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We shed new light on DNA mutations by studying the genome of a small flowering weedy leafy vegetable
A simple roadside weed may hold the key to understanding and predicting DNA mutations, according to new research from UC Davis and the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Germany
.
The findings, published Jan.
12 in the journal Nature, fundamentally change our understanding of evolution and could one day help researchers develop better crops and even help humans fight cancer
Mutations occur when DNA is damaged and not repaired, creating new variants
.
Scientists want to know if the mutation is purely random or something deeper
"We've always thought of genetic mutations as basically random," said Grey Monroe, an assistant professor in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences and lead author of the paper
.
"It turns out that mutations are non-random, and to some extent non-random, beneficial to plants
The researchers spent three years sequencing the DNA of hundreds of Arabidopsis species
.
Arabidopsis thaliana, a small flowering weed, is considered the "lab mouse among plants" because of its relatively small genome of about 120 million base pairs
"It's a genetic model organism," Monroe said
.
Lab-grown plants come in many varieties
The work began at the Max Planck Institute, where researchers grow specimens in a protected laboratory environment, allowing defective plants that might not survive in nature to grow in a Survive in a controlled space
.
Sequencing of these hundreds of Arabidopsis plants uncovered more than 1 million mutations
.
Among these mutations, a non-random pattern was found, contrary to expectations
"At first glance, our findings seem to contradict the existing theory that initial mutations are completely random and that only natural selection determines which mutations are observed in an organism," said the Max Planck Institute.
said Detlef Weigel, the scientific director of the study and senior author of the study
.
What they found was not randomness, but genomic patches with low mutation rates
.
In these plaques, they were surprised to find overexpression of essential genes, such as those involved in cell growth and gene expression
"These are the really important regions in the genome," Monroe said
.
"The areas that are most biologically important are those that are protected from mutation
These regions are also sensitive to the deleterious effects of new mutations
.
"Thus, DNA damage repair appears to be particularly efficient in these regions," Weigel added
Plants evolved to protect themselves
Scientists have found that the way DNA wraps around different types of proteins is a good predictor of whether a gene will mutate
.
"This means we can predict which genes are more likely to mutate than others, which gives us a good idea of what's going on," Weigel said
.
The discovery adds a surprising twist to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, as it reveals that plants evolved to protect their genes from mutation to ensure survival
.
"The plant has evolved a way to protect its most important places from mutation," Weigel said
.
"It's exciting because we can even use these findings to think about how to protect human genes from mutations
.
"
future applications
Knowing why certain regions of the genome are more prone to mutation than others could help breeders who rely on genetic variation to create better crops
.
Scientists can also use this information to better predict or develop new treatments for diseases such as cancer caused by mutations
.
"Our findings provide a more complete explanation for the power that drives natural patterns of variation; they should inspire new avenues for theoretical and practical research on the role of mutation in evolution," the paper concludes
.
Further reading: Harvard University discovers the mystery of "foot" genes forming "eyes"
Magazine
Nature
DOI
10.
1038/s41586-021-04269-6
