What differentiates us from animals ? Scientific evidence has proven that human DNA has some characteristics that mark those differences that separate us from any animal species , but what are the parts or regions of human DNA that “improve” our brain? Research seems to have revealed that we have the answer in a very specific region of our DNA known as HAR.
What differentiates us from animals? These are the regions of DNA that “enhance” our brain
The uniqueness of the human genome is based on characteristics that promote the amazing evolution of the human species. According to scientists, some regions of human DNA, called accelerated human regions or HARs, are related to the complex evolution of the human brain .
Christopher Walsh , a neuroscientist at Harvard University, regarding this uniqueness, said: “Probably one of the most interesting questions in neuroscience is: ‘What makes us human? »And continuing « In particular, what is it about the human brain that differentiates it from that of other closely related species? Looking at accelerated human regions has provided us with a very focused way to investigate this question from a genetic perspective . ‘
To identify HAR regions, directly involved in the evolution of the human cerebral cortex, researchers have examined the function of these regions in relation to genetic regulation in different types of human and mouse cells .
The researchers knew that these regions were associated with regulatory mechanisms, but did not know precisely the process. Ellen DeGennaro, co-author of the study, said : ‘Our goal was to fill in these gaps in the knowledge about which HAR performed important functions in the brain and how they acted, so that we and other researchers could take the most important brain HARs and run more tests. profound aspects of its evolutionary function ‘ .
The researchers used a technique known as CaptureMPRA to identify the target sequences that bind to parts of the HAR. Using this approach, they focused on identifying discrepancies in the function of powerful arctic HAR sequences between humans and chimpanzees .
By combining these data with those related to the development of human fetal brain cells, they identified the role of sequence in guiding the development of the human brain.
The results of the study highlight the capacity of the HAR regions to improve neurological development and their diversity from other mammals. These differences could be due to mutations that have exponentially increased the role and efficacy of these ‘ neural enhancers ‘.
Thanks to the new data, the identification of the HAR regions and their various functions, involved in human neurological development, the researchers established a database that allows the scientific community to take advantage of it and use it as a basis for future research.
Regarding the surprising discoveries about the amazing characteristics of the human brain, Walsh concluded: ‘Our data suggest that the evolution of the human brain has involved changes in dozens or perhaps even hundreds of sites in the genome, rather than in a single key gene ».
