"Perhaps in the near future, people can increase or decrease a human gene by eating a drug!" Yesterday, Prof. Zhou Jianwei of Nanjing Medical University told reporters with a smile that a gene is expected to be able to be a "switch" to treat diseases, through the regulation of this gene. How much it may cause people to quit drug addiction, and may even make people drink like sea, such as more genetically-alcoholic drinks, less genetic clean-up drug addiction. And this gene is the "Jianwei" gene.
"Jianwei" gene
Ten years ago, when Zhou Jianwei was a visiting scholar at the University of California, he discovered a completely new gene on the human body. At that time, the name of the gene was not yet given the name of the gene in the world. He was named after him as the “Jianwei†gene. Later, the Human Genome Consortium (HUGO) named the gene ARL6IP5.
Now, what secret does this gene hide in human health? Today, a series of cell and animal experiments have allowed this "gene gene book" to surface slowly. The "Jianwei" gene has an important relationship with human drinking capacity, drug addiction and even tumor metastasis.
The biology cannot be separated from the "Jianwei" gene.
“There are more than 30,000 genes in humans. This number is not as good as some lower animals. But these genes have created very different human individuals, which is enough to see the complexity of these genes.†Professor Zhou Jianwei told reporters that these genetic codes hide what ? This is the "book of the sky" that countless scientists constantly pursue and hope to decipher. Once all the codes are unlocked, all the secrets of mankind will be uncovered.
What is the "Jianwei" gene? Professor Zhou told the reporter: “This is a very special gene. From low-level biological fruit flies to slightly higher rats, monkeys, and even humans, this gene has been shown to indicate that this gene is very important. During the process of reproduction and evolution, Not lost, eliminated, so many creatures can not do without it, it is likely to have a major secret on the body. The key is, what is the secret? 10 years ago after discovering the gene, leaving more for yourself question mark."
A little more can make people do not get drunk
Experts passed a series of experiments to make this gene "talk". The team led by Professor Zhou Jianwei made such an interesting experiment on fruit flies, using alcohol vapor to pass a normal fruit flies inside a plastic tube. In 18 minutes, the fruit flies were all drunk and “unconsciousâ€. . Then, the experts also conducted a set of controlled experiments, allowing only 20% of the "Jianwei" genes in Drosophila. At this time, Drosophila's "Jianwei" gene has been closed. It is known that the genetically modified flies drastically decline in alcoholic beverages and are sensitive to alcohol and are more susceptible to alcoholism.
Professor Zhou told reporters that this proposed an idea for future experts. If we add a little more “Jianwei†gene to the human body, it would not be impossible for people to drink like sea, and if we reduce some “Jianwei†genes, people’s Drink will drop. Of course, this also requires a gradual experimental study.
Less can clear the body's drug addiction
The health code contained in the "Jianwei" gene is far more than just the level of drinkers. Prof. Zhou Jianwei told reporters that alcohol consumption is also an addiction. Does the drug that many people indulge and can not extricate themselves have to do with this gene? This time, experts used mice to do experiments.
Professor Zhou Jianwei said that 90% of the genes in mice are similar to humans, and their drug addiction is very large. After giving normal mice and rats a week of morphine, typical drug dependence and addiction appear. The experts then used these genes to suppress the gene needles in the key parts of the brain. Do not underestimate the needles. When one needle goes down, the number of “Jianwei†genes in the mouse brain is reduced by at least 80%. Experts are surprised to find that these rats actually Without feeling, there is neither addiction nor withdrawal symptoms. In other words, there is less "Jianwei" gene in mice and drug addiction will be reduced.
More can also inhibit tumor metastasis
It is not only this where the experts are surprised. The “Jian Wei†gene can even regulate the metastasis of the tumor. As we all know, patients with advanced cancer are often miserable because the tumor is not clean and is always transferred to other places. This time, the experimental animals are still mice. Through experiments, it was found that only a little "Jianwei" gene was reduced, and the tumor's metastasis capacity was increased by nearly 5 times. According to this line of thought, if we add more "Jianwei" genes, we can suppress the "metastasis" of tumors. This is undoubtedly a boon for cancer patients.
There are still many problems in transforming human genes
Although he has studied for 10 years, Professor Zhou Jianwei’s understanding of the gene he has discovered is only a very small part. There are still many question marks that need to be overcome one by one, that is, from an experimental point of view, it is still uncertain whether it is Whether a "Jianwei" gene plays a role or is regulated together with other genes remains to be further studied. If it is true that all the decryption is done, if humans take a shot or eat a pill, they can change the number of one of their genes to achieve the purpose of healing and changing lifestyles. Of course, this waiting process is still very long. "I'm going to spend a lifetime studying graduate students to study it." Professor Zhou said.