The study, which was published Friday in journal Science, reports that the laboratory mice in which the so-called microRNA molecule was neutralized or "knocked out" showed lower resistance to infection by bacteria such as salmonella.
Experts are optimistic that the findings will lead immunologists to study and know more about how the immune system works. The new molecule, which helps regulate DNA genes, "acts as a lynchpin to balance the response of immune defenses and the researchers suggest the corresponding human gene will have a similar vital role," the report said.
It was also found that when a mice's microRNA was neutralized, they also developed changes to lung tissue and scarring that resembled immune disorders in humans.
AFP quotes Allan Bradley, an author of the report as saying, "Showing that knocking out a microRNA has such dramatic effects opens new doors to understanding this novel class of gene regulation, with consequences for human health and disease."
The new discovery would help scientists in many ways by examining them for possible treatments for eye disease, leukemia and preeclampsia, a hypertension disorder that can affect pregnant women.
MicroRNAs are copied from DNA but do not contain code for protein. However, they themselves are active in controlling the activity of other genes, often by inducing destruction of protein-coding messenger RNAs or by preventing their activity in the cell.
