Genetic Errors Nixed Penis Spines, Enlarged Our Brains
Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2011 10:34 am
Who would have guessed?
Bejerano’s team started by comparing the genomes of chimpanzees and macaque monkeys, which share a 20-million-year-old common ancestor. They identified regions that hadn’t changed in chimps, then compared these to corresponding stretches of the human genome. They found more than 500 mutations known as deletions, or stretches of DNA present in chimps but lost in humans.
Two deletions, one near a male hormone-signaling gene and another near a neural development gene, were especially intriguing. Tweaking those genes in mice suggested possible roles for the loss: eliminating penile spines and boosting cerebral cortex growth.
Source: Genetic Errors Nixed Penis Spines, Enlarged Our Brains | Wired Science | Wired.com
Bejerano’s team started by comparing the genomes of chimpanzees and macaque monkeys, which share a 20-million-year-old common ancestor. They identified regions that hadn’t changed in chimps, then compared these to corresponding stretches of the human genome. They found more than 500 mutations known as deletions, or stretches of DNA present in chimps but lost in humans.
Two deletions, one near a male hormone-signaling gene and another near a neural development gene, were especially intriguing. Tweaking those genes in mice suggested possible roles for the loss: eliminating penile spines and boosting cerebral cortex growth.
Source: Genetic Errors Nixed Penis Spines, Enlarged Our Brains | Wired Science | Wired.com