Biar @Anjink yg mengelaborasi. Ada ilmuwan yang hobinya mempertua usia fosil, Jepang dan Jerman. Kalik lainnya juga.
Salam, nDeboost --- In [email protected], Francis Xavier <xavier1...@...> wrote: > > http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100715172000.htm > > Human Sperm Gene Is 600 Million Years Old, Scientists Discover > > ScienceDaily (July 15, 2010) Just as styles in sexy clothes or > fashion change from year to year and culture to culture, "sexy" genes, > or genes specific to sex, also change rapidly. But there is one > sex-specific gene so vital, its function has remained unaltered > throughout evolution and is found in almost all animals, according to > new research from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. > > The gene, called Boule, is responsible for sperm production. > Northwestern scientists also discovered in their research that Boule > appears to be the only gene known to be exclusively required for sperm > production from an insect to a mammal. > > "This is the first clear evidence that suggests our ability to produce > sperm is very ancient, probably originating at the dawn of animal > evolution 600 million years ago," said Eugene Xu, assistant professor > of obstetrics and gynecology at Feinberg. "This finding suggests that > all animal sperm production likely comes from a common prototype." > > Xu is senior author of a paper on the study that will be published > July 15 in PLoS Genetics. > > The discovery of Boule's key role in perpetuating animal species > offers a better understanding of male infertility, a potential target > for a male contraceptive drug and a new direction for future > development of pesticides or medicine against infectious parasites or > carriers of germs. > > "Our findings also show that humans, despite how complex we are, > across the evolutionary lines all the way to flies, which are very > simple, still have one fundamental element that's shared," Xu said. > > "It's really surprising because sperm production gets pounded by > natural selection," he said. "It tends to change due to strong > selective pressures for sperm-specific genes to evolve. There is extra > pressure to be a super male to improve reproductive success. This is > the one sex-specific element that didn't change across species. This > must be so important that it can't change." > > Boule is likely the oldest human sperm-specific gene ever discovered, > Xu said. He originally discovered the human gene in 2001. > > Prior to the new findings, it was not known whether sperm produced by > various animal species came from the same prototype. Birds and insects > both fly, for example, but the fly wing and bird wing originated > completely independently. > > For the study, Xu searched for and discovered the presence of the > Boule gene in sperm across different evolutionary lines: human, > mammal, fish, insect, worm and marine invertebrate. > > In order to search for Boule's presence across the spectrum of > evolutionary development, Xu had an interesting shopping list. He > needed sperm from a sea urchin, a rooster, a fruit fly, a human and a > fish. The fish proved to be the most difficult. > > Xu purchased a rainbow trout at a Chicago fish market, unwrapped it > and was dismayed to discover it had been gutted. "I need the > testicles!" he exclaimed to the seafood salesman. Xu decided he'd have > to catch his own. He cast a fishing line into a recreational pond > stocked with trout and reeled in a rainbow trout. > > Discovery of this common gene involved in sperm production could have > many practical uses for human health, including male contraception. > When Xu's research group knocked out the Boule gene from a mouse, the > animal appeared to be healthy but did not produce sperm. > > "A sperm-specific gene like Boule is an ideal target for a male > contraceptive drug," Xu noted. > > Boule also has the potential to reduce diseases caused by mosquitoes > and parasites such as worms. > > "We now have one strong candidate to target for controlling their > breeding," Xu said. "Our work suggests that disrupting the function of > Boule in animals most likely will disrupt their breeding and put the > threatening parasites or germs under control. This could represent a > new direction in our future development of pesticides or medicine > against infectious parasites or carriers of germs." > > To further support his hypothesis that Boule is widespread across all > animals producing sperm and eggs, Xu also examined the genome of one > of the most primitive animals, a sea anemone, for the presence of > Boule. He looked at its genome because the sperm of the sea anemone is > difficult to find and few labs study the animal. When Xu identified > Boule in the sea anemone genome, his theory was clinched. > > Xu's co-authors, all past or present members of his lab, include > Chirag Shah, Michael VanGompel, Villian Naeem, Yanmei Chen, Terrance > Lee, Nicholas Angeloni and Yin Wang. > > Xu's research was supported by the National Institutes of Health and > Northwestern Memorial Foundation. > ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
