Genetic engineering of human beings has been a hot topic in science fiction, and genetic engineering to optimize the goal is nothing more than so few, people become healthier, wiser, stronger, more beautiful, and so on. Unfortunately, now we have the gene function also know little about, many so-called "optimization" If it is not present in science fiction, it is likely to be a hoax.
But then, scientists are always efforts in this regard, last month by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory scientist Axel? Cooperation in scientific research team Wieser (Axel Visel) organization published in the journal "Science" a studies show that some of the regulation by editing the clips in mice, it can influence the final shape of the skull-born mice, mice were "cosmetic." This gave rise to some inspiration, and perhaps also to enable us to optimize the human race through genetic engineering small step closer.
The mice were genetically engineered to use the "cosmetic", we must first determine what parts of the mice start. Wieser they did not like the majority of research on genes that direct start, but put the spotlight on the control of gene DNA fragments - enhancers.
We further explain what Wieser groups have made some before, please let me in here to use a metaphor to explain enhancer in the end What the hell.
In each cell, there are a number of different pieces of chromosomes, each one is like a long hanging scroll (Imagine a hanging scroll up to several kilometers). Gene is a hanging scroll painting on the drawings, records of individual organisms cells and a variety of information needs, one may have many such drawings, dozens of hundreds of thousands on both hanging scroll, but each piece hanging scroll in fact, only a small fraction of the area painted drawings.
When cells need to use a drawing on time, it will send a copier - is called RNA polymerase protein, hanging scroll dedicated to the copy sheet (called gene transcription), and to achieve the finished product to downstream various functions (protein synthesis). However, the copier itself does not know what should copy hanging scroll, so that the front end of each painting drawing there are certain markers - called a promoter - meaning "where there are drawings, speed to copy," while cell there are various wizards - is known as a transcription factor proteins can identify these markers, thus completing its guidelines copier copy job.
However, cells also need to control a variety of drawings copying speed, so many promoters do not say "speed to copy", but merely said, "There is drawing," As for whether or not to copy, a little more subtle. At this time, another mark on a hanging scroll - called enhancer - come into play, some enhancers painted something similar to "speed to copy drawings from within 100 meters of here." In this case, the wizard recognized enhancer content after pulling enhancers will find the corresponding promoter final guidelines copier corresponding drawings.
Although the promoter and enhancer are fragments on the chromosome, but are generally outside the gene (gene promoter in the head, an enhancer may be relatively far away from the place of the gene), because of their role is to control gene the level of transcription, so people put them into "control fragment." It should be noted that, with regard specifically how genes control, which enhancer and promoter of what at what time how they interact, and so on, there are still many mysteries.
Wieser's team to bring enhancer as research subjects need to overcome a few problems: First, how to find an enhancer? Secondly, how to determine the enhancer found to be effective? They first targeting has been enhanced by a specific transcription factor binding promoter on the chromosome, the mouse embryonic skull enhancer to find work. After the use of transgenic means, in the vicinity of the sub-reinforcing insert will enhance the promoter and subsequent color gene promoter react (equivalent to an effective range enhancer described, the insert will change color after a copy of the drawing). Thus, if the child is indeed effective in enhancing the skull, then made out of a transgenic mouse embryos skull will produce a color with a protein, people can be seen under a microscope. With this technology, they not only identified the enhancer effective in mouse embryos head, but find different enhancers will work separately (see below) in different regions of the head. After this two-step experiment, Wieser group identified 55 in the head during the development of mouse functioning enhancers.
Found 55 enhancer, the next step of course is to try to move a bit, if mice become Chengsha Yang. Researchers from 55 enhancer identified in three (ie, three on Figure 1), the use of genetic engineering they were knocked out to make three different transgenic mice.
Then run into another problem: Each mouse in the eyes of ordinary people about the head are long, probably only very familiar with mice researchers could tell the difference between and even if we can tell the difference, but also need to put these differences after quantization, it is convenient to measure each specific enhancer effect.
To solve this problem, the researchers of the three transgenic mice and control mice were skull tomographic X-ray scanning, the establishment of a three-dimensional model of each mouse skull. After that, they mathematically these three-dimensional model has been simplified and classified, described the establishment of a mouse skull dimensional coordinate system (see below). By the shape of the skull of each mouse into this coordinate system, we can see that each enhancer knockout mice that have made the shape of the skull with normal mice is different, and different knockout enhance the impact on the shape of the skull sub mice are not the same. Of course, this is exactly the mice become beautiful or ugly, had asked the mice to determine (perhaps would be a good topic ethology).
This groundbreaking study will combine several technologies together, bringing a lot of inspiration for future research: enhancer positioning and enhanced promoter activity is determined, we can help reveal the mysteries of many aspects of cellular regulatory and the mouse skull shape quantify, it is for further study, even the practical application of the future determine a workable standard - the future scientists may first want to quantify mouse shape according to this standard, then control series enhancer, to produce mice with a specific type of head.
Finally, here is to a few platitudes: This study is undoubtedly still in its infancy, free from manipulation is still a considerable distance from the head-type mice, from freedom to optimize human shaping the next generation is even close. So unfortunately, if there are prospective parents want to put their unborn child through genetic engineering transformation into a handsome boys girls, then, is to rethink as well, to avoid delays. Moreover, even in the distant future this technology can be successfully applied to human beings, we all look alike may not look good is not?
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