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ScienceAlert: retinal regeneration genes in fish vs mammals

Some Fish Can Regenerate Their Eyes. Turns Out, Mammals Have Those Genes Too

other animals such as zebrafish are able to regenerate this tissue that’s so crucial to our power of sight

We share 70 percent of our genes with these tiny little zebrafish

include the ones that grant zebrafish the ability to grow back their retinas.

the retina forms from the growing brain, so it is actually brain tissue that ends up in the back of our eyes

The genes activated were involved in containing the injury, calling in immune cells to clean up damaged tissue and fight off potential invaders, explained Blackshaw. But then, a network that suppresses these genes kicked in only in their mouse subjects, keeping them from transforming into cells that produce other kinds of retinal cells.

the potential for regeneration is there in mammals, including humans, but some evolutionary pressure has turned it off

may be linked to a trade-off between regenerating central nervous system cells and parasite resistance

“We know that certain viruses, bacteria, and even parasites can infect the brain. It could be disastrous if infected brain cells were allowed to grow and spread the infection through the nervous system