Gene shown to affect bone growth in mice
March 23rd, 2011 | by Malamalama Staff | Published in Research News
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers have made strides in understanding the role of a specific gene in bone formation.
When Associate Professor of Animal Sciences Jinzeng Yang and colleagues and partially depressed the activity of growth differentiation factor 11, or gene GRD11, in mouse eggs, the resulting mice developed extra bone and higher bone density on one vertebra.
Zicong Li and Baoping Zhao from the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Miyuri Kawasumi and Stefan Moisyadi from the Institute for Biogenesis Research collaborated on the study.
Their paper on the federally funded study was the cover story of the November 2010 issue of Molecular Reproduction and Development.
Unraveling the gene’s role could contribute to development of treatments that prevention osteoporosis and skeletal deformities.
Tags: College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Institute for Biogenesis Research, UH Manoa, Vol. 36 No. 2
