Viruses helped shape the human brain
Scientists have long known that endogenous retroviruses form about 5% of human DNA. For many years, it was believed that this "junk" DNA fragments that do not have useful properties. However, Swedish scientists from the University of Lund managed to find evidence to the contrary .
Johan Jakobsson and colleagues found that retroviruses play a major role in the functioning of the main functions of the brain, especially in the part that determines which genes to activate and when.
The study also showed that in the process of evolution, the guiding importance of viruses in the functioning of the cellular mechanism increasingly grew, and because of the peculiarities of the nerve cells, they were most effective in the work of the nervous system.
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“We were able to determine that these viruses are activated precisely in brain cells and play an important regulatory role,” said Johan Jacobson, head of the department of molecular neurogenetics. - We think that retroviruses help to explain why cells, in particular, are so energetic and multifaceted in their functionality. This may also be the reason that because of the more or less complex functions of viruses in different types of animals, we are so different. ”
Jacobson hints that it was thanks to viruses that the human brain mutated and became much more complicated than the brain of other monkeys. That is, precisely because of the viruses, our ancestors developed intelligence.
The study of Swedish scientists not only sheds light on the origin of homo sapiens, but also opens the door to the search for new drugs for brain diseases associated with genetic factors. “When we look for genetically causes of various diseases, we usually look at known genes, which constitute only 2% of our genome,” explains the author of the scientific work. - Now it is possible to search in a much larger volume of genetic material, which was previously considered unimportant. The picture of the work of the brain becomes more complex, and the area of ​​searching for errors related to genetic diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases, psychiatric diseases and brain tumors, is also increasing. ”
Johan Jakobsson and colleagues found that retroviruses play a major role in the functioning of the main functions of the brain, especially in the part that determines which genes to activate and when.
The study also showed that in the process of evolution, the guiding importance of viruses in the functioning of the cellular mechanism increasingly grew, and because of the peculiarities of the nerve cells, they were most effective in the work of the nervous system.
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“We were able to determine that these viruses are activated precisely in brain cells and play an important regulatory role,” said Johan Jacobson, head of the department of molecular neurogenetics. - We think that retroviruses help to explain why cells, in particular, are so energetic and multifaceted in their functionality. This may also be the reason that because of the more or less complex functions of viruses in different types of animals, we are so different. ”
Jacobson hints that it was thanks to viruses that the human brain mutated and became much more complicated than the brain of other monkeys. That is, precisely because of the viruses, our ancestors developed intelligence.
The study of Swedish scientists not only sheds light on the origin of homo sapiens, but also opens the door to the search for new drugs for brain diseases associated with genetic factors. “When we look for genetically causes of various diseases, we usually look at known genes, which constitute only 2% of our genome,” explains the author of the scientific work. - Now it is possible to search in a much larger volume of genetic material, which was previously considered unimportant. The picture of the work of the brain becomes more complex, and the area of ​​searching for errors related to genetic diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases, psychiatric diseases and brain tumors, is also increasing. ”
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/375565/
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