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After death, certain genes stay active in your body!

Credits: Pixabay / lisichik

A team of scientists carried out research which allowed them to precisely evaluate a person’s time of death. In order to do so, they observed and measured the genetic activity that continued after death. 

The process in which our bodies go from life to death is similar to that of a machine that is set to shut down, in which certain parts take longer than others to become fully inactive. This biochemical phenomenon, which lasts several hours after death, was described in a pilot study carried out by the Institute of Science and Technology in Barcelona, and published in Nature Communiations on the 13th February 2018.

“We observed the active processes of certain genes after death. We saw that activity continues in the genetic transcription mechanisms of certain cells for several hours after death”, says Roderic Guigó, the main author of the study.

The researchers observed the cell reactions after death in 36 types of cells (from the brain, liver, kidneys, lungs, blood, etc.) taken from 540 donors after they died. They aimed to gain a detailed understanding of the genetic transcriptional mechanisms used by DNA, to instruct the cells to synthetise proteins. These orders are transmitted by RNA, which is similar to DNA but is in fact a copy of a part of the genome responsible for sending messages. It is in fact the RNA which remains active in certain tissues after a person’s death.

The researchers naturally observed a reduction in activity in the genes linked to immune response and metabolism, but they also observed stimulation in the genes involved in the stress response and another gene that creates a protein which supports the transport of oxygen. The researchers explained that this is related to a jolt in the body which in a way does not accept that the organism has died.

Furthermore, the scientists developed an algorithm via machine learning and computer modelling. Their goal? To determine a person’s exact time of death, which was completed for 129 people throughout the study. Between 7 and 14 hours after death, large fluctuations in genetic activity could be observed, with activity being stimulated in certain genes and reducing in others.

If the algorithm can precisely define the time of death, it would be possible to make more detailed observations in order to determine causes of death. According to the researchers, this could in fact be done using a variation model of gene expression.

Sources : MotherboardSciences et Avenir