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MU Research of Zebrafish Neurons May Lead to Better Understanding of Birth Defects like Spina Bifida

By Guest PostFebruary 22, 2014Scienceanand chandrasekhar, basic function, birth defects, cilia function, facial branchiomotor, gene, internal process, jaw muscles, mammal, mu research, neuron migration, protein vangl2, spina bifida, vertebrate, zebrafish neurons

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The zebrafish, a tropical freshwater fish similar to a minnow and native to the southeastern Himalayan region, is well established as a key tool for researchers studying human diseases, including brain disorders. Using zebrafish, scientists can determine how individual neurons develop, mature and support basic functions like breathing, swallowing and jaw movement. Researchers at the University of Missouri say that learning about neuronal development and maturation in zebrafish could lead to a better understanding of birth defects such as spina bifida in humans.

“We are studying how neurons move to their final destinations,” said Anand Chandrasekhar, professor of biological sciences and a researcher in the Bond Life Sciences Center at MU. “It’s especially critical in the nervous system because these neurons are generating circuits similar to what you might see in computers. If those circuits don’t form properly, and if different types of neurons don’t end up in the right locations, the behavior and survival of the animal will be compromised.” (more…)

MU Research Sheds Light on Nerve Regeneration Following Spinal Cord Injury

By Guest PostDecember 6, 2013Healthactivation, andrew mcclellan, chemical signals, cyclic amp, eel like fish, emily frisch, group of molecules, level of injury, locomotion, mammals, molecule, nerve cell, nerve regeneration, neurons, reticulospinal neurons, sea lamprey, second messengers, spinal cord injury, timothy pale, university of missouri, vertebrate

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Fish, unlike humans, can regenerate nerve connections and recover normal mobility following an injury to their spinal cord. Now, University of Missouri researchers have discovered how the sea lamprey, an eel-like fish, regrows the neurons that comprise the long nerve “highways” that link the brain to the spinal cord. Findings may guide future efforts to promote recovery in humans who have suffered spinal cord injuries.

“There is a lot of attention to why, following a spinal cord injury, neurons regenerate in lower vertebrates, such as the sea lamprey, and why they don’t in higher vertebrates, such as humans,” said Andrew McClellan, professor of biological sciences in the College of Arts and Science and director of the UM Spinal Cord Injury Research Program (SCIRP). (more…)

U of T Researchers Uncover Major Source of Evolutionary Differences among Species

By Guest PostJanuary 1, 2013Nature, Sciencealternative splicing, alzheimer, benjamin blencowe, brain, cancer, chicken, chimpanzee, disease, disease susceptibility, frog, fundamental characteristics, fundamental difference, genetic basis, genetic messages, heart, human, human brain, human diseases, identical, liver, mouse, multiple proteins, nuno barbosa morais, set of genes, species, university of toronto, vertebrate, vertebrate evolution

TORONTO, ON – University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine researchers have uncovered a genetic basis for fundamental differences between humans and other vertebrates that could also help explain why humans are susceptible to diseases not found in other species.

Scientists have wondered why vertebrate species, which look and behave very differently from one another, nevertheless share very similar repertoires of genes. For example, despite obvious physical differences, humans and chimpanzees share a nearly identical set of genes. (more…)

Tag Archives: vertebrate

MU Research of Zebrafish Neurons May Lead to Better Understanding of Birth Defects like Spina Bifida

MU Research Sheds Light on Nerve Regeneration Following Spinal Cord Injury

U of T Researchers Uncover Major Source of Evolutionary Differences among Species