Researchers have found a link between Alan Turing's Mechanism and generating fingers and toes, says a study.
Dr. Marie Kmita and her research team at the IRCM discovered that generating our fingers and toes relies on a mechanism similar to Alan Turing's pattern formation, a mathematician who proposed the mathematical equations for pattern formation, according to Science Daily report.
"The Turing model for pattern formation has long remained under debate, mostly due to the lack of experimental data supporting it," explains Dr. Rushikesh Sheth, postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Kmita's laboratory and co-first author of the study, reported Science Daily. "By studying the role of Hox genes during limb development, we were able to show, for the first time, that the patterning process that generates our fingers and toes relies on a Turing-like mechanism."
In mammals a set of genes control the embryo's development which is called Hox genes. These genes give a proper architecture to the body while birth and hence also known as architect genes. "Our genetic study suggested that Hox genes act as modulators of a Turing-like mechanism, which was further supported by mathematical tests performed by our collaborators, Dr. James Sharpe and his team," adds Kmita, director of the Genetics and Development research unit at the IRCM, according to Science Daily.
"Moreover, we showed that drastically reducing the dose of Hox genes in mice transforms fingers into structures reminiscent of the extremities of fish fins. These findings further support the key role of Hox genes in the transition of fins to limbs during evolution, one of the most important anatomical innovations associated with the transition from aquatic to terrestrial life," Kmita further continued.
This scientific research is published in the journal Science. The research was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canada Research Chairs Program.
