Very similar organs
A record number of common proteins were found in the brain and testicles
Maria Azarova, Naked Science
The study showed that the human brain and testicles have several common biochemical characteristics, which, in addition to their participation in the speciation process, may be at least partially responsible for the expression of a huge number of common proteins. However, the topic remains poorly understood, so scientists urge to further study the relationship between these tissues in order to simultaneously understand the dysfunctions affecting the brain and testicles, as well as to develop improved therapeutic strategies.
A group of scientists from the Universities of Aveiro and Porto (Portugal), as well as the University of Birmingham (UK) found that men's brains and testicles have the largest number of common proteins. The results of the work are published in the journal Royal Society Open Biology (Matos et al., Brain and testis: more alike than previously thought?).
The authors analyzed proteins that are produced by different parts of the body, and then compared them with each other. As it turned out, the maximum similarity can be traced in the brain and testicles: they have 13,442 common proteins. The obtained result is confirmed by previous studies of gene expression, according to which these two remote organs have the largest number of genes among all organs of the body.
The similarity does not end there. The brain and testicles are the two main consumers of energy: the first organ performs complex processes such as thinking, while the testicles produce millions of sperm per day. Specialized cells allow the brain to support neurons, and testicles – germ cells.
The fact that there is a certain similarity between the brain and testicles, scientists have previously guessed. So, previous studies have shown the connection of neurological diseases with sexual dysfunction, and some have even found a correlation between the quality of sperm produced and intelligence.
Although neurons have a different purpose, both types of cells carry out exocytosis, a process that occurs in plants and animals, which involves the movement of substances from the cell to the external environment. But if in the case of the brain this mechanism allows cells to communicate with each other through neurotransmitters, then in the male reproductive system it is needed for the fusion of sperm with an egg and its fertilization.
To determine the cause of the similarity, additional research will be required. Probably, it is connected with speciation – the emergence of new biological species and their change over time.
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