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MOSAICISM. "A fundamental principle of biology is that the DNA blueprint of a multicellular organism is identical among cells within the organism. The term mosaicism describes a violation of this principle that arises when specific cells within a developing organism mutate to develop two or more cell populations with distinct genotypes." https://lnkd.in/dtPwxTq View in LinkedIn

"EPIGENETIC CHANGES as cause of colors were detected in the 1950ies for maize kernels by Barbara McClintock from Cold Spring Habor Laboratories. The Laws of Gregor Mendel`s were known, but the color patterns did not obey them and it was the genius of McClintock`s to conclude that this was what is now known as epigenetic changes." https://lnkd.in/dqpDyTS View in LinkedIn

MORNING GLORY JUMPING GENES. "Most of these spontaneous mutations were found to be caused by the insertion of DNA transposable elements in the genes for the anthocyanin pigmentation in flowers, and many of them exhibited variegated flowers, such as white flowers with pigmented spots and sectors." https://lnkd.in/dUsSCep View in LinkedIn

TRANSPOSABLE ELEMENTS. "Today we describe jumping genes by computer programs as "cut-and paste", a piece of DNA is cut out and reinserted into the DNA genome, designated as transposable or mobile genetic elements. They are rudimentary "locked-in-viruses", which cannot leave a cell but can only move from one location to another one in the genome. Plants are especially active till today with such active DNA transposable element." https://lnkd.in/dqpDyTS View in LinkedIn

JUMPING GENES IN FLOWERS AND PLANTS have been well characterized: in the famous multi-colored Indian Corn, Morning Glories, snapdragons, sweet peas, 4'O clock plants, in Camellias, and other plants. https://lnkd.in/dvk8fK5 View in LinkedIn

VIRAL DRIVEN FLOWERS. "Some of the best characterized beneficial viruses that have been used in plants are those that enhance the beauty of ornamental plants. Tulip breaking virus was the first of a long list of the beautiful viruses, but many other prized ornamentals owe their value, at least in part, to the viruses that infect them." https://lnkd.in/d7TweVT View in LinkedIn

FRAGMENT FROM NATURE continues from last weekend with the theme of jumping genes (transposons) and viruses in Morning Glories and tulips, respectively. The virally-induced genetic changes in flower tissues are somatic and typically not inherited, causing an ephemeral durability of the plants, except when vegetatively propagated, and explaining why some prized gems have vanished. View in LinkedIn

EPHEMERAL BEAUTY. "The broken tulips that once achieved such fame, on the other hand, no longer exist. Weakened as they were by the mosaic virus, the original species—including even famed varieties such as Viceroy and Semper Augustus—were in any case doomed to flourish for only a short time, but even their successors are long gone now; for years the only flared and flamed tulips available to gardeners have been imitations produced by careful cross-breeding." https://lnkd.in/dkNDdDY View in LinkedIn

TULIP BREAKING VIRUS. "So Clusius was the first to discover and explicitly describe the phenomenon of epigenetics already in 1585. This is 430 years ago! The epigenetic effect was caused by a virus - the Tulip Breaking virus TBV, it breaks the colors, therefore this name. It took 400 years, until after World War II for the virus to be discovered." https://lnkd.in/dqpDyTS View in LinkedIn

EPHEMERAL TULIP VARIANTS. "Clusius already noticed in1585 that "broken", multi-colored plants also slowly degenerated: "any tulip thus changing its original colour is usually ruined afterwards and so wanted only to delight its master's eyes with this variety of colors before dying, as if to bid him a last farewell." Striped flowers tended to deteriorate and finally die. He also noticed that uniformly colored flowers were healthy and lived longer." Loss of effect of somatic transposons. https://lnkd.in/dqpDyTS View in LinkedIn