A microscopic worm that lacks kidneys entirely has helped Rutgers scientists investigate a genetic change believed to cause a serious inherited kidney disease. By making a precise alteration in the roundworm's DNA, the researchers were able to follow the proteins the worm produced in response to that change.
The work is notable because it shows that a disease affecting a complex organ can be probed in a much simpler animal. The scientists used the worm to isolate the molecular consequences of the genetic alteration without needing a functioning kidney.
The source does not describe the exact outcome of the altered protein production, only that the researchers discovered an altered result. This is a single-source report, so there are no independent findings to compare or contrast. Still, the approach offers a practical way to study inherited kidney disease at the level of basic genetics and protein biology.