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WASHINGTON, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Researchers at the University of Colorado (CU) have found that lack of a specific gene1 interrupts neural2 tube closure, a condition that can cause death or paralysis3. The study was the cover story this week in the journal Genes4 & Development.
"The neural tube is the beginning of the brain and spinal5 cord, " said the study's lead investigator6 Lee Niswander, professor of pediatrics at the CU School of Medicine. "A defect in the mLin41 gene doesn't allow the tube to close because not enough neural progenitor7 cells are being made."
Niswander and the paper's first author, Jianfu Chen, made their findings while studying neural stem cells in mice. They said the cells use distinct self-renewal programs to meet the demand of tissue growth and repair during different stages of embryonic8 development. The molecular9 mechanisms10 that control these programs remain largely unknown.
The researchers discovered that the gene mLin41 in mice controls the extent of neural stem cell proliferation during the process of neural closure but not at the later stage of brain development. According to Chen, mLin41 works with small RNAs and RNA regulators that have never been investigated before in connection with neural tube formation.
"Our work opens up a whole other pathway toward understanding neural tube defects," Niswander said. "It's a new and significant piece of the puzzle behind understanding how this happens."
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1
gene
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n.遗传因子,基因 | |
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2
neural
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adj.神经的,神经系统的 | |
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3
paralysis
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n.麻痹(症);瘫痪(症) | |
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4
genes
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n.基因( gene的名词复数 ) | |
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5
spinal
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adj.针的,尖刺的,尖刺状突起的;adj.脊骨的,脊髓的 | |
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6
investigator
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n.研究者,调查者,审查者 | |
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7
progenitor
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n.祖先,先驱 | |
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8
embryonic
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adj.胚胎的 | |
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9
molecular
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adj.分子的;克分子的 | |
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10
mechanisms
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n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 );机械装置;[生物学] 机制;机械作用 | |
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