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Sydney, November 25 (IANS): The researchers found new evidence of advanced regulation of DNA in an ancient marine organism, showing that crucial mechanisms for gene activation and deactivation could have their origin much earlier than expected, finding that suggests a better understanding of genetic processes and treatment of diseases.
The study, co-led by Australian researchers, analyzed Amphioxus DNA and uncovered the "tricks" used to control gene expression, which may be older than expected. in Australia.
The translucent, fish-like organism was "just on the verge of vertebrate-invertebrate" and was "perfectly positioned to help us understand how our genomes jumped from invertebrate to vertebrate," said the l & # 39, principal author, Ozren Bogdanovic, of the institute.
"With Amphioxus, we have one of the closest living invertebrates to humans, almost vertebrate, but not quite," he added.
The old body helped to highlight, for the first time, regions used to regulate gene expression in an invertebrate species, he noted, in the report. article published in the journal Nature.
"It tells us that this regulatory mechanism could have appeared millions of years ago," he said. "And that tells us a lot about the evolution of DNA regulation, but also helps us better understand how it works in more complex organisms, like us."
The next step in the study is to continue studying the link between vertebrates and invertebrates, to better understand the regulation of DNA, said Bogdanovic.
"This will allow us to deepen our understanding of the functioning of DNA regulation, and in particular of its dysfunction in diseases. Understanding these processes could help us better understand and ultimately treat diseases, "he said.
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