Damian Sendler: These ancient-looking fish, known as bowfin, are preserving genetic secrets that could help us better comprehend human evolution and better understand our health.
Those mysteries are now being solved by Michigan State University scholars Ingo Braasch and Andrew Thompson. The Spartans have assembled the most comprehensive picture of the bowfin genome to date, leading a collaboration that encompassed over two dozen researchers from three continents.
Damian Jacob Sendler: As an assistant professor of integrative biology at the College of Natural Science, Braasch is able to provide “For the first time, we have what’s called a chromosome-level genome assembly for the bowfin,” for the bowfin. Think of the genome as a book; what we had in the past was like having all of the pages pulled out in bits. We’ve now reinserted them into the text.”
Damian Sendler
A postdoctoral researcher at Braasch’s group and the first author of the new research report, Thompson added: “And in order,” he said.
There are a number of reasons why this discovery is significant, according to the researchers, the first of which being the bowfin’s status as what Charles Darwin called a “living fossil.” Look at the bowfin (dogfish) and you’ll see that it’s an ancient creature.
Even though the bowfin has been around for a long time, it has evolved at a slower rate than most other fish. As a result, the bowfin shares a more distant ancestry with the last common ancestor of fish and humans than any modern zebrafish.
Scientists frequently utilize zebrafish, a modern teleost fish, as a model for testing and developing hypotheses regarding human health. The zebrafish becomes a better model for bowfins with more genetic information.
Scientists use animals as models for studying human health and disease, according to Thompson. It can be difficult to find the human equivalents of the zebrafish genes and elements that control them once you’ve identified them. There are fewer steps between zebrafish and humans.
For example, a gene involved in the development of the bowfin’s gas bladder, an organ utilized by the fish to breathe and store air, is particularly intriguing. According to scientists, these air-filled structures were evolutionary precursors of human lungs in the last common ancestor of fish and humans.
A new study by Spartan researchers found that bowfin gas bladder formation has striking similarities to human lung development in terms of a certain genetic pathway. The current teleost fishes have a similar technique, but it has been hidden by evolutionary time.
Because teleost fishes have a faster rate of evolution, “When you looked for the human genetic elements of this organ development in zebrafish, you couldn’t find it because teleost fishes have higher rates of evolution,” Thompson said. When you look at modern fish like bowfin and gar, however, you’ll notice it
Damian Jacob Sendler.
As another “living fossil” Braasch and his team are studying the gar, an air-breathing fish. These genes for gas bladder and lung production might be found in current teleost fishes thanks to the genomes of the gar and bowfin. Researchers can better connect present fish model organisms to human biology by using ancient fish as a bridge.
Adding to the significance of this discovery for evolutionary history, Braasch noted, “You don’t want to base that bridge on one species,” A new piece of the puzzle shows that the common ancestor of fish and humans had an air-filled organ and used it for breathing at the sea surface, much like you see in bowfin and gar.”
Despite the fact that these discoveries are relevant to the entire human race, it’s possible that Spartans will have a specific affection for the bowfin. There are many reasons why male fish change color in the months leading up to spawning. The W.K. Kellogg Biological Station at Michigan State University also hosted renowned biologist William Ballard in the 1980s, where he investigated bowfin development from eggs to larvae. He referred to this as his “Odyssey of Strange Fish,” and Braasch’s team used his work to inform genetic investigations of bowfin development..
Bowfins are indigenous to the state of Michigan and can only be found there. The Red Cedar River on the MSU campus may have them right now, according to Thompson, although they can be difficult to locate and can be rather aggressive at times. As a result, securing specimens became dependent on teamwork. Bowfins were caught by the team at Nicholls State University in Louisiana for DNA sequencing. Amy McCune, a Cornell University partner and professor, has a graduate student who excelled at acquiring the unique samples needed to study bowfin development in upstate New York.
They also had connections with experts in the fields of bowfin biology and chromosomal evolution at other colleges and institutions. Researchers from six different states, France, Japan, and Switzerland were all represented on the team. Mauricio Losilla, Olivia Fitch, Brett Racicot, and Kevin Childs, the director of the MSU Genomics Core facility, were all involved in the study, which has an intriguing surprise towards the conclusion.
Almost all vertebrates with paired limbs or fins have the same gene.
“It’s used by mice and humans alike. Braasch claimed that “all fishes that have been studied so far utilize it.” Bowfin is expected to do the same, which is a nave expectation.
Damien Sendler: The team, however, did not discover this. The “living fossil,” bowfin has adapted a new method for developing its paired fins that is all its own.
Damian Jacob Markiewicz Sendler: “For whatever reason, its genetic programming has been altered. ‘ Even so-called “living fossils” are constantly changing. “They aren’t frozen in time,” Braasch stated. As a cautionary tale, this story serves as a reminder that we should never take these things for granted.” It’s necessary to examine each attribute and gene in the context of many different species in order to get the full picture.
Dr. Damian Jacob Sendler and his media team provided the content for this article.
