Less but more: understanding gene loss in evolution
31/03/2025
Cristian Cañestro
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Lecturer at the Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics
Cristian Cañestro
Lecturer at the Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics
The genome is the complete DNA sequence of an organism, which is usually almost identical between individuals of the same species. From an evolutionary perspective, it can be considered an identity hallmark, since it contains the unique genetic information of each organism. In turn, mutations that alter this sequence can lead to biological changes that, in some cases, result in the emergence of new species.
Over the recent decades, the sequencing of the genomes of thousands of species has given us a better understanding of how evolution has shaped the extraordinary diversity of life on Earth. One of the most revealing findings is that gene loss may play as important a role as gene acquisition in the evolution of species.
Although we intuitively associate gene loss with reduced function, the “less is more” hypothesis presents that in some cases losses may confer evolutionary advantages.
There are many examples: in humans, the loss of certain cell receptors confers resistance to diseases such as malaria or HIV. In hummingbirds, the loss of energy metabolism and muscle genes facilitated the evolution of their characteristic hovering flight.
This article was originally published in The Conversation.
Although we intuitively associate gene loss with reduced function, the “less is more” hypothesis presents that in some cases losses may confer evolutionary advantages.
There are many examples: in humans, the loss of certain cell receptors confers resistance to diseases such as malaria or HIV. In hummingbirds, the loss of energy metabolism and muscle genes facilitated the evolution of their characteristic hovering flight.
This article was originally published in The Conversation.