Researchers discovered that electric
eels, the biggest power-making creature on Earth, can release enough
electricity to genetically modify small fish larvae. Credit: Shintaro Sakaki
The
electric eel is the biggest power-making creature on Earth. It can release up
to 860 volts, which is enough to run a machine. In a recent study, a research
group from Nagoya University in Japan found electric eels can release enough
electricity to genetically modify small fish larvae. They published their findings in PeerJ.
The researchers' findings add to what we
know about electroporation, a gene delivery technique. Electroporation uses an
electric field to create temporary pores in the cell membrane. This lets molecules, like DNA or proteins, enter the target cell.
The research group was led by Professor
Eiichi Hondo and Assistant Professor Atsuo Iida from Nagoya University. They
thought that if electricity flows in a river, it might affect the cells of
nearby organisms. Cells can incorporate DNA fragments in water, known as
environmental DNA.
To test this, they exposed the young fish in their laboratory to a DNA solution with a marker that glowed in the light to see if the zebrafish had taken the DNA. Then, they introduced an electric eel and prompted it to bite a feeder to discharge electricity.
The zebrafish larvae and a DNA solution were put
into a small container and placed inside the tank where the electric eel
produces electric pulses when it is fed by the experimenter. Credit: Shintaro
Sakaki
According to Iida, electroporation
is commonly viewed as a process only found in the laboratory, but he was not
convinced.
"I thought electroporation might happen in nature," he said. "I realized that electric eels in the Amazon River could well act as a power source, organisms living in the surrounding area could act as recipient cells, and environmental DNA fragments released into the water would become foreign genes, causing genetic recombination in the surrounding organisms because of electric discharge."
DNA of zebrafish larvae have been
modified (shown in green) by the electricity from the eel. (Zebrafish and
highlighted GFP images are overlayed). Credit: Shintaro Sakaki
The
researchers discovered that 5% of the larvae had markers showing gene transfer.
"This indicates that the discharge from the electric eel promoted gene
transfer to the cells, even though eels have different shapes of pulse and
unstable voltage compared to machines usually used in electroporation,"
said Iida. "Electric eels and other organisms that generate electricity
could affect genetic modification in nature.".
Other studies have observed a similar
phenomenon occurring with naturally occurring fields, such as lightning,
affecting nematodes and soil bacteria. Iida is very excited about the
possibilities of electric field research in living organisms. He believes these
effects are beyond what conventional wisdom can understand.
He said, "I believe that attempts to discover new biological phenomena based on such 'unexpected' and 'outside-the-box' ideas will enlighten the world about the complexities of living organisms and trigger breakthroughs in the future."
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