klausi
Contributor
Maeda et al. just published an excellent paper on the changes in the genomes of kleptoplastic (chloroplast-stealing) sea slugs ("Shawn the Sheep"; "Solar powered slugs"). I wrote a brief popular science explanation of their results. The main question was: Did they slugs acquire photosynthetic genes from the algae by horizontal gene transfer?
Interestingly, this was not the case. Instead genes dealing with immunity, protein degradation and carbohydrate metabolism were increased in the evolution of these slugs.
The blog post with more details is here.
Interestingly, this was not the case. Instead genes dealing with immunity, protein degradation and carbohydrate metabolism were increased in the evolution of these slugs.
The blog post with more details is here.
