Nature & Environment
These Fish Create Their Own Natural Sunscreen, and Scientists May Recreate It for Humans
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: May 13, 2015 11:26 AM EDT
It turns out that some animals may create their own sunscreen. Scientists have found that fish produce their own protection from the sun and have now copied the method for potential use in humans.
In this latest study, the researchers found that zebrafish can produce a chemical called gadusol that protects against UV radiation. Gadusol was originally identified in cod roe and has since been discovered in the eyes of mantis shrimp, sea urchin eggs, sponges and in the dormant eggs and newly hatched larvae of brine shrimps. Previously, researchers believed that fish could only acquire the chemical through their diet or through ha symbiotic relationship with bacteria.
It appears, though, that this isn't the case. The researchers were investigating compounds similar to gadusol that are used to treat diabetes and fungal infections. They thought that the biosynthetic enzyme common to all of them, EEVS, was only present in bacteria. Instead, the researchers found that fish and other vertebrates contain similar genes to those that code for EEVS.
Curious about their function in animals, the scientists expressed the zebrafish gene in E. coli. Analysis suggested that fish combine EEVS with another protein, whose production may be induced by light, to produce gadusol. The researchers then transferred the genes to yeast to see what they would create. In the end, they confirmed the production of gadusol.
"In the future, it may be possible to use yeast to produce large quantities of this natural compounds for sunscreen pills and lotions, as well as for other cosmetic sold at your local supermarket or pharmacy," said Taifo Mahmud, lead author of the new study, in a news release.
The findings are published in the journal eLife.
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
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First Posted: May 13, 2015 11:26 AM EDT
It turns out that some animals may create their own sunscreen. Scientists have found that fish produce their own protection from the sun and have now copied the method for potential use in humans.
In this latest study, the researchers found that zebrafish can produce a chemical called gadusol that protects against UV radiation. Gadusol was originally identified in cod roe and has since been discovered in the eyes of mantis shrimp, sea urchin eggs, sponges and in the dormant eggs and newly hatched larvae of brine shrimps. Previously, researchers believed that fish could only acquire the chemical through their diet or through ha symbiotic relationship with bacteria.
It appears, though, that this isn't the case. The researchers were investigating compounds similar to gadusol that are used to treat diabetes and fungal infections. They thought that the biosynthetic enzyme common to all of them, EEVS, was only present in bacteria. Instead, the researchers found that fish and other vertebrates contain similar genes to those that code for EEVS.
Curious about their function in animals, the scientists expressed the zebrafish gene in E. coli. Analysis suggested that fish combine EEVS with another protein, whose production may be induced by light, to produce gadusol. The researchers then transferred the genes to yeast to see what they would create. In the end, they confirmed the production of gadusol.
"In the future, it may be possible to use yeast to produce large quantities of this natural compounds for sunscreen pills and lotions, as well as for other cosmetic sold at your local supermarket or pharmacy," said Taifo Mahmud, lead author of the new study, in a news release.
The findings are published in the journal eLife.
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone