He tardigrade It is one of nature’s most extraordinary creatures. Capable of withstanding extreme conditions, these microscopic invertebrates can survive temperatures of -200 degreesstay an hour in boiling water or stay alive space, without oxygen and subjected to cosmic radiation. This survivability is what has led Chinese military scientists to Modify mother cells human embryonicfrom which all the others are formed as the embryo develops, with a tardigrade gene to make them resistant to radiation. According to the South China Morning Post, they have succeeded, and researchers believe that this breakthrough could lead to the creation of humans that could withstand radiation exposure from a nuclear explosion.
The medium echoes a study published last October by scientists from the Academy of Military Sciences from Beijing who claims to have found a way to insert a tardigrade gene into human DNA using CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology. Thanks to this gene, tardigrades or water bears can generate protein shield that protect your cells from radiation. After gene editing, 90% of human embryonic stem cells survived lethal X-ray exposure.
The team led by Professor Yue Wen points out in the study that the shield proteins are “exclusive to water bears. The immune response after cross-species expression is unknown, and can cause some security issues”.
However, genetic analysis of the modified stem cells has not found mutations in their chromosomes and its operation has been normal, although grew faster at some stages of their development. “The expression does not damage the vitality of cells, but it can promote cell proliferation to a certain extent,” reflects the study that “will move to the next phase based on these discoveries.”
One of Wen’s team’s projects seeks to convert tardigrade gene-modified embryonic stem cells into blood stem cells that can be enter the bone marrow to generate new blood cells resistant to radiation. The researchers believe that in this way the human species would increase its chances of survive a nuclear catastrophe.
The ability of the tardigrade gene to protect its cells applied to human cells could also lead to important advances against various diseases and aging. “It plays a protective role in cellular DNA against oxidative stress, which is essential for the development of many diseases, such as cancer, aging, diabetes, inflammation and Parkinson’s disease,” the study states.
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