One would think a transparent, tiny 카지노 게임 컬렉션� about one millimeter in length 카지노 게임 컬렉션� organism could have difficulty catching anyone카지노 게임 컬렉션�s attention. The roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), however, has been in the biological research spotlight for decades. Scientists first proposed the worm as a model for studying development biology and neurobiology in the 1960s. In 1998, C. elegans became the first animal to have its genome fully sequenced and even today hundreds of labs dedicate time and resources to find out more about the worm and how it can help us answer some of biology카지노 게임 컬렉션�s fundamental questions.

How does a single cell become a multicellular organism? What are the genes that control cell division and cell movement? Ian Chin-Sang, a developmental biologist, has dedicated his career to asking these and similar questions. In his lab in the Department of Biology at Queen's, he combines genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, and video microscopy techniques to study C. elegans and understand how animals 카지노 게임 컬렉션� including humans 카지노 게임 컬렉션� develop.

C. elegans and humans share about 40 per cent of the same genetic makeup 카지노 게임 컬렉션� meaning that 40 per cent of human genes are homologous, or similar in structure, with the worm카지노 게임 컬렉션�s DNA. On the other hand, roundworms are much simpler organisms, with only about 1,000 cells, and their transparent bodies make it easy to observe them in detail, even at the single cell level.

Over the past few years Dr. Chin-Sang and his team have been studying C. elegans to investigate cancer genes 카지노 게임 컬렉션� the ones that can promote cell division in tumours and metastasis. They have also been investigating the tumour suppressor genes that prevent cells from multiplying. Mutations and genetic predispositions that block tumour suppressor genes can lead to cancer.

카지노 게임 컬렉션�We study how the worm develops and apply this knowledge to understanding what goes wrong during cell division that causes cancer,카지노 게임 컬렉션� Dr. Chin-Sang explains. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�We are also interested in the mechanisms behind how tumour cells invade surrounding tissues and move to other locations, creating new tumours. If we can block this mechanism, we can prevent metastasis.카지노 게임 컬렉션�

Roundworms do not develop cancer like humans. But they do have tumour suppressor genes and are a good model for understanding what happens exactly when these genes are knocked out. In the worms, like in humans, mutations in a tumour suppressor gene can lead to inappropriate cell division and movement, leading to premature death.

Dr. Chin-Sang카지노 게임 컬렉션�s team is particularly interested in the worm's genetic correspondent of PTEN, a gene whose loss is involved in around 70 per cent of prostate cancers, and other types of tumours. Although humans and roundworms have obvious differences, what happens inside the cells of each organism is comparable.

카지노 게임 컬렉션�We think of the cell as a molecular machine that needs to function properly. What happens if you alter the components of the machine? That카지노 게임 컬렉션�s what we mockup in the lab. How that machine works in the worm is likely the same as it does in human cells,카지노 게임 컬렉션� Dr. Chin-Sang says.

Scientists can manipulate C. elegans카지노 게임 컬렉션� genes in all sorts of ways. Also, researchers can use the worm to test drug candidates and see if they are effective in slowing cell division or cell movement. These experiments can eventually guide scientists on which substances to test in more complex biological models, and eventually in humans.

Current programs

In addition to studying cell division and its connections to cancer, Dr. Chin-Sang카지노 게임 컬렉션�s team is investigating the cellular insulin signaling pathway. While insulin is mostly known for regulating blood glucose levels, exacerbated insulin signaling can lead to tumour development. Although C. elegans do not produce insulin, they do have insulin-like molecules, and the molecular machinery that regulates these is very similar to the insulin signaling pathway found in human cells. Also, the worm has genes that can block such signaling, providing insights on what happens to humans.

카지노 게임 컬렉션�This could be very important for designing new drugs,카지노 게임 컬렉션� Dr. Chin-Sang says. This research program is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). 

Another ongoing program is funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and aims to clarify how embryonic cells change their shape and move to fold up into three dimensional forms. This process is called 카지노 게임 컬렉션�morphogenesis카지노 게임 컬렉션� and it is an important aspect of development as it is necessary for giving organs and tissues their three-dimensional shapes. The team is working to identify and characterize genes and proteins that regulate this process.

As a developmental biologist, Dr. Chin-Sang strives to answer fundamental science questions, and is not always certain, especially in the first stages of a research project, of the possible applications of the knowledge that is being built. But being open to the unexpected pays off 카지노 게임 컬렉션� who would think a tiny roundworm could teach us so much about our own health?