Frogs keep secrets to help people conquer the universe

A small, dormant frog can play an essential role in helping people conquer space, according to a new study.

The frog frog , Cyclorana alboguttata, is capable of hibernating for months continuously without suffering any muscle damage. Their secret is thought to be able to help people maintain muscle in a gravityless environment - one of the major challenges that need to be overcome today before astronauts embark on an expedition mission. Fire in the future.

According to Society for Experimental Biology magazine, green striped frog frogs , with a body length of about 7.6cm, always crawl to the ground and pack themselves in a cocoon formed from their peeled skin when the sources Food is scarce in the living environment. Researchers from the University of Queensland (Australia) have now identified key genes, helping frogs avoid muscle damage during hibernation.

Cyclorana alboguttata cave frogs do not have muscle atrophy during many months of hibernation.(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

That is, one of the genes called "survivin" seems to protect cells from a suicidal mechanism, which usually eliminates damaged or ill cells. This gene is also recorded active in human cancer cells. Another gene, kinase , controls 1 , regulates cell division and DNA repair.

In mammals, inactive muscles can be damaged by highly charged molecules called ROS . The ROS molecule is thought to degrade proteins , causing atrophy of the muscles. However, the amphibians of Cyclorana alboguttata seem to suffer less damage from ROS.

Beau Reilly, a member of the research team, said this could be due to an increase in the number of protective antioxidants, including two thioredoxin and sulfiredoxin compounds. The same thing was found in hibernating mammals, such as squirrels.

Reilly said: "I am interested in surviving animals in extreme conditions. I think that humans and modern medicine can learn many things from frog-like creatures." .

Reilly and colleagues also believe that, in addition to helping astronauts fight muscle wasting in a weightless environment , new discoveries can be used to help prevent muscle degradation in patients. must be bedridden.