New research reveals that the DNA switches controlling human finger development originated from genes that regulated fish cloacas 380 million years ago[1].
“Rather than building a new regulatory system for the digits, nature has repurposed an existing mechanism, initially active in the cloaca,” explains developmental geneticist Denis Duboule from the University of Geneva[1:1].
The research team discovered this by comparing fish and mouse genomes, focusing on Hoxd genes. When they tagged DNA switches with fluorescent markers, these lit up in mouse digits but in fish cloacas. Deleting these genetic elements using CRISPR-Cas9 disrupted finger development in mice and cloaca formation in fish[1:2].
“The common feature between the cloaca and the digits is that they represent terminal parts,” notes geneticist Aurélie Hintermann. “Sometimes they are the end of tubes in the digestive system, sometimes the end of feet and hands”[1:3].
That sounds like something AI would say
This is the best out-of-context headline I’ve read all month.
Pairs well with the thumbnail
Thank you for not making me the only person to have immediately gone “there” with that title.
Those myocene apes were kinky.
I had to do a triple take to check it it was the Onion Not the Onion or 196… This is some truly crazy shit.
What a coincidence, a fish butthole is why I don’t have fingers anymore.
Oh wow, a toe-typer in the wild!
🍆 ⌨️
That would be quite the articulate shlong.
⊂( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)☞ >-;;;;€ᐷ
Fish fingers and custard!
I goatsee what you did there.
The Nature article in case you want to skip the pop science and get to the good stuff.
Because Hoxd gene regulation in the mouse urogenital sinus relies on enhancers located in this same chromatin domain that controls digit development, we propose that the current regulatory landscape active in distal limbs was co-opted as a whole in tetrapods from a pre-existing cloacal regulatory machinery.
I would feel awful finding out I genetically modified a fish to not have a butthole.
That’s fucked up.
All fun and games until you “I have no butthole and I must poop” some fish
That’s a brand new sentence right there
Mmmmm, butterfingers are my fave.
Is that how they’re made?
This will be a good addition to my “I am so fun at partys”-facts.
How many parties do you get invited to?
Zero. Cause I’m old. But at least I can talk to the other parents on kids birthday partys.
Well you could until you added this fact. Now you’ll be the “fish-butthole-finger” guy.
deleted by creator
I hope the authors win the next years Ig Nobel Prize and that they are good sports who accept it.
This is funny but very interesting work.
HIGH FIVE!
me walking in with 10 fish on my hands
“OMG you’re not gonna beleive this…”
