A genetic defect called mtu1 will make our hearing machine "underpowered." Researchers at the Institute of Genetics of Zhejiang University have recently “captured†a gene that causes deafness. Related research papers were published in the international academic journal “Nucleic Acid Researchâ€.
This research is part of a large research on the prevention and treatment of rickets. It was completed by a large-scale scientific research team led by Professor Qian Minxin, a special expert of the National “Thousand Talents Program†and a professor of genetics at Zhejiang University.
Guan Minxin said that nearly half of the 27.8 million rickets in China are caused by a single gene. Revealing how biological dysfunction caused by a single genetic mutation leads to rickets, helps develop treatments for more than 11 million deaf people, and establishes an early warning system for rickets for more people.
The latest findings of the Guan Minxin team show that the pathogenesis of the mtu1 gene defect lies in the source of energy that destroys hearing – the “power plant†called mitochondria in cells. "Our inner ear hair cells are the most important part of the perceived sound. It needs to consume a lot of mitochondria to gain energy in order to maintain life activities." Guan Minxin said that when the mtu1 gene affects mitochondrial function, it causes the organism's Hearing dysfunction.
Researchers have discovered that the mtu1 gene directly affects an RNA molecule called tRNA in our body. tRNA is responsible for transporting and assembling these "components" of amino acids into protein "machines" and then to the "power plant" mitochondria. The mtu1 gene defect greatly reduces the working efficiency of tRNA. The machine is running weak, and the “power plant†is naturally paralyzed.
This finding is confirmed in the zebrafish. This small fish living in tropical fresh water has a genetic similarity to humans of more than 85%. The first author of the paper, Zhang Qinghai and Zhang Yuwen, a graduate student of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, said that the zebrafish that knocked out the mtu1 gene had a "deafness" performance: a group of zebrafish swam downstream of the calm water surface, when a drop of water dripped from Falling high, knocking out layers. The normal zebrafish immediately opened downstream, while the zebrafish that knocked out the mtu1 gene did not respond. At the same time, because the hair cells also help the vertebrate maintain a balance of movement, these genetically knocked zebrafish swim differently, and they lie on the side of the water.
According to reports, so far, more than 70 human-like genes have been discovered worldwide. (Correspondent Zeng Fuquan Ke Yieneng reporter Song Lisheng)
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