Genes define why we crave nicotine.A GROUP of Indian researchers, working in collaboration with American scientists, has found two new genes responsible for nicotine addiction Noun 1. nicotine addiction - an addiction to nicotine drug addiction, white plague - an addiction to a drug (especially a narcotic drug) in zebrafish. This genetic information could help them develop a drug to cure nicotine addiction in humans in future. Earlier studies have shown that an individual's response to nicotine -- the addictive ingredient in cigarettes and other forms of tobacco -- is heavily dependent on their genetic makeup. Zebrafish -- the colourful aquarium species -- is a goldmine of genetic information that can be used to understand pathways and mechanisms of practically every human disease from blindness to coronary artery disease coronary artery disease, condition that results when the coronary arteries are narrowed or occluded, most commonly by atherosclerotic deposits of fibrous and fatty tissue. . "Tobacco addiction is a major problem in India and we have found a potential drug target to tackle addiction to nicotine," said Sridhar Sivasubbu, scientist at the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB IGIB Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (New Delhi, India) ) in Delhi. " We used a new genetic mutation Noun 1. genetic mutation - (genetics) any event that changes genetic structure; any alteration in the inherited nucleic acid sequence of the genotype of an organism chromosomal mutation, mutation technique to discover two new genes that alter the nicotine response in zebrafish. These genes have a single human counterpart, and one is a direct potential target for developing a tobacco- cessation drug," said Stephen Ekker of University of Minnesota (body, education) University of Minnesota - The home of Gopher. http://umn.edu/. Address: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. , who collaborated with scientists at the IGIB. Sivasubbu said the new ' gene trapping' tool developed by the IGIB team can be used to identify genetic mutations responsible for several other diseases as well. " We have just demonstrated it in the case of nicotine addiction," he added. Results of this path breaking research appeared in scientific journal Proceedings of National Academy of Science on Monday. Using the new technique researchers looked for genetic variations that may be responsible for altering an organism's physiological and behavioural responses to nicotine. They genetically modified genetically modified Adjective (of an organism) having DNA which has been altered for the purpose of improvement or correction of defects genetically modified genetic adj [food etc] → zebrafish in such a way as to predispose pre·dis·pose v. To make susceptible, as to a disease. them to addiction and lung cancer lung cancer, cancer that originates in the tissues of the lungs. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States in both men and women. Like other cancers, lung cancer occurs after repeated insults to the genetic material of the cell. and the impact of varying levels of nicotine was studied. The genetic screening system also detected two previously unidentified genetic variations -- also present in humans -- that impacted nicotine response in zebrafish. Ekker said, " The tobacco epidemic is one of the most preventable causes of death, predicted to kill over one billion people in the 21st century. The ability of people to quit is in part a function of their genetic makeup." The study is one of the major application- oriented works for scientists at the Delhi institute who have sequenced the full genome of a wild zebrafish species found in Assam and raised an entire colony of this species. Zebrafish is a non- mammalian vertebrate and has blood, eyes, heart, kidney and other biological processes that share many common features with humans. The zebrafish is a valuable resource for identifying genes involved in human disease. Copyright 2009 India Today This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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