Jumping Genes Defy the Tree of Life

Darwin's "tree of life" metaphor for the process of evolution has been has been challenged by Antonis Rokas and Jason Slots' discovery of a jumping gene cluster in this article. Although it was previously thought that genes were passed from parent to child, known as vertical gene transfer, Rokas and Slot found a cluster of 23 genes that have moved from one species of fungus to another. Horizontal gene transfer had previously been seen in bacteria with very rare exceptions in complex organisms such as fungi and animals. This jumping gene cluster codes for a toxic compound called sterigmatocystin. Revealing this transfer has brought up new ideas about evolutionary paths and the changing of individual species. Many horizontal gene transfers have resulted in drug-resistant bacteria. Methods for surviving a drug are able to be passed to one another. This discovery has lead to more research into past evolutionary pathways as well as current evolving species.