Will Jurassic Park come true?

From the news from the University of Melbourne, itself and University of Texas extracted genes from the tissue of extinct Tasmanian tiger and inserted it into a mouse and a biological function had been observed.

According to the scientific journal PloS ONE, this research enables a further step to genetic features that defines a particular species instead of gene sequences and how genomes have evolved. They, by using direct high-throughput parallel pyrosequencing, isolated a transcriptional enhancer element (Melanocortin 1 Receptor, MC1R) from the genome of an extinct marsupial (thylacine) and the then examined the function of the enhancer in vivo (takes place inside an living organism), in this case, mice.

“Using a transgenic approach, it was possible to resurrect DNA function in transgenic mice.” They cloned the isolated MC1R sequences and transfected into cell lines to examine the function of the receptor in activation assay in vitro.

“Thylacine Col2a1 gene had a similar function in developing cartilage and bone development as it does in the mouse”. This study shows an ancestral role for the thylacine Col2A1 gene in cartilage formation, which will later form the bone, and demonstrates that is possible to examine non-coding DNA function from extinct animals in vivo in the mice.



By this breakthrough of DNA studies and a further technology development, those extinct species might be “resurrected”. Dinosaur, mammoth or even Neanderthal may relief again. Thus, Jurassic Park will be not only a movie but also a real park in future.











<~From extinction to gene expression.


Hon Ki, Yiu

Primary reference:
Pask, A.J., Behringer, R.R., Renfree,B.R, 2008,Resurrection of DNA Function In Vivo from an Extinct Genome, PloS ONE [Online] Available at:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0002240
(accessed 21/05/2008)

News from University of Melbourne, 2008 [Online] Available at:
http://uninews.unimelb.edu.au/view.php?articleID=5191
(accessed 21/05/2008)

Secondary reference:
Ansley, G., 2008, Extinct tiger gene 'resurrected' (+video), Science Story, nzherald.co.nz. [Online] Available at:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10511473&ref=rss
(accessed 21/05/2008)