Washington, Feb 22 (ANI): Scientists have discovered that a gene known to control lens development is also vital for the development of neurons responsible for mechanosensory - touch sensation - function. <\/p>\n
Neurobiologists of the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch found that in mice in which they had removed the c-Maf gene in the nerve cells, touch sensation is impaired. <\/p>\n
This similarly applies to human carriers of a mutant c-Maf gene. People with such a mutation suffer already at a young age from cataracts, a clouding of the lens, which typically affects the elderly. <\/p>\n
The patients, as demonstrated by Professor Carmen Birchmeier and Dr. Hagen Wende in collaboration with Professor Gary Lewin and Dr. Stefan Lechner, have difficulty holding objects such as a sheet of paper as a consequence of this mutation. <\/p>\n
\"c-Maf is an important gene for the development of the peripheral nerve cells,\" Professor Birchmeier, a developmental biologist, commented on the findings of her research group. <\/p>\n
The gene controls the development of neurons that detect touch, the mechanosensory neurons. Previously, c-Maf was known as a key regulator of lens development. <\/p>\n
Furthermore, the gene is also active in the dorsal root ganglia, an aggregate of nerve cells next to the spinal cord in which the cell bodies of mechanosensory neurons are localized. <\/p>\n
The nerve cells form long axons, which terminate in the skin in touch corpuscles or at hair shafts. <\/p>\n
These axons detect mechanical stimuli, which in turn are converted into electrical signals and transmitted to the brain. When you stroke your fingers over a surface, its structure triggers high-frequency vibrations in the finger, to which specific touch receptors, the Pacinian corpuscles, respond. <\/p>\n
In mice with deactivated c-Maf gene only few Pacinian corpuscles are formed, and moreover these few are not intact. <\/p>\n
The mice are therefore unable to recognize high-frequency vibrations. The same is true for a Swiss family with an inherited mutant c-Maf gene. <\/p>\n
The consequence is that the affected patients develop cataracts at an early age and have an impaired sense of touch.(ANI) <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Read the original post: Washington, Feb 22 (ANI): Scientists have discovered that a gene known to control lens development is also vital for the development of neurons responsible for mechanosensory - touch sensation - function. Neurobiologists of the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch found that in mice in which they had removed the c-Maf gene in the nerve cells, touch sensation is impaired. This similarly applies to human carriers of a mutant c-Maf gene Continue reading
\n'Vision' gene also involved in sensing vibrations<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"