Microchromosomes Identified as Building Blocks of Every Vertebrate Animal; Junk DNA Specks More Essential than First Thought

A new discovery was extracted right from the biological structure of vertebrate genomes. The material, known as the microchromosomes, was found to have a more significant role in the life of mammals than first thought. The tiny specks of chromosomes that are exclusively present in the genes of every bird and reptile also bear the same function in mammals.

Useless Specks of Dust Present in Birds and Reptiles Also Present in Mammals

The latest research conducted a comprehensive effort to identify and categorize the DNA information contained in various groups of species. The results format the readings present the prevalence of DNA molecules in many avian and scaled animals throughout the million years in evolutionary history. In a surprising analysis, the experts identified several fragments of the genetic codes in the birds and reptiles as part of the larger chromosomes composed in many placental and marsupial mammalian species. The findings suggest that contrary to the belief, the genetics in humans are not entirely unique since they are considered mammals, too.

La Trobe University genetics expert and author of the study Jenny Graves said in a New Atlas report that their team was able to compare the sequences extracted from a wide array of vertebrate species, including snakes, platypus, birds, lizards, and even humans. The expert said that the microchromosomes are relatively similar between the bird and reptiles species based on the investigation's result. Surprisingly, the microchromosome identified from both groups was also discovered in a tiny fish-like creature with an anatomical structure with an absent backbone.

Known as Amphioxus, the species was determined to have a shared lineage with the vertebrates that existed 684 million years ago. When the genetic data was traced back to the ancient Amphioxus, it was found that the genetic links are still present to its collective descendants. The speck of the genome was deemed an essential part of the vertebrates and not as useless as it was first discovered.

Microchromosomes and the Genome of Vertebrates in Evolutionary Biology

The mammals have members that, through evolving in millions of years, were able to pass, mix, and even absorb several microchromosomes with each other. The spectacular cross-overs of the genes in the mammalian species developed the 'normal' sequence today. Moreover, similar microchromosomes in mammals are charted in the same parts of their cells.

University of New South Wales biology expert and co-author of the study Paul Waters said in a Science Alert report that the microchromosomes, along with being the same in each species, are also found to form a cluster in the central region of the nucleus. The tiny specks are known to have a way of relaying signals with each other, meaning that they indeed have a protein characteristic known as functional coherence. Graves added that normal chromosomes in both the mammal and human species are indeed a product of development between the numerous junk DNA accumulated over time. The study was published in the journal PNAS, titled "Microchromosomes are building blocks of bird, reptile, and mammal chromosomes."

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