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Endogenous Viral-Derived Sequences Contribute to Male Muscle Mass

posted by martyb on Tuesday September 13 2016, @10:54AM   Printer-friendly
from the how-do-I-catch-this-virus? dept.

An Anonymous Coward writes:

Retroviruses, which insert their genetic material into our genomes to copy themselves, have left behind genes that help to steer our immune systems and mold the development of embryos and the placenta.

Now researchers report in PLOS Genetics that syncytin, a viral protein that enables placenta formation, also helps to increase muscle mass in male mice. These results could partially explain a lingering mystery in biology: why the males of many mammalian species tend to be more muscular than females.

Cell-cell fusion is also pivotal for muscle fiber formation and repair, where the myotubes are formed from the fusion of mononucleated myoblasts into large multinucleated structures.
[...] [The greater than 20% reduction in muscle mass] is only observed in males, which subsequently show muscle quantitative traits more similar to those of females. In addition, [the authors] show that syncytins also contribute to muscle repair after cardiotoxin-induced injury, with again a male-specific effect on the rate and extent of regeneration.
[...] similar effects are observed with primary myoblasts from sheep, dog and human, with a 20–40% reduction upon addition of siRNA against the corresponding syncytins.

http://www.nature.com/news/virus-pumps-up-male-muscles-in-mice-1.20574

Genetic Evidence That Captured Retroviral Envelope syncytins Contribute to Myoblast Fusion and Muscle Sexual Dimorphism in Mice (open, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006289) (DX)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ERVW-1#Function

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 3, Funny) by takyon on Tuesday September 13 2016, @02:47PM

    by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Tuesday September 13 2016, @02:47PM (#401318) Journal

    I think the OP is trying to make a point about men becoming obsolete and devalued, rather than seeking ebook smut.

    🍆👌😂😂😂😂😂😂

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  • (Score: 1) by kurenai.tsubasa on Tuesday September 13 2016, @03:41PM

    by kurenai.tsubasa (5227) on Tuesday September 13 2016, @03:41PM (#401348) Journal

    I'm wondering if that's the same AC below. I figured I'd attempt to reinterpret the comment in a way that was completely unintended. I blame Buzzard for giving me the idea. :)

    Actually, I'm wondering where the alt-right are. Looking forward to how jmorris will connect this to bathroom rape!

    • (Score: 2) by Pino P on Wednesday September 14 2016, @02:56AM

      by Pino P (4721) on Wednesday September 14 2016, @02:56AM (#401609) Journal

      If you first click the Back button, you'll discover that we're all the Alt+Right.