Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Overview of Transposition and Recombination

Overview of Transposition and Recombination

Transposons make up a significant part of genomes of various organisms. Therefore, it is believed that transposition played a major evolutionary role in speciation by changing genome sizes and modifying gene expression patterns. For example, in bacteria, transposition can lead to conferring antibiotic resistance. Movement of transposable elements within the genetic pool of pathogenic bacteria can aid in transfer of antibiotic-resistant genetic elements. In eukaryotes, transposons can carry out...

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

The genomes of eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of sequence which do not code for proteins or RNAs. Although some of these regions do contain crucial regulatory sequences, the vast majority of this DNA serves no known function. Typically, these regions of the genome are the ones in which the fastest change, in evolutionary terms, is observed, because there is typically little to no selection pressure acting on these regions to preserve their sequences.
In contrast, regions which code...

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

The genomes of eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of sequence which do not code for proteins or RNAs. Although some of these regions do contain crucial regulatory sequences, the vast majority of this DNA serves no known function. Typically, these regions of the genome are the ones in which the fastest change, in evolutionary terms, is observed, because there is typically little to no selection pressure acting on these regions to preserve their sequences.
In contrast, regions which code...

Alternative RNA Splicing

Alternative RNA Splicing

Alternative RNA splicing is the regulated splicing of exons and introns to produce different mature mRNAs from a single pre-mRNA. Unlike in constitutive splicing where a single gene produces a single type of mRNA, alternative splicing allows an organism to produce multiple proteins from a single gene and plays an important role in protein diversity.
There are five types of alternative RNA splicing that vary in the ways the pre-mRNA segments are removed or retained in the mature mRNA. The first...

Transgenic Plants

Transgenic Plants

Recombinant DNA technology called transgenesis is often used to add a foreign gene or remove a detrimental gene from an organism. Such genetically modified organisms are called transgenic organisms.
The first-ever transgenic plant was a tobacco plant developed in 1983 that showed resistance against the tobacco mosaic virus. Since then, many transgenic plants have been developed and commercialized for improving the agricultural, ornamental, and horticultural value of a crop plant. Transgenic...

The Evidence for Evolution

The Evidence for Evolution

Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.The collection of fossils within sedimentary rocks give a record of common ancestry and often depicts the history of evolution.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Cross-sectional study exploring the prevalence and associated risk factors for suicidality among apprentices in the Irish construction industry.

BMJ public health·2026

Same author

How Do Older People Experience Person-Centred Integrated Care? An Integrative Review of the Evidence.

International journal of integrated care·2025

Same author

Designing on-farm trials: an example with interventions to improve micronutrient status of grain crops.

NPJ sustainable agriculture·2025

Same author

The Development of the CAIRDE General Awareness Training.

International journal of environmental research and public health·2025

Same author

Mental Health Stigma Reduction Interventions Among Men: A Systematic Review.

American journal of men's health·2024

Same author

Genetic reassessment of population subdivision in Yellowstone National Park bison.

The Journal of heredity·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 30, 2026

A Bioinformatics Pipeline to Accurately and Efficiently Analyze the MicroRNA Transcriptomes in Plants

A Bioinformatics Pipeline to Accurately and Efficiently Analyze the MicroRNA Transcriptomes in Plants

Published on: January 21, 2020

Evidence of neutral transcriptome evolution in plants.

M R Broadley¹, P J White², J P Hammond³

¹School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, Loughborough LE12 5RD, UK.

The New Phytologist

|September 20, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Neutral processes drive plant transcriptome evolution, suggesting many gene expression differences may be nonfunctional. This challenges adaptive explanations and highlights the need for null models in comparative transcriptomics.

More Related Videos

An Easy Method for Plant Polysome Profiling

An Easy Method for Plant Polysome Profiling

Published on: August 28, 2016

Isolation and Transcriptome Analysis of Plant Cell Types

Isolation and Transcriptome Analysis of Plant Cell Types

Published on: April 7, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 30, 2026

A Bioinformatics Pipeline to Accurately and Efficiently Analyze the MicroRNA Transcriptomes in Plants

A Bioinformatics Pipeline to Accurately and Efficiently Analyze the MicroRNA Transcriptomes in Plants

Published on: January 21, 2020

An Easy Method for Plant Polysome Profiling

An Easy Method for Plant Polysome Profiling

Published on: August 28, 2016

Isolation and Transcriptome Analysis of Plant Cell Types

Isolation and Transcriptome Analysis of Plant Cell Types

Published on: April 7, 2023

Area of Science:

Plant biology
Evolutionary biology
Genomics

Background:

The transcriptome, or set of gene transcripts (mRNAs), is crucial for understanding gene expression.
Transcriptome divergence is often assumed to reflect adaptive phenotypic selection.
Neutral theories propose stochastic processes drive transcriptome evolution, challenging this assumption.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate evidence for neutral transcriptome evolution in plants.
To quantify gene transcript levels across diverse Brassicaceae taxa.
To test the relationship between transcriptome divergence and evolutionary distance.

Main Methods:

Quantified 18,494 gene transcripts in nonsenescent leaves of 14 Brassicaceae taxa.
Employed robust cross-species transcriptomics with a two-step physical and in silico normalization procedure based on DNA similarity.
Analyzed pseudogenes and chloroplast genes evolving at different rates.

Main Results:

Transcriptome divergence positively correlates with evolutionary distance between taxa.
Transcriptome divergence also correlates with variation in gene expression among samples.
Variation in transcript abundance in root tissues correlates with divergence among root cells and taxa.

Conclusions:

Neutral processes significantly influence plant transcriptome evolution.
Many observed gene expression differences may be nonfunctional, reflecting ancestral plasticity or founder effects.
Null models are essential for accurate comparisons of transcriptomes across space and time.