PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] The evolution of plants and animals generally has been thought to occur through the passing of genes from parent to offspring and genetic modifications that happen along the way. But evolutionary biologists from Brown University and the University of Sheffield have documented another avenue, through the passing of genes from plant to plant between species with only a distant ancestral kinship.
How this happened is unclear. But the researchers show that not only did a grouping of grasses pass genes multiple times over millions of years, but that some of the genes that were transferred became integral cogs to the plants' photosynthetic machinery, a critical distinguishing feature in C4 plants, which dominate in hot, tropical climes and now make up 20 percent of the Earth's vegetational covering.
"As far as we know, this is the first case where nuclear genes that have been transmitted between plants have been incorporated into the primary metabolism and contributed to the evolution of a new trait, in this case C4 photosynthesis," said Pascal-Antoine Christin, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Brown.
In a paper published in Current Biology, the researchers from Brown, Sheffield, and other universities in the United States, United Kingdom, and France investigated the ancestry of two genes encoding enzymes important in C4 photosynthesis phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (ppc) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (pck) and these enzymes' historical presence and function in a common and well-studied grass, Alloteropsis. The biologists initially studied the genes in closely related species, three C4 plants (Alloteropsis angusta, Alloteropsis cimicina, and Alloteropsis semialata) and one C3 plant (Alloteropsis eckloniana). The goal was to learn the evolutionary history of the ppc and pck genes, which were present in their C3 common ancestor and wer
'/>"/>
| Contact: Richard Lewis Richard_Lewis@brown.edu 401-863-3766 Brown University Source:Eurekalert |
Related biology news :
1. £2 million study to reveal workings of dementia genes
2. Jefferson scientists deliver toxic genes to effectively kill pancreatic cancer cells
3. NIHs Genes, Environment and Health Initiative adds 6 studies
4. Scientist plans to test for blood pressure genes affected by age
5. Fishy future written in the genes
6. New tool probes function of rice genes
7. Brainy genes, not brawn, key to success on mussel beach
8. Researchers continue to find genes for type 1 diabetes
9. Genes that control cell death fingered in age-related hearing loss
10. Mapping a clan of mobile selfish genes
11. NJIT professor finds engineering technique to identify disease-causing genes
 |
| Copyright © 2003-2012 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved. ABOUT | CONTACT US | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS |  |