Slog
News & ArtsFriday, July 16, 2010
Science The Ground of Sperm
Posted by Charles Mudede on Fri, Jul 16, 2010 at 8:28 AM
Boule, a gene that makes sperm, is found to be almost universal in the production of animal life. It's found in flies, fish, birds, dogs, and us.
"This is the first clear evidence that suggests our ability to produce sperm is very ancient, probably originating at the dawn of animal evolution 600 million years ago," said Eugene Xu, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Feinberg. "This finding suggests that all animal sperm production likely comes from a common prototype."What might be a practical application of this good piece of information? A male contraceptive with mild or no side effects.
When Xu's research group knocked out the Boule gene from a mouse, the animal appeared to be healthy but did not produce sperm.Life on earth is so old.
1
I wonder what that prototype was. Sponge like? Lived in the sea alright. Sponges release sperm and eggs. But what necessitated it's evolution? Bio diversity?
3
Awesome news ... if you want a treatment that leaves some large fraction of your male progeny permanently sterile, while having relatively little practical effect on your own fertility.
It's got some potential, though, as a sci-fi genocide premise.
It's got some potential, though, as a sci-fi genocide premise.
5
Have a little faith, RonK. It's a starting point. Nobody is saying that the best male contraceptive would be genetically engineering our children not to produce sperm. In the search for a male contraceptive, it is surely helpful to know the exact mechanism that causes sperm production, even if we don't know how to *temporarily* shut it off yet.
6
They don't have to knock the gene out forever, just halt its expression. Basically, trigger it to lie dormant until the owner wishes to take advantage of it. In either case, new progeny would have the gene by sheer nature of the fact they were created.
9
Unless you consider missing a gene to be "mild or no side effects".
Sorry ladies, genes before hos.
Sorry ladies, genes before hos.
10
@7 That's clever. All organisms alive today carry genes that were present in the first life-forms to have DNA and RNA which pre-date this gene by many millions of years. We carry remnants of primordia.
11
@4 is right.
And actually, most of the things you think of as genes have various RNA and DNA segments that turn them on and off and make them do various other things, so even if we use one set of pathways, doesn't mean there aren't other prior pathways still encoded that you only have to trigger back on - sometimes it's 2 or 3 key genes to do that, but the coding is still there - usually in the "nonsense" regions people think don't do anything (but do).
And actually, most of the things you think of as genes have various RNA and DNA segments that turn them on and off and make them do various other things, so even if we use one set of pathways, doesn't mean there aren't other prior pathways still encoded that you only have to trigger back on - sometimes it's 2 or 3 key genes to do that, but the coding is still there - usually in the "nonsense" regions people think don't do anything (but do).
13
@6 - Read the effin' paper.
It's an interesting finding mostly due to its universality - which has no relation to its practical value in developing a male contraceptive.
It's an interesting finding mostly due to its universality - which has no relation to its practical value in developing a male contraceptive.
Advertisement
Most Commented on Slog
-
Hating People Doesn't Make Them Thinner by Jen Graves
-
Los Angeles Gay Bar Bans Bachelorette Parties Until Marriage Equality Is Attained by David Schmader
-
Fill in the Blank by Grant Brissey
-
This Reminds Me of the Great Calculator Scare of the Late '70s/Early '80s by David Schmader
-
Idiot Tries to Defend Bigoted Anti-Gay-Marriage Preacher on Anderson Cooper by Paul Constant
-
Six Moms with Too Much Time on Their Hands and a Shitty Website Decide to Fight Gay Superheroes by Paul Constant
-
The Saturday Morning News by Unpaid Intern
-
Why Mayor McGinn's Wife Canceled Her Family's Seattle Times Subscription by Eli Sanders
-
What the Hell Is Wrong With Seattle's Pride Parade? by Dominic Holden
-
NYC Man Ticketed for Not Riding in the Bike Lane by Jonathan Golob
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (17) RSS