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posted by cmn32480 on Tuesday May 24 2016, @03:29AM   Printer-friendly
from the have-a-heart dept.

The gene Oct4 is being investigating for its role in preventing heart attacks and strokes, as well as possible applications in regenerative medicine:

University of Virginia School of Medicine have discovered that a gene called Oct4 — which scientific dogma insists is inactive in adults — actually plays a vital role in preventing ruptured atherosclerotic plaques inside blood vessels, the underlying cause of most heart attacks and strokes.

The researchers found that Oct4 controls the conversion of smooth muscle cells into protective fibrous "caps" inside plaques, making the plaques less likely to rupture. They also discovered that the gene promotes many changes in gene expression that are beneficial in stabilizing the plaques. In addition, the researchers believe it may be possible to develop drugs or other therapeutic agents that target the Oct4 pathway as a way to reduce the incidence of heart attacks or stroke.

The researchers are also currently testing Oct4′s possible role in repairing cellular damage and healing wounds, which would make it useful for regenerative medicine.

Activation of the pluripotency factor OCT4 in smooth muscle cells is atheroprotective (DOI: 10.1038/nm.4109)


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 24 2016, @03:51AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 24 2016, @03:51AM (#350140)
    "Scientific dogma" is a contradiction in terms. The ultimate test for any scientific theory is its agreement with observation and experiment. The prevailing scientific theory states that the OCT4 gene is inactive in adults, and this presumably was arrived at by means of much observation and experiment that showed that this seems to be true. Now, if the researchers here have found that it does play an active role in adults as they claim, then they have to provide the results of their own observations and experiments that demonstrate that this is the case. If it can be thus demonstrated, then they get to revise the prevailing theory. This is how science is supposed to work.
    • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 24 2016, @10:12AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 24 2016, @10:12AM (#350228)

      Francis Crick on why he used the word "dogma" to describe scientific ideas:

      I did not appear to understand the correct use of the word dogma, which is a belief that cannot be doubted. I did apprehend this in a vague sort of way but since I thought that all religious beliefs were without foundation, I used the word the way I myself thought about it, not as most of the world does, and simply applied it to a grand hypothesis that, however plausible, had little direct experimental support.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_dogma_of_molecular_biology#Use_of_the_term_.22dogma.22 [wikipedia.org]

  • (Score: 2) by Gravis on Tuesday May 24 2016, @05:34PM

    by Gravis (4596) on Tuesday May 24 2016, @05:34PM (#350413)

    observations up to the point of this discovery have shown no reason to think gene OTC4 was active which has been the basis of current scientific theory. calling it dogma is an insult to every scientist that's ever worked in the field of genetics. "scientific dogma" is literally an oxymoron.