Yeast might have more in common with homo than you think . Despite being separated by billions of old age of organic evolution , researchers were " surprised " to find that we partake in hundreds of genes . The study , publish inScience , could have important implications for biomedical research .
investigator removed 450 factor decisive for yeast ’s survival and supersede them with human versions of the same gene . They wait to see if the organism would die but , out of the blue , almost one-half of the clip new form which resulted were subject of surviving and reproducing . While researchers have been able-bodied to switch single cistron between yeast and humans before , this is the first time that century of genes could be swapped on such a large scale . Researchers found that certain radical were stable over evolutionary clock time and intimate that there might be another 1000 " swappable " genes .
“ It ’s a beautiful demonstration of the vulgar inheritance of all go things – to be able-bodied to take DNA from a human and supplant the matching DNA in a yeast cell and have it successfully support the life of the cell , " saidprofessor Edward Marcotte , from theUniversity of Texas , Austin , in astatement .
How could researchers predict whether two genes could be successfully commute ? The response , harmonize to team member Jon Laurent , could lie in determine the module of which the genes are a part . Modules are grouping of genes in the same pathway that have the same useful function . Researchers found that gene in the same module were more likely to be swappable . They were surprised it was these modules and not the law of similarity between genetic succession that check the success of the swaps .
Researchers paint a picture that yeast could act a in particular important office in biomedical research as scientist would be able to test unlike genetic mutation to clear a better sympathy of human disease . By insert dissimilar human genetic mutations into yeast , researchers could test dissimilar treatments .
" We could find out if one of the standard treatments would work on your particular edition of the gene or if possibly another drug would be even better , " saysprofessor Claus Wilke , from theUniversity of Texas , who co - authored the newspaper , in astatement .