A complex Genomic rearrangement
is the revealing phrase here. It is no longer a simple switch which deludes us
into thinking we understand something.
Instead it is an unfathomable rearrangement that somehow causes change
throughout the organism.
As our knowledge of detail
improve as our ability to understand declines.
I have been able to construct a
biological logic from what little we can describe that may end up been
fruitful, but I am skeptical that our understanding of the logical operators
will ever prove easy. One sees the shape
of a system but not the working hands.
Rapid evolution in domestic animals sheds light on the genetic changes
underlying evolution
by Staff Writers
A complex genomic rearrangement causes a fascinating phenotype in
chickens in which a massive expansion of pigment cells not only makes the skin
and comb black, but also results in black internal organs
A new study describes
how a complex genomic rearrangement causes a fascinating phenotype in chickens
in which a massive expansion of pigment cells not only makes the skin and comb
black, but also results in black internal organs.
Published in PLoS Genetics, researchers at Uppsala
University , the Swedish
University of Agricultural Sciences, North Carolina State
University , and National Chung-Hsing
University
"We have shown that the genetic change causing fibromelanosis
is a complex rearrangement that leads to increased expression of Endothelin 3,a gene known
for promoting the growth of pigment cells," explains Ben Dorshorst,
one of the authors.
The genetic changes underlying the evolution of new species are still
poorly understood. For instance, we know little about critical changes that
have happened during human evolution. Genetic studies in domestic animals can
shed light on this process due to the rapid evolution they have undergone over
the last 10,000 years.
The research group,
led by Leif Andersson, has characterized a number of traits in domestic
animals, and a clear trend is emerging: genomic rearrangements have
contributed significantly to the rapid evolution of domestic animals.
"We have good reason to believe that such rearrangements have also
played a significant role in the evolution of other species, including
ourselves," concludes Leif Andersson.
Dorshorst B, Molin A-M, Rubin C-J, Johansson AM, Stro" mstedt L,
et al. (2011) A ComplexGenomic Rearrangement
Involving the Endothelin 3 Locus Causes Dermal Hyperpigmentation in the
Chicken. PLoS Genet 7(12): e1002412. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1002412
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