Guinea pigs tweak genes to beat heat

• Autores: Penny Sarchet
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 3055, 2016, pág. 10
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • For the first time, wild mammals have been seen responding to higher temperatures by altering how their DNA works. These "epigenetic changes" may adjust the activity of specific genes, and some are passed on to offspring. Evolution by genetic mutation and natural selection can be slow. But attaching methyl molecules to DNA, affecting how genes are expressed, is much faster. Evidence from lab-bred animals and plants shows that such heat-induced epigenetic responses can even be inherited. To see if this can happen in more genetically diverse animals, Alexandra Weyrich and her team studied guinea pigs sourced from South America