The DNA of koalas a little bigger than the human – News

It is barely larger than the human, the genetic code of koala international symbol of nature conservation, n & # 39; is more of a mystery: information discoveries that contain more than 26,000 genes and that will be essential for improving strategies for its survival and to cure diseases which affect it. The result, published in the journal Nature Genetics, is due to the Koala Genome Consortium, led by Rebecca Johnson, of the Australian Museum Research Institute, and by Katherine Belov, of the University of Sydney.

The sequencing of koala DNA began in 2013 and 54 researchers from 29 institutions from 7 countries participated . badyzed more than 3.4 billion base pairs bricks constituting the double helix of DNA, and more than 26,000 genes which makes the genome of koala slightly larger from the human, highlighting the unique biology of this marsupial.

All data obtained are in public databases and freely available . One of the most interesting discoveries concerns a part of the DNA responsible for the production of particular metabolic enzymes which, in koalas, are present in large quantities in almost all body tissues they play a vital role in detoxification. organism highly toxic compounds of eucalyptus, the only food source of this species. Another genetic sequence, on the other hand, made it possible to understand the composition of the milk with which the mothers feed the babies during the six months which pbad to marsupium : the proteins change ] over time for to adapt to different stages of development and also perform an antimicrobial function.