« 2010 Census National Advertising Campaign Set to Begin; Communications Efforts Seek to Boost Participation Rates by Mail | Main | Manhattan U.S. Attorney Files Superseding Indictment Against Alleged Somali Pirate Charging Involvement in Two Additional Hijackings »
In Early Heart Development, Genes Work in Tandem
January 12, 2010Studying genes that regulate early heart development in animals, scientists have solved a puzzle about one gene's role, finding that it acts in concert with a related gene. Their finding contributes to understanding how the earliest stages of heart development may go awry, resulting in congenital heart defects in humans. Peter J. Gruber, M.D., Ph.D., a cardiothoracic surgeon at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, led a study published this week in the Jan. 15 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Occurring in approximately 1 in 200 children, congenital heart defects represent the most common human birth defect. "We uncovered a role for the Gata5 gene, a role that has been unappreciated in vertebrate cardiac development," said Gruber. "Gata5 is a gene that is essential to heart development in other animals, such as frogs and zebrafish, but contrary to expectations, deleting this gene seemed to have no effect on the hearts of mammals. We found, however, that in mice, this gene cooperates closely with other genes to affect heart development. It may work similarly in humans." Full release.