Researchers from the University of Sheffield are investigating how plants use "natural genetic engineering" to borrow genes from other species and adapt more quickly to environmental change
The study will explore how often lateral gene transfer (LGT) occurs in nature and how it helps crops like wheat and maize adapt to pressures like drought and climate change
Findings could pave the way for the creation of more resilient crops helping to improve global food security
The research builds on new evidence that gene sharing between species is far more common in plants than previously thought
Scientists from the University of Sheffield are investigating how plants can accelerate their own evolution through a process of "natural genetic engineering."
This groundbreaking research will focus on Lateral Gene Transfer (LGT), a process where plants acquire useful genes directly from other species. Unlike the slow process of random mutation and natural selection, LGT could allow plants to bypass traditional evolutionary pathways and respond more quickly to environmental pressures.
While it's been long understood that evolution happens through the gradual accumulation of random mutations, this research aims to understand a more dynamic process. LGT involves the direct movement of genetic material between organisms without sexual reproduction. Though well-known in bacteria - where it spreads traits like antibiotic resistance - the role of LGT in plants is only now being fully explored.
The study, led by Dr Luke Dunning, will use grasses as a model system to understand LGT in a natural setting. Previous research by Dr Dunning has proven that LGT is widespread in grasses and they are also of great ecological and economical importance including crops such as wheat and maize.
By uncovering how natural genetic engineering works in these species, researchers hope to provide insights that could support the development of crops more tolerant to drought, heat and poor soils.
Dr Luke Dunning, from the University of Sheffield's School of Biosciences, said: "This project will have significant implications for global food and agriculture challenges. By understanding "natural genetic engineering" we aim to provide a new framework for how plants naturally adapt to a rapidly changing climate and inform the creation of more resilient crops."
"If we can uncover how plants share and integrate genes, we can better understand how crops like wheat and maize adapt - knowledge that could ultimately help ensure stable food supplies in the face of climate change."
The research team, including collaborators from Bangor University, will seek to answer three fundamental questions:
How does it happen? The team will test whether LGT in grasses is driven by reproductive contamination - where DNA from a third-party is introduced during sexual reproduction.
How often does it occur? The researchers will quantify the background rate of LGT in natural grasslands to understand its significance in driving rapid adaptation.
Where do the genes go? The study will investigate whether foreign genes are inserted into specific, non-random locations in the recipient plant's genome, a crucial factor for their successful integration and function.
The £950,000 project is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Dr Dunning is also part of a team lead by Dr Alex Twyford at the University of Edinburgh that is researching LGT more broadly in flowering plants, with both NERC funded projects pushing the frontiers of environmental research.
The University of Sheffield's School of Biosciences is ranked among the UK's best for biological research, enabling students to work with leading academics on projects that shed new light on the processes driving life on earth and help tackle pressing environmental challenges. To find out more, visit: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/biosciences
