Follow Singapore Investment Immigration and follow Singapore technology developments: Adult mammals, including humans, possess a dormant "youth" gene that has the remarkable ability to fully repair various damaged cellular tissues.
According to a report by the Singapore-based Lianhe Zaobao website, a young Singaporean scientist studying in the United States recently succeeded in using this gene reactivation method to enable adult mice that had lost skin, hair, cartilage, bone, and soft tissue to regrow these cellular tissues.
He also discovered that reactivating this gene can enhance intracellular metabolism, which may assist in combating age-related degenerative diseases in the future.
This research was published by Boston Children's Hospital and appeared today in the international biomedical journal Cell. George Daley's doctoral student at Harvard Medical School, Huang Shiqiang (29), is the lead author.
In an interview, Huang Shiqiang mentioned that scientists have long known there is a significant difference in cellular tissue repair capabilities between newborn animals and adult animals.
For instance, if a newborn baby accidentally loses a fingertip or the tip of a toe, these parts can regenerate; wounds on embryos and infants can also heal completely without scarring. Adult cells do not possess this regenerative ability; for example, as people age, they lose the ability to regenerate hair.
Huang Shiqiang pointed out that these differences are related to a gene called Lin28a.
The scientific community first discovered this "youth" gene in nematodes in 1984. The stem cell protein it produces can bind to many ribonucleic acids (RNA), regulating stem cell growth and tissue differentiation in embryos. Its activity declines as the fetus grows and disappears completely by the time an infant is born.
Promoting regeneration and repair capabilities
The research team reactivated this gene in mice using transgenic antibiotics. They found that the gene can increase cellular mitochondrial metabolism, thereby stimulating the growth of new tissue.
Huang Shiqiang said: "The accumulation of metabolic defects in mitochondria leads to the aging of many cellular tissues. Our research demonstrates the exact opposite effect: enhancing mitochondrial metabolism can promote repair and regeneration, restoring the remarkable healing abilities of young animals."
Regarding whether this could cause uncontrolled cell growth, he noted that while Lin28b, which is similar to the youth gene, is indeed an oncogene for many cancers, Lin28a itself only enhances cell division when cellular tissue is damaged.
He stated: "Scientists do not yet know the reason for the difference between the two genes and are currently investigating this."
However, Lin28a cannot restore all damaged adult cellular tissues, such as heart tissue or severed fingertips or toe tips.
Huang Shiqiang said: "This means we are still missing certain other embryonic repair factors. I hope to research these other factors to improve the regenerative capabilities of all cellular tissues and allow wounds to heal without scarring."
He is also a recipient of the National Science Scholarship from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore. While pursuing his bachelor's degree at Princeton University, he studied under Eric Wieschaus, a Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine.
He has recently returned to Singapore and will continue his research work at the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS).
