Perhaps the study of these capabilities

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One study, led by researchers at the Centro Andaluz de Developmental Biology, center of the mixed

Pablo de Olavide University, CSIC and Government of Andalusia, reveals that the gene is Meis1 key

processes that use cells in the formation of the retina. The finding, which helps to clarify the

way the nervous system in vertebrates, it can also provide more information on the development of

certain cancers. The findings of the study have been published in the scientific journal

Development.

The researcher at the Centro Andaluz de Developmental Biology Fernando Casares, director

of research, contextualizes the results: "Advancing the knowledge of the formation of the eye is

important, not only because it was the essential part of the visual system but also because is a

good model for understanding how the nervous system is built. " The reason lies in its

simplicity: "Unlike the brain, the retina needs to train fewer types of neurons and glia cells

(cells that protect and assistants bring food to neurons, which facilitates their study," he

adds.

Specifically, the investigation reveals, in the format of the zebrafish, Meis1 that the gene is

essential to encourage the proliferation of cells during the formation of the retina, and that

their action is required for the expression of two powerful promoters of cell proliferation ,

ciclinaD1 and C-Myc.

Casares clarifies this concept: "The development of any body requires two phases. The first phase

of proliferation, is the multiplication of the cells until the body has adequate size. At this

point, the cells become differentiated from each other to assume different functions necessary

for the body to function in question. " Meis1 is needed to keep cells in the first phase for the

development of the retina. The expression of Meis1 has to be "off" to allow retinal cells begin

to differentiate into development.

The researcher explained that the finding represents a further step in the understanding of the

biology of development, an area "essential" of modern biology, but it still has a long way to go:

"The scientific community does not know for the moment how formed a body in detail, from the

specification of its primordium through the specification of the various cell types that comprise

it, to how it determines the size and shape of it. We could not cite the instructions to be

formed, for example, the wing of a fly, which is perhaps the best studied body. "

UNDERSTAND INJURY AND DISEASE

Thus, the finding provides new data to the discipline of developmental biology. This area, as

Fernando Casares, is essential in modern biology and key, inter alia, to understand the molecular

mechanisms of diseases such as cancer.

In fact, the research that has led Casares suggests a mechanism to explain how the gene might

participate Meis1 the development of acute myeloid leukemia, a type of cancer generated by an

excess of blood cells undifferentiated. "In leukemias, Meis1 not off in the precursor cells (stem

cells) in the blood and they continue to proliferate indefinitely," explains the researcher. "Our

work identifies Meis1 such as a gene that promotes cell proliferation through the control of key

cell cycle genes."

The scientist who qualifies is not yet known what molecular mechanisms prevent the gene off and

recalled that Meis1 could be implicated in the origin of other cancers.

On the other hand, he said Casares, the elimination of Meis1 drift microoftalmia. "Knowing more

about how they form the retina and the involvement of the gene Meis1 in its development could

help repair damage to the eyes, especially since we use the zebrafish as a model."

The investigator CABD extends this idea: "In the case of human beings, wear and damage to the eye

only be cured by medical aid. However, fish and amphibians are able to heal their eyes actually

regenerating damaged parts. Perhaps the study of these capabilities will give us clues to find

out why our eyes do not.