Scientists have found a new human embryonic cell type, one that seems designed to protect the growing embryo by acting as a quality control measure and making sure that damaged cells are removed.
in their function – but in a genetic activity analysis of 5-day old embryos, researchers found certain cells that didn't match the standard profiles.
"If a cell is damaged by the jumping genes – or any other sort of error such as having too few or too many chromosomes – then the embryo is better off removing these cells and not allowing them to become part of the developing baby,"In other words, these new cells are deliberately configured to lose out in a survival of the fittest battle, sacrificing themselves to give the healthier cells priority and the embryo a better chance of growing.
The cells that are left behind are able to suppress their active jumping genes and don't have the same self-destruction routines built into them, the researchers found. Finding out exactly why this is and what's going on can be tackled in future studies.Hurst."What we are seeing within embryos also looks like survival of the fittest but this time between almost identical cells."
As these cells have only just been discovered, we're still talking about the very early stages of this research. However, the team suggests that one difference between a successful and unsuccessful pregnancy might be how these REject cells behave, or how sensitive the embryo is to their messaging.
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