2016

Head to tail: the molecules that tell you how to grow a backbone

Growing the right number of vertebrae in the right places is an important job – and scientists have found the molecules that act like ‘theatre directors’ for vertebrae genes in mice: telling them how much or how little to express themselves.

Edwina and her team were able to visualise the formation of the skeleton, using stains for bone (red) and cartilage (blue). Credit: Edwina McGlinn
Edwina and her team were able to visualise the formation of the skeleton, using stains for bone (red) and cartilage (blue). Credit: Edwina McGlinn

The finding may give insight into how the body-shapes of different species of animals evolved, since the molecules under scrutiny are present in a wide range of animals – ranging from fish to snakes to humans.

An international team led by Dr Edwina McGlinn of the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI ), found that de-activating a small group of microRNA molecules sent things awry for different parts of the backbone.

They already knew that ‘Hox’ genes were crucial in determining vertebrae patterns – as well as playing an important role in the spinal cord and wider nervous system. But how these genes were regulated was still unclear.

“We’ve found a mechanism that controls the correct transition from one area of the spine to another as it is forming,” says Edwina.

The finding is part of a project by the McGlinn Group to build a more complete road-map of how the size, shape and number of bones form within the early vertebrate embryo.

This will contribute to the basic understanding of developmental processes, which in turn may assist in the treatment of a number of diseases and in regenerative medicine applications: for example altered Hox gene expression is important in some forms of leukaemia—so it’s critical to know all we can about how these genes are regulated.

“The research is still in its early stages, but you’ve got to understand how an embryo forms before you can use that knowledge for medical or regenerative purposes,” Edwina says.

For more information:
Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI)
Edwina McGlinn
+61 3  9902  9721
www.armi.org.au/research-leadership/mcglinn-group

For all other enquiries:
Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI)
Silvio Tiziani, +61 (0)3 9902 9603

[1] ARMI is part of the Australian arm of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, based at Monash University