Searching for clues in neural tube defects

Geneticist Jian-Fu Chen's project to understand why neural tube defects, the second most common birth defect in humans, occur recently gained new support from the National Institutes of Health:

The neural tube becomes the brain and spinal cord in a developing embryo. The defect occurs when a neural plate folds into a tube during an embryo's development, explained Chen, who works in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences' genetics department.

When the tube doesn't fully close, it results in defects like spina bifida, which can result in severe disabilities like paralysis of the legs and incontinence, and anencephaly, which results in missing parts of a baby's head and brain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Frequently, neural tube defects result in death.

Inspired in part by a previous study he and colleagues published, Chen plans to analyze microRNA's role in neural tube closure. MicroRNA, or miRNA, is a class of non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression. The functions of miRNAs in early embryo development are not well understood.

"This is an area nobody has a lot of information on," he said. "MicroRNA in mammalian embryo development is a relatively new area still."

So little information about this area is precisely why the NIH support to continue this work is so important. Over the previous two to three years, department of genetics faculty have made major contributions in several areas of investigation. A remarkably productive time for our scientists, we congratulate them on the ongoing success, exemplified by Dr. Chen and his team.

Image; Jian-Fu Chen, courtesy of UGA news service.