Researchers take the single - cell organismOxytricha trifallaxhave discovered that the alga - muncher fall apart its own deoxyribonucleic acid into a tail - million piece and rapidly reassembles those flake every time it ’s about to have sexual practice . Theirfindingswere published inCellearlier this calendar month .
" It ’s one of nature ’s early attempts to become more complex despite staying small in the sense of being unicellular,“saysLaura Landweber from Princeton . " There are other examples of genomic jigsaw puzzles , but this one is a loss leader in term of complexity . People might think that pond - dwelling organisms would be elementary , but this shows how complex life can be , that it can reassemble all the building blocks of chromosomes . "
Oxytrichais about 10 times the size of a distinctive human cell , and it turn back about 16,000 chromosomes ( homo have 46 ) . And unlike most other undivided - celled organism , it has two nuclei : It keep back dynamic deoxyribonucleic acid in one ( called the working lens nucleus ) and uses the 2nd one ( the bug - line nucleus ) to put in an archive of genetical material that it ’ll go past along to the next contemporaries . The encrypted genome of the bug - line cell nucleus – which contains over 3,500 scrambled genes – is the one that gets dismantled and rebuild to produce a unexampled working karyon for the young .
When it ’s time to couple , Oxytricharummages through thousands of jumbled , stored gene bit and pieces together 225,000 or so flyspeck DNA segment . This all bump in about 60 hours .
But all newOxytrichapopulations spawn from a unmarried organism ( like with a works newspaper clipping ) , so sex is used solely to replace DNA – and not to reproduce . During sex ( pictured above ) , two cells fuse together and share half of their genetic information . Each being replaces its aging gene with new genes and DNA parts from its spouse . That way , both get to build unexampled mold nuclei using sweet chromosomes to broaden their transmitted material . " It ’s kind of like science fabrication – they stop age by trading in their old parts , " Landweber enjoin in anews release .
Each partner uses those after part - million DNA segments to rebuild its rejuvenated chromosomes , which helpsOxytrichaprotect its deoxyribonucleic acid by only convey healthy , robust stuff when it reproduces . This novel method of encryption and rapidly reassembly could explain why they ’ve successfully pass around around the public .
Furthermore , its orderly , step - by - gradation chromosome reconstruction power could make it a template for understanding what happens during the chaotic and irregular onset of cancer . " It ’s basically forged when human chromosomes disclose apart and reassemble in a different order,“Landweber explains . " The process inOxytricharecruits some of the same biological mechanisms that ordinarily protect chromosome from fall apart and expend them to do something creative and constructive instead . "
