Scientists from the University of Sheffield are investigating how plants can accelerate their own evolution through a process of “natural genetic engineering.”<\/p>\n
Researchers from the University of Sheffield are investigating how plants use \u201cnatural genetic engineering\u201d to borrow genes from other species and adapt more quickly to environmental change<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
The study will explore how often lateral gene transfer (LGT) occurs in nature and how it helps crops like wheat and maize adapt to pressures like drought and climate change<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Findings could pave the way for the creation of more resilient crops helping to improve global food security<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
The research builds on new evidence that gene sharing between species is far more common in plants than previously thought<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Scientists from the University of Sheffield are investigating how plants can accelerate their own evolution through a process of “natural genetic engineering.”<\/strong><\/p>\n This groundbreaking research will focus on Lateral Gene Transfer (LGT), a process where plants acquire useful genes directly from other species. Unlike the slow process of random mutation and natural selection, LGT could allow plants to bypass traditional evolutionary pathways and respond more quickly to environmental pressures.\u00a0<\/p>\n While it\u2019s been long understood that evolution happens through the gradual accumulation of random mutations, this research aims to understand a more dynamic process. LGT involves the direct movement of genetic material between organisms without sexual reproduction. Though well-known in bacteria – where it spreads traits like antibiotic resistance – the role of LGT in plants is only now being fully explored.<\/p>\n The study, led by Dr Luke Dunning, will use grasses as a model system to understand LGT in a natural setting. Previous research by Dr Dunning has proven that LGT is widespread in grasses and they are also of great ecological and economical importance including crops such as wheat and maize.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n By uncovering how natural genetic engineering works in these species, researchers hope to provide insights that could support the development of crops more tolerant to drought, heat and poor soils.<\/p>\n Dr Luke Dunning, from the University of Sheffield\u2019s School of Biosciences, said:<\/strong> \u201cThis project will have significant implications for global food and agriculture challenges. By understanding “natural genetic engineering” we aim to provide a new framework for how plants naturally adapt to a rapidly changing climate and inform the creation of more resilient crops.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf we can uncover how plants share and integrate genes, we can better understand how crops like wheat and maize adapt – knowledge that could ultimately help ensure stable food supplies in the face of climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n The research team, including collaborators from Bangor University, will seek to answer three fundamental questions:<\/p>\n Where do the genes go?<\/strong> The study will investigate whether foreign genes are inserted into specific, non-random locations in the recipient plant\u2019s genome, a crucial factor for their successful integration and function.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n The \u00a3950,000 project is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Dr Dunning is also part of a team lead by Dr Alex Twyford at the University of Edinburgh that is researching LGT more broadly in flowering plants, with both NERC funded projects pushing the frontiers of environmental research.\u00a0<\/p>\n The University of Sheffield\u2019s School of Biosciences is ranked among the UK\u2019s best for biological research, enabling students to work with leading academics on projects that shed new light on the processes driving life on earth and help tackle pressing environmental challenges. To find out more, visit: Biosciences at University of Sheffield\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Scientists from the University of Sheffield are investigating how plants can accelerate their own evolution through a process…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":460560,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3846],"tags":[267,70,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-460559","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-genetics","8":"tag-genetics","9":"tag-science","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115287939072768575","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=460559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460559\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/460560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=460559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=460559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=460559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n