Mutated Gene May Change Sleep
Written by colleen
Sleep research falls into the category of hard science; organizations apply for grants to study issues associated with sleep. And savvy entrepreneurs are always at hand to offer timely solutions to the problems identified by those studies. So it will be interesting to see what they do with new research coming out of the University of California, San Francisco.
Rock-a-bye baby
Sleep is a natural part of every human's daily biological rhythm. Cycles of daylight and darkness influence our wake and sleep patterns. It's common knowledge that humans need sleep to survive, and that pretty much sums up the depth of what we know with certainty about sleep, according to Dr. Ying-Hui Fu, a professor at UCSF. Based on behaviors displayed by the various members of the human community, we have been inclined to believe that our species needs 7 to 8 hours per night. A person who consistently gets less than that will eventually begin to display signs of disability and ill health.
The work done by Dr. Fu's team, however, indicates that the amount of sleep each of us needs varies individually, and that our genetic make-up may determine the set of our sleep clock. The research team found a mutation in the gene DEC2 in a mother and her daughter who don't merely survive on just over 6 hours of sleep every night -- they thrive on it. One likely explanation: this mutation lets carriers make better use of their sleep time. Additional research may help to improve the quality of life for people who experience chronic sleep problems.
What is a mutant, anyway?
Fantastic tales of mutants and genetic mutations are the stuff of science fiction and horror -- clever film makers demonstrate how radiation from a nuclear weapon creates a giant monster or a genetic mix-up gives birth to a baby who breathes fire; in real life, however, mutation isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, the color of a child's eyes or the natural color of a person's hair may actually be attributable to mutated genes.
When a mutation proves advantageous for a species, the members of the community that carry that trait will become predominant among their kind and those that do not may eventually die off. On the other hand, a mutation that results in a weaker organism probably will not survive indefinitely.
Some mutations yield a mixed bag. For example, individuals who inherit sickle cell trait from both their parents can expect to experience long-term health problems related to sickle cell disease. That same genetic trait, however, when passed on by only one parent, appears to protect carriers from the ravages of malaria.
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written by Jenn, December 04, 2009
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Last Updated on 03 January 2010
