The theory of evolution by natural selection is robust and well-evidenced, but that doesn’t mean we are not learning new things about how life develops and changes over time. A new study has found that
The study challenges a long-held belief that evolution is always an unpredictable process. According to its findings, the evolutionary trajectory of a genome can be influenced by its evolutionary past, instead of being determined by multiple factors and historical accidents.
“The implications of this research are nothing short of revolutionary,” Professor James McInerney, from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Nottingham, explained in a
McInerney and colleagues analyzed the
The team used a machine learning method, known as
With the data loaded into the computer, they were able to create “gene families” from each of the genes in each genome.
“In this way, we could compare like-with-like across the genomes,” Maria Rosa Domingo-Sananes from Nottingham Trent University, added.
Once the families had been identified, it was possible to examine the pattern of how they were present in some genomes and absent from others.
“We found that some gene families never turned up in a genome when a particular other gene family was already there, and on other occasions, some genes were very much dependent on a different gene family being present.”
In essence, the research revealed an “invisible ecosystem” of genes that cooperate or compete with one another.
“These interactions between genes make aspects of evolution somewhat predictable and furthermore, we now have a tool that allows us to make those predictions,” added Dr Domingo-Sananes.
According to Dr Alan Beavan, also from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Nottingham, “From this work, we can begin to explore which genes ‘support’ an antibiotic resistance gene, for example. Therefore, if we are trying to eliminate antibiotic resistance, we can target not just the focal gene, but we can also target its supporting genes.”
This approach can be used to synthesize new genetic constructs “that could be used to develop new drugs or vaccines. Knowing what we now know has opened the door to a whole host of other discoveries,” Beavan added.
The implications are massive and could lead to novel genome design, whereby scientists can design
Moreover, the findings could influence the design of microorganisms engineered to capture carbon or
The study is published in