• HOME
  • NEWS
    • BIOENGINEERING
    • SCIENCE NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • FORUM
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • CONTACT US
Friday, August 12, 2022
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
    • BIOENGINEERING
    • SCIENCE NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • FORUM
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME
  • NEWS
    • BIOENGINEERING
    • SCIENCE NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • FORUM
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News

Biologists unlock 51.7-million-year-old genetic secret to landmark Darwin theory

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
December 2, 2016
in Science News
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

Scientists have identified the cluster of genes responsible for reproductive traits in the Primula flower, first noted as important by Charles Darwin more than 150 years ago.

Darwin hypothesised that some plant species with two distinct forms of flower, where male and female reproductive organs were of differing lengths, had evolved that way to promote out-crossing by insect pollinators.

His ground-breaking insight into the significance of the two forms of flower known as 'pins' and 'thrums' coined the term 'heterostyly', and subsequent studies contributed to the foundation of modern genetic theory.

And now scientists at the University of East Anglia, working at the John Innes Centre, have identified exactly which part of these species' genetic code made them that way, through an event that occurred more than 51 million years ago.

Prof Philip Gilmartin from UEA's School of Biological Sciences said: "To identify the genes which control the biology noted by Darwin is an exciting moment. Many studies have been done over the past decades to explore the genetic basis of this phenomenon but now we have pinpointed the supergene directly responsible, the S locus."

Supergenes are clusters of closely-associated genes which are always inherited together as a unit and allow complex biology to be controlled. Researchers worked with the Earlham Institute to map the plant's genes and sequence the Primula genome to find the specific gene cluster responsible for creating the differing flower morphs.

Prof Gilmartin said: "Not only did we identify the supergene but we found it is specific to just one of the flower forms, the thrum. This insight has profound implications for our understanding of a key evolutionary innovation of flowering plants.

"Understanding of the genetics which underpin flower development and reproduction of a species broadens our knowledge about the entire system of pollination, which underpins biodiversity and food security.

"With challenges such as climate change and its effects on plants, crops and their insect pollinators, it's even more important to understand pollination mechanisms and how species can and will react.

In their hunt for the genes controlling heterostyly, researchers also managed to date the original mutation, to 51.7 million years ago.

Having found the S locus, they realised the gene was a close relative to another, identified six years ago as responsible for controlling the identity of petals on a Primula flower.

At some point this gene duplicated, inserted itself in the S locus, and mutated to control the position of the anther in the flower. Finding this duplicated gene allowed the team to date how long ago the mutation occurred for the first time.

Prof Gilmartin has been researching the origins of heterostyly for a large part of his career. He said: "This study answers some of the crucial questions that have been asked since Darwin's time, and for me since I bought my first packet of Primula seeds twenty years ago."

###

The study 'Genetic architecture and evolution of the S locus supergene in Primula vulgaris' is published in the journal Nature Plants, on Friday 2 December 2016.

Media Contact

Lucy Clegg
[email protected]
44-016-035-92764
@uniofeastanglia

http://comm.uea.ac.uk/press

############

Story Source: Materials provided by Scienmag

Share12Tweet7Share2ShareShareShare1

Related Posts

Psyllids

Cousin of crop-killing bacteria mutating rapidly

August 12, 2022
A warm Neptune around a hot, blue star

Brightest stars in the night sky can strip Neptune-sized planets to their rocky cores

August 12, 2022

Smart contact lenses for cancer diagnostics and screening

August 11, 2022

Social media helps scientists monitor rarely sighted whales

August 11, 2022
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • Picture of the horse specimen.

    Ancient DNA clarifies the early history of American colonial horses

    56 shares
    Share 22 Tweet 14
  • Fatigue, headache among top lingering symptoms months after COVID

    40 shares
    Share 16 Tweet 10
  • Ill-fated ‘Into the Wild’ adventurer was victim of unfortunate timing, Oregon State study suggests

    39 shares
    Share 16 Tweet 10
  • Skin: An additional tool for the versatile elephant trunk

    38 shares
    Share 15 Tweet 10

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Tags

Urogenital SystemUniversity of WashingtonVaccinesWeaponryVirusVehiclesWeather/StormsVirologyUrbanizationVaccineViolence/CriminalsZoology/Veterinary Science

Recent Posts

  • Cousin of crop-killing bacteria mutating rapidly
  • Brightest stars in the night sky can strip Neptune-sized planets to their rocky cores
  • Smart contact lenses for cancer diagnostics and screening
  • Social media helps scientists monitor rarely sighted whales
  • Contact Us

© 2019 Bioengineer.org - Biotechnology news by Science Magazine - Scienmag.

No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

© 2019 Bioengineer.org - Biotechnology news by Science Magazine - Scienmag.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In