microRNAs appear to be important to keep regeneration on hold until the fish needs new tissue, the Duke researchers say. In response to an injury, the fish then damp down levels of these microRNAs to aid regrowth. Poss and many other cell biologists believe that mammals may have the same tissue regeneration capability as zebrafish, salamanders and newts, but that it is locked away somewhere in our genome, silenced in the course of evolution."

Comments

Re:Homeotherms

[ScrewMaster]

True, but on the other hand, if we are able to reactivate an ancient yet problematic self-repair mechanism, there remains the possibility that we might fix it. Evolution doesn't guarantee optimal solutions by any means.

Re:The unavoidable question is,

[vertinox]

... what is the evolutionary benefit that mammals get from not regenerating?

Given the hostile everyday nature of the wild, an animal has a far better chance of surviving in the long run if he gets back on his feet after an injury even if it isn't a full one. Its far quicker for scar tissue to reform than it is to recreate all the tissue back in a perfect fashion.

So rather having an open wound for several weeks on on end, a wild mammal would have a scab within 24 hours and then later initial scar tissue within a week