You may have wondered how the Burmese bison, one of the largest of the Indian bulls and one of the six largest snakes in the world, digested a huge animal in the stomach.
The researchers said they found a gene directly related to the ability of the snake to swell the stomach and change the organ structure.
In spite of the vigorous appetite, the Burmese boa constricts the internal organs and stops the metabolism process, thereby reducing the energy, which can last for long periods without eating. However, within 48 hours of feeding the snake, the organs act vigorously, the size of the visceral organs increases, and the ability to fish energy increases.
In order to identify the cause, the researchers compared the expression of genes in the heart, liver, kidneys, and small intestine of a starved Burmese bison and a boar that had eaten four days before. After identifying the gene sequence, the researchers found that 1,700 genes were changed before and after eating the food.
In those 1,700 genes, the researchers found three sets of genes that activate signals that increase viscera in all the organs studied.
Researchers say these results have the potential to gain a better understanding of snake biology.
"We understand the molecular structure underlying this phenomenon and want to know which genes are involved in eating food," said co-author Darren Card. "We study how the snake activates organs and hope that this will help to treat human diseases in the future," he added.
