Pennsylvania State University scientists found that the mutation of the GAS2 gene could lead to a complete loss of hearing. This is reported in the article published in the Magazine Developmental Cell.
So, was investigated in detail the properties of the GAS2 gene and came to the conclusion that it directly affects the amplification of sound signals in the inner ear of a person. After conducting a number of experiments on the nucleus of mice, the specialists found out that one of the key functions of this gene is to maintain the shape of the cells of the inner ear, as well as ensuring high stiffness of their walls.
According to Professor Douglas Epstein (Douglas J. Epstein), previously scientists did not compare the development of deafness with damage to GAS2, as it is responsible for playing protein molecules.
Earlier, Russian and Italian scientists conducted experiments on mice and proved that mutations in the Gilz gene contribute to the acceleration of liver fibrosis. It is specified that with a less active work of the gene, immune cells are more damaged by the liver. As Professor Skoltech Timofey Zatresin, the data obtained in the experiments on mice, “correlate with clinical data for a person.”