What is it about?
Experimental crossings of wild wheat species, together with molecular analyses of their genomes, highlighted a link between junk DNA and the nature of species. When species barriers were transgressed, jumping genes induced genome instability and low viability in hybrids. Particular genome changes were observed among the few viable hybrids and appeared non-random: they precisely suppressed the activity of jumping genes. Junk DNA thus appears central to barriers among species.
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Why is it important?
Although the human genome is made of 50% junk DNA, the study of jumping gene has been neglected so far and their role (if any) remains largely unknown. Our research shows that jumping genes play a crucial role during hybridization in different plants. In addition to highlighting the evolutionary significance of those sequences accumulating within genomes without apparent reason, our work will foster advances for crop improvement by promoting efficient usage of wild species.
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This page is a summary of: Genome reorganization in F1 hybrids uncovers the role of retrotransposons in reproductive isolation, Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, February 2015, Royal Society Publishing,
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.2874.
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