Study of genetic ‘copy-and-paste’ errors reveals how evolution gave birth to the animal kingdom – report

A team of researchers studying genetic copy-paste errors in animal DNA say they have broken the evolutionary code that leads to the evolution of a variety of species found across the wider animal kingdom, including humans.

Previous efforts have hinted at the idea that copying errors lead to evolutionary leaps. However, this study is the first to pinpoint a core set of genes that have been passed down for millions of years but have changed their function in such a way that new functions have evolved.

Genetic copy-paste error at the core of evolution

When animals reproduce, their DNA transfers the genetic blueprints needed to grow what are essentially copies of their hosts. Depending on how these genes are expressed, there may be some differences, but in most cases the child is still the same species of animal as the parent.

But as with all other analog data transfers, there are many genetic copy-and-paste errors that result in imperfect copying of the data. Most of the time, these small changes are nothing, but every once in a while, they cause changes significant enough that a new animal species begins to appear.

Now, a team of researchers at Barcelona’s Center for Regulation of Genomes (CRG) say they have identified a core set of 7,000 genes that can be traced back to the last common ancestor of all bilaterian animals today. Bilaterally symmetrical animals are defined as having a front, back, top, and bottom and include all vertebrates (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals) and all invertebrates (insects, arthropods, mollusks animals, worms, echinoderms, etc.).

They also showed that these core genes can make a second copy of themselves and evolve completely new functions. The result is the variety of animals we see today, all of which share a common ancestor.

Last common ancestor shared 7,000 core genes

Their research was published in the journal natural ecology and evolutionThe CRG team outlined how their work began by studying the genetic blueprints of a subset of bilaterian animals including mayflies, centipedes, sharks, octopuses and humans. After detailed genetic analysis, the work yielded a set of 7,000 genes that all these animals inherited from the last common ancestor that evolved more than 700 million years ago.

Like all other animal species, this first bilaterian passed its genetic code to its offspring, who continued to share that DNA with future generations. However, as this process continued from generation to generation, something unexpected happened. The same DNA that was given a purpose was inadvertently copied a second time.

Surprisingly, the researchers found that these gene copy-paste errors did not perform the same job as the original genes, but resulted in new versions of the same code that began to try out entirely new functions, possibly for Coping with environmental stress. Soon after, DNA, which originally had only one purpose, evolved to an entirely new purpose. This is especially true in genes related to brain development and reproductive tissue.

The researchers said this was a completely unexpected finding because genes that are conserved across many species over several years of mission are often programmed to have specific and necessary functions. However, the presence of a second copy of the same code apparently allowed evolutionary pressure to essentially cook up a new species with extra copies of the same recipe.

Imagine that you get two paella recipes by accident. Federica Mantica, the paper’s author, explains that you can keep and enjoy the original recipe while evolution tweaks the extra copies so that it can make risotto. Now imagine the entire cookbook being copied twice – it opens up the possibility for evolution.

Perhaps even more surprising is that these events involving genetic copy-paste errors appear to have occurred to varying degrees throughout the history of the bilaterian evolutionary tree. A gene designed for a purpose evolved a new one, leading to the slow but steady evolution of an animal that lived more than 700 million years ago into the vast array of vertebrates and invertebrates we see today.

Mantica explains that the legacy of these events that took place hundreds of millions of years ago is still present in today’s most complex animals.

One example of these ancient genes developing new functions involves a series of changes that led to a more complex nervous system. For example, researchers discovered that an ancestral gene adjusts itself to form the myelin sheath around nerve cells. This sheath is critical for rapid data transfer between nerve cells, giving rise to the high-performance analog computers we call brains.

Another ancestral gene discovered by the research team is called FGF17. Once a gene that served a different core neurological purpose, it evolved to play an important role in maintaining cognitive function in old age. Staying sharp as we age is a hallmark of long-lived animal species that evolved millions of years after the last common ancestor.

The same thing happens to other non-human species. For example, insects’ muscles and cuticles became specialized to form cuticles, which improved their ability to fly. A similar situation occurs in the skin of octopuses, where ancestral genes evolved the unique ability to sense light. This ability ultimately enhances their ability to change color, camouflage and communicate with other octopuses, the researchers explain.

Study of genetic copy-paste errors reveals evolutionary balancing behavior

While this study is just the first step in understanding how genes evolved over time to create different animal species, the researchers behind this latest discovery believe understanding the mechanisms behind these genetic copy-paste errors can reveal exactly what is happening How it happened. They also believe it presents a challenge for researchers to rethink the way genetic changes contribute to evolution.

Manuel Irimia, co-author of the paper, researcher at the Center for Genome Regulation and ICREA Research Professor, said that our work allows us to rethink the role and function of genes. It shows us that genes that are critical for survival and preserved over millions of years can also easily acquire new functions during evolution. It reflects evolution’s balancing act between retaining important roles and exploring new paths.

Christopher Plain is a science fiction novelist and chief science writer for The Report.Follow him and contact him X, Visit plainfiction.com to learn about his books, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.