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BORROWED MACHINERY. "Most DNA viruses are entirely dependent on the host DNA and RNA synthesizing machinery, and RNA processing machinery, while larger genome viruses encode this machinery themselves. All RNA viruses use their own RNA replicase enzymes to replicate their genomes." https://lnkd.in/dNTbYMw View in LinkedIn

POTENTIAL RED HERRINGS. "While the underlying genetic networks are often conserved across plant lineages, genes identified to be important in the regulation of phenotypic changes for wildtype and mutant plants in model species may not translate into the types of genetic and phenotypic changes that are selected upon and affect survival and reproductive fitness under natural environmental conditions." https://lnkd.in/dD4GcAS View in LinkedIn

WHY DNA? "A major question is why was DNA selected to replace RNA? The traditional explanation is that DNA replaced RNA as genetic material because it is more stable and can be repaired more faithfully." https://lnkd.in/dNTbYMw View in LinkedIn

SO ENDS the first weekend on evo-devo as an idea. The evolution and development of symmetry in the snapdragon is a topic that has engaged some of our brightest minds. Such focus and attention to the smallest details of a fragment of nature is not only a marvelous luxury but also permits a portal into the greater inner workings of life on planet earth. We are enriched by such scholarship. View in LinkedIn

MORE COMPLEX THAN JUST CANDIDATE GENES. "In many cases, differential copy numbers of the genes involved in the networks may contribute to a shift in timing or placement of gene expression, resulting in novelty in form. Thus, both regulatory changes as well as novel or altered DNA binding and/or protein interactions (i.e. coding changes) must be investigated." https://lnkd.in/dD4GcAS View in LinkedIn

GENE NETWORKS FOR ADAPTATION. "In order to study the genetics of adaptation in floral form, the full developmental networks underlying organ morphology must be determined for the lineage under study. Using a comparative approach among related species or within polymorphic populations, mutation(s) causing an observed change in gene expression or alterations in protein interactions can be identified." https://lnkd.in/dD4GcAS View in LinkedIn

UNDERLYING NUANCES. "Differential expression and interactions of the network genes can underlie symmetry differences among flowers by influencing characters such as petal shape, stamen growth and cell type differentiation within flowers and lineage-specific changes in copy numbers of these genes, each copy having the potential to acquire mutations in regulatory or coding regions, provide opportunities for novel developmental and morphological consequences." https://lnkd.in/dD4GcAS View in LinkedIn

GENE NETWORKS BEAT CANDIDATE GENES. "Studies in both model systems and in diverse plant lineages have demonstrated that floral morphology is not controlled by a single candidate symmetry gene or even a single set of genes, but rather by a complex network of genes that regulate symmetry patterns and lead to the diversity in shape within lineages." https://lnkd.in/dD4GcAS View in LinkedIn

DOWNSTREAM OF THE CANDIDATE GENES. "While the expression of TCP genes is spatially restricted in similar ways in groups in which bilateral symmetry has evolved independently, the expression patterns are not identical for each evolutionary event. Additionally, TCP gene expression is acting to regulate a cascade of genes that vary in their copy number and expression patterns." https://lnkd.in/dD4GcAS View in LinkedIn

CANDIDATE GENE QUESTIONS. "What is not clear from these studies, however, is the diversity of mechanisms by which the TCP genes may underlie changes in floral symmetry across these diverse lineages, or the selection process by which the genetic modifications underlying shifts in patterns of symmetry occurred." https://lnkd.in/dD4GcAS View in LinkedIn