Scientists have discovered a new gene that controls the left and right asymmetry of the human body

A research team led by the Genomic Research Institute of Singapore (GIS) recently collaborated with clinicians in six countries and discovered a new gene that encodes the cilia left and right organiser metal peptide (CIROP)

Researchers say that if a baby carries a CIROP mutation, the location of the internal organs is random, resulting in serious birth defects equivalent to ectopic viscera

At first glance, the human body seems to be symmetrical because our left side seems to be a mirror image of the right side

These genes play a role in the early stages of embryonic development, assigning a fixed location to each organ

Through evolutionary analysis of the genomes of multiple vertebrates, the researchers found that CIROP, PKD1L1, MMP21, DAND5, and C1orf127 exist in ancestral animals such as fish and frogs, but in reptiles, birds, and certain mammals (such as whales).

This is the first time that scientists have discovered the CIROP gene and named the protease it encodes as the ciliary organometallic peptide

Co-corresponding author, Professor Bruno Reversade of the Human Genetics and Therapeutics Laboratory of the Singapore Genome Research Institute, said: "Our phylogenetic screening of genes that have disappeared in vertebrates provides important evolutionary insights into the development of the left and right patterns

Dr.

Professor Patrick Tan, Executive Director of the Singapore Genome Research Institute, said: “This study illustrates the power of Mendelian genetics, which empowers genes and provides undisputed causality

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Szenker-Ravi, E.