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Subject: Zebrafish
Replies: 46 Views: 1641
bozzalad 20.03.17 - 07:39pm
Fish eyes have the valuable ability to regenerate themselves if they suffer any form of damage or injury. Unfortunately, human eyes do not have the same advantage. New research, however, uncovers the details of the self-repairing mechanism in fish, which could ultimately lead to new therapies for human vision.
As we age, our eyesight declines and we may find that reading the daily newspaper is not as easy as it used to be. Apart from this normal development - called presbyopia - there are other eye conditions that come as a result of the eye's degeneration.
Age-related macular degeneration is quite common and is the leading cause of vision loss among people aged 50 and older. In the condition, the macula - a spot located near the center of the retina - is damaged, which causes blurred or distorted vision. * +
bozzalad 20.03.17 - 07:39pm
The researchers started out from the hypothesis that a neurotransmitter might be responsible for retinal regeneration in fish. Fish and mammals have a very similar retinal structure, so Mahesh Rao - a graduate student and study co-author - thought of extrapolating the results of a mouse study and test them on zebrafish.
The mouse study that triggered Rao's hypothesis discovered that this neurotransmitter - called GABA - controlled the activity of some retinal stem cells. GABA neurotransmitters normally act as inhibitors, lowering a neuron's ability to excite the neurons around it. GABA neurotransmitters are very prevalent in the brain, occurring in 30 to 40 percent of all the synapses.
Among other cells, the retina also contains a type of stem cell called Mller glia. In humans and other mammals, these cells provide architectural support that traverse all of the retina's layers - but in fish, these glial cells also play a crucial role in regeneration.
During the regenerative process, these cells undergo a form of regression called dedifferentiation, meaning that they go from a specialized state back to a more general, simpler state. They then differentiate again, but this time into replacements for the nerve cells that were damaged. * +
bozzalad 20.03.17 - 07:40pm
n their zebrafish experiment, Rao and colleagues tested their hypothesis by alternately stimulating and lowering the production of GABA with the help of an enzyme they injected.
They found that high levels of GABA in the retina keep the Mller glia inactive. When retinal GABA levels decrease, the glial cells start to dedifferentiate and then proliferate, as part of the regenerative process. * +
bozzalad 20.03.17 - 07:40pm
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/316315.php * +
shadow27 20.03.17 - 07:44pm
Yes, your body takes the stem cells, rearranges them and then they get turned into what you need them for. It's the pliable mush of life. * +
shadow27 20.03.17 - 07:51pm
Well.. They do if you're a fish.
* +
ementalm 20.03.17 - 07:51pm
fuking about with humanity, keep it as it is. no to stem cell technology! people playing gods again * +
bozzalad 20.03.17 - 08:18pm
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