New research explores the adaptation strategies of polyploid plants, offering insights for cancer treatment and enhancing crop resilience against environmental challenges.
Whole genome duplication (WGD) occurs across all kingdoms of life. While it is most prevalent in plants, it also takes place in certain highly aggressive cancers. Following WGD, a cell acquires additional sets of genomes and is referred to as polyploid.
Most of our major crops are also polyploid, including, wheat, apples, bananas, oats, strawberries, sugar, and brassicas like broccoli and cauliflower. Polyploidy also occurs in some of the most aggressive gliomas (a brain cancer) and is associated with cancer progression. In general, polyploidy has been associated with robustness (as in crops) and adaptation to the environment (as in cancers that metastasize).
Because polyploids have more genomes to manage, the doubling of these genomes can be a weakness, so it is important to understand what factors stabilize young polyploids and how genome-doubled populations evolve.
In this new study, published in Cell Reports, experts from the University of Nottingham’s School of Life Sciences look at how three successfully polyploid plant species evolved to manage the extra DNA and whether they each did this differently or all the same way.
Research Insights from Polyploids
Professor Levi Yant, who led the study said: “Understanding the range of issues that face polyploids may help us to understand why some succeed while others don’t. We see that successful polyploids overcome specific issues with DNA management and we focus on exactly what their ‘natural solutions’ are.
“In our study, we looked at three instances where species have adapted to ‘polyploid life’ and not only survived, but even thrived. Then we looked at whether they used the same molecular solutions to survive. Surprisingly, they did not.”
The researchers found that the clearest signal of rapid adaptation to the polyploid state came from the CENP-E molecule, which is an exact molecule that other groups recently found to be an Achilles heel for polypoid cancers, and is a promising therapeutic target to kill the cancers. The next clearest signal came from ‘meiosis genes’, which Professor Yant notes are turned on in many cancers, whereas they are turned off in nearly all normal cells.
Implications for Cancer Research and Agriculture
“We discovered signals of rapid adaptation to the WGD state in the same molecular networks, and in the case of CENP-E, the exact molecule that is specifically important to polyploid cancers,” continues Professor Yant.
“This WGD gives cancer a short-term advantage over most therapies, but targeting that exact molecule, CENP-E, specifically kills the polyploid cancer. This is a striking example of evolutionary repetition (or convergence) from completely different directions, but to the same adaptive hurdle. We can now take this model that adapts well to polyploidy and that can inform our thinking about certain types of cancer.”
The findings of the study could impact in better understanding of how certain polyploid cancers, such as gliomas (brain cancers) are able to use polyploidy to progress, and what molecules can be targeted as part of any therapy to ‘kill’ the cancer cells.
More broadly, the study is important evidence that shows that mining evolutionary biology for these natural solutions can inform future therapies. Finally, the study also illustrates different ways in the future that we can better engineer our many polyploid crops to be more resilient to certain cataclysmic events – such as climate change.
Reference: “Kinetochore and ionomic adaptation to whole-genome duplication in Cochlearia shows evolutionary convergence in three autopolyploids” by Sian M. Bray, Tuomas Hämälä, Min Zhou, Silvia Busoms, Sina Fischer, Stuart D. Desjardins, Terezie Mandáková, Chris Moore, Thomas C. Mathers, Laura Cowan, Patrick Monnahan, Jordan Koch, Eva M. Wolf, Martin A. Lysak, Filip Kolar, James D. Higgins, Marcus A. Koch and Levi Yant, 7 August 2024, Cell Reports.
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114576
The study was funded by the European Research Council, BBSRC, and the Leverhulme Trust.
News
Lingering Viral Fragments: The Hidden Cause of Long COVID
Long COVID, affecting 5-10% of COVID-19 patients, might be caused by the enduring presence of the virus in the body. Research suggests that viral fragments, possibly live, linger and lead to symptoms. Addressing this involves antiviral treatments, enhanced [...]
Hidden Scars: How COVID Lockdowns Altered Teen Brains Forever
Research from the University of Washington revealed that COVID-19 lockdowns led to accelerated cortical thinning in adolescents, impacting brain development significantly. This effect was more pronounced in females than males, raising concerns about long-term brain health. The study [...]
Simple Blood Test To Detect Dementia Before Symptoms Appear
UCLA researchers have identified placental growth factor (PlGF) as a potential blood biomarker for early detection of cognitive impairment and dementia. High PlGF levels correlate with increased vascular permeability, suggesting its role in the development [...]
Investing Goldman Sachs asks ‘Is curing patients a sustainable business model?’
Goldman Sachs analysts attempted to address a touchy subject for biotech companies, especially those involved in the pioneering “gene therapy” treatment: cures could be bad for business in the long run. “Is curing patients [...]
The risks of reversed chirality: Study highlights dangers of mirror organisms
A groundbreaking study evaluates the feasibility, risks, and ethical considerations of creating mirror bacteria with reversed chirality, highlighting potential threats to health and ecosystems. In a recent study published in Science, a team of researchers [...]
Alarming Mutation in H5N1 Virus Raises Pandemic Red Flags
NIH-funded study concludes that the risk of human infection remains low A recent study published in Science and funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found that a single alteration in a protein on the surface [...]
Scientists Discover Genetic Changes Linked to Autism, Schizophrenia
The Tbx1 gene influences brain volume and social behavior in autism and schizophrenia, with its deficiency linked to amygdala shrinkage and impaired social incentive evaluation. A study published in Molecular Psychiatry has linked changes in brain [...]
How much permafrost will melt this century, and where will its carbon go?
Among the many things global warming will be melting this century—sea ice, land glaciers and tourist businesses in seaside towns across the world—is permafrost. Lying underneath 15% of the northern hemisphere, permafrost consists of [...]
A Physics Discovery So Strange It’s Changing Quantum Theory
MIT physicists surprised to discover electrons in pentalayer graphene can exhibit fractional charge. New theoretical research from MIT physicists explains how it could work, suggesting that electron interactions in confined two-dimensional spaces lead to novel quantum states, [...]
Inside the Nano-Universe: New 3D X-Ray Imaging Transforms Material Science
A cutting-edge X-ray method reveals the 3D orientation of nanoscale material structures, offering fresh insights into their functionality. Researchers at the Swiss Light Source (SLS) have developed a groundbreaking technique called X-ray linear dichroic orientation tomography [...]
X-chromosome study reveals hidden genetic links to Alzheimer’s disease
Despite decades of research, the X-chromosome’s impact on Alzheimer’s was largely ignored until now. Explore how seven newly discovered genetic loci could revolutionize our understanding of the disease. Conventional investigations of the genetic contributors [...]
The Unresolved Puzzle of Long COVID: 30% of Young People Still Suffer After Two Years
A UCL study found that 70% of young people with long Covid recovered within 24 months, but recovery was less likely among older teenagers, females, and those from deprived backgrounds. Researchers emphasized the need [...]
Needle-Free: New Nano-Vaccine Effective Against All COVID-19 Variants
A new nano-vaccine developed by TAU and the University of Lisbon offers a needle-free, room-temperature-storable solution against COVID-19, targeting all key variants effectively. Professor Ronit Satchi-Fainaro’s lab at Tel Aviv University’s Faculty of Medical and [...]
Photoacoustic PDA-ICG Nanoprobe for Detecting Senescent Cells in Cancer
A study in Scientific Reports evaluated a photoacoustic polydopamine-indocyanine green (PDA-ICG) nanoprobe for detecting senescent cells. Senescent cells play a role in tumor progression and therapeutic resistance, with potential adverse effects such as inflammation and tissue [...]
How Dysregulated Cell Signaling Causes Disease
Cell signaling is crucial for cells to communicate and function correctly. Disruptions in these pathways, caused by genetic mutations or environmental factors, can lead to uncontrolled cell growth, improper immune responses, or errors in [...]
Scientists Develop Super-Strong, Eco-Friendly Plastic That Bacteria Can Eat
Researchers at the Weizmann Institute have developed a biodegradable composite material that could play a significant role in addressing the global plastic waste crisis. Billions of tons of plastic waste clutter our planet. Most [...]
