Post by kickingfrog on Nov 5, 2016 10:32:07 GMT
Epigenetics show that the utilisation of the genome can be influenced
May 11, 2016 -
Research, University of Tampere
...When a person suffering from coeliac disease eats food containing gluten, the villi lining the intestinal wall is damaged. The villi are like long finger-like projections, but they shrink as the result of exposure to gluten. The function of the villi is based on the stem cells at their root. These stem cells, which proliferate throughout a person’s lifetime, constantly differentiate and become mature intestinal cells.
Differentiation: Stem cells possess the ability to transform into any tissue in the body.
Viiri’s research group first wanted to find out how epigenetics is involved in the differentiation of stem cells in the small intestine. The preliminary findings show that epigenetic regulation mechanisms are involved.
“We noticed that in coeliac patients, the differentiation of the stem cells in the small intestine is disturbed because of this regulation mechanism. Thus, the area able to absorb nutrients in the small intestine becomes considerably smaller.”
A frequently used metaphor is that in healthy individuals, the size of the absorbent surface of the small intestine is equal to the size of a tennis court, whereas in coeliacs this area shrinks to the size of just the court’s service box.
Viiri believes that the research results may later be used to improve the diagnosis of coeliac disease and to understand its pathogenesis.
“We’ve found epigenetically regulated target genes in the small intestine. Some of them have been screened and it looks like a certain epigenetic regulator is turned on too much as a consequence of an environmental factor, in this case gluten,” Viiri says.
When a person suffering from coeliac disease eats food containing gluten, the above mentioned mechanism maintains the disorder in the small intestine. In other words, gluten-triggered faulty epigenetic regulation at least partly prevents the normal function of the stem cells in the gut.
However, these findings will not necessarily help the treatment of the disease. According to Viiri, it might be dangerous to use drugs targeted at epigenetic regulators because the differentiation of several other tissues could also be inadvertently affected. Instead, the research findings may help the diagnosis of the disease and shed light on its pathogenesis.
Research on disease epigenetics at the University of Tampere is funded by the Academy of Finland, Tekes – the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation, the Jusélius Foundation, the Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation and the Finnish government.....
researchandstudy.uta.fi/2016/05/11/epigenetics-show-that-the-utilisation-of-the-genome-can-be-influenced/
May 11, 2016 -
Research, University of Tampere
...When a person suffering from coeliac disease eats food containing gluten, the villi lining the intestinal wall is damaged. The villi are like long finger-like projections, but they shrink as the result of exposure to gluten. The function of the villi is based on the stem cells at their root. These stem cells, which proliferate throughout a person’s lifetime, constantly differentiate and become mature intestinal cells.
Differentiation: Stem cells possess the ability to transform into any tissue in the body.
Viiri’s research group first wanted to find out how epigenetics is involved in the differentiation of stem cells in the small intestine. The preliminary findings show that epigenetic regulation mechanisms are involved.
“We noticed that in coeliac patients, the differentiation of the stem cells in the small intestine is disturbed because of this regulation mechanism. Thus, the area able to absorb nutrients in the small intestine becomes considerably smaller.”
A frequently used metaphor is that in healthy individuals, the size of the absorbent surface of the small intestine is equal to the size of a tennis court, whereas in coeliacs this area shrinks to the size of just the court’s service box.
Viiri believes that the research results may later be used to improve the diagnosis of coeliac disease and to understand its pathogenesis.
“We’ve found epigenetically regulated target genes in the small intestine. Some of them have been screened and it looks like a certain epigenetic regulator is turned on too much as a consequence of an environmental factor, in this case gluten,” Viiri says.
When a person suffering from coeliac disease eats food containing gluten, the above mentioned mechanism maintains the disorder in the small intestine. In other words, gluten-triggered faulty epigenetic regulation at least partly prevents the normal function of the stem cells in the gut.
However, these findings will not necessarily help the treatment of the disease. According to Viiri, it might be dangerous to use drugs targeted at epigenetic regulators because the differentiation of several other tissues could also be inadvertently affected. Instead, the research findings may help the diagnosis of the disease and shed light on its pathogenesis.
Research on disease epigenetics at the University of Tampere is funded by the Academy of Finland, Tekes – the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation, the Jusélius Foundation, the Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation and the Finnish government.....
researchandstudy.uta.fi/2016/05/11/epigenetics-show-that-the-utilisation-of-the-genome-can-be-influenced/