Genome Shows It doesn’t take much to be multicellular
14 July 2010
Austria
This is due the fact that within the green algal order Chlamydomonadales there are closely related uni- and multicellular species, such as the two-flagellated unicellular model alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and its sister taxon Volvox carteri, the latter being made up of more than 2,000 cells and having a much more complex life cycle on top of that. While the Chlamydomonas genome had already been sequenced, the Volvox genome has now been analyzed by an international team headed by Simon Prochnik of Joint Genome Institute and Jim Umen of Salk Institute (both California).
The scientists found that the genomes themselves and their gene content are not dramatically different. Rather, those genes that are needed for multicellularity were already present in the common ancestor of both algae and in Volvox have merely been modified and amplified. This is especially true for genes encoding the extracellular matrix, which have been amplified and also co-opted for novel functions, such as determination of sex. However, there are no significant differences with regard to transcription factors, which have been amplified in multicellular animals and plants alongside raising complexity, explains Stefan Rensing (Faculty of Biology), who has been charged with analyzing these genes for the international consortium. Therefore, it currently remains enigmatic at which mechanisms and genes have been responsible for the great evolutionary success of plants and animals.
For additional information, please contact:
PD Dr. Stefan A. Rensing
Lecturer Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
FRISYS, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg
Tel.: 0049 (0) 761/203-6974
E-Mail: stefan.rensing@biologie.uni-freiburg.de
www.plantco.de
The scientists found that the genomes themselves and their gene content are not dramatically different. Rather, those genes that are needed for multicellularity were already present in the common ancestor of both algae and in Volvox have merely been modified and amplified. This is especially true for genes encoding the extracellular matrix, which have been amplified and also co-opted for novel functions, such as determination of sex. However, there are no significant differences with regard to transcription factors, which have been amplified in multicellular animals and plants alongside raising complexity, explains Stefan Rensing (Faculty of Biology), who has been charged with analyzing these genes for the international consortium. Therefore, it currently remains enigmatic at which mechanisms and genes have been responsible for the great evolutionary success of plants and animals.
For additional information, please contact:
PD Dr. Stefan A. Rensing
Lecturer Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
FRISYS, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg
Tel.: 0049 (0) 761/203-6974
E-Mail: stefan.rensing@biologie.uni-freiburg.de
www.plantco.de