First, RNA was discovered from the extinct thylacine
By Will Dunham
(Reuters) – The thylacine, a dog-sized, striped carnivorous marsupial also called the Tasmanian tiger, once roamed the Australian continent and surrounding islands, an apex predator that hunted kangaroos and other prey. Because of humans, this species is now extinct.
But that doesn’t mean scientists have stopped studying it. In a first-of-its-kind scientific study, researchers said on Tuesday that they had discovered RNA – genetic material present in all living cells that has structural similarities to DNA – from the dried skin and muscle of a thylacine stored since 1891 in a museum in Stockholm.
Scientists in recent years have extracted DNA from ancient animals and plants, some of which are more than 2 million years old. But this research marks the first time RNA – which is much less stable than DNA – has been discovered from an extinct species.
Although not the focus of this research, the ability to extract, sequence and analyze old RNA could enhance other scientists’ efforts to recreate extinct species. Recovering RNA from old viruses could also help decipher the causes of past pandemics.
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid) – their biomolecular cousins – are fundamental molecules in cell biology.
DNA is a double-stranded molecule that contains the genetic code of an organism, carrying the genes that give rise to all living things. RNA is a single-stranded molecule that carries genetic information it receives from DNA, and puts that information into practice. RNA synthesizes a large number of proteins that organisms need to live and works to regulate cell metabolism.
“RNA sequencing gives you a picture of the actual biology and metabolic regulation that occurred in the cells and tissues of thylacines before they became extinct,” said geneticist and bioinformatician Emilio Mármol Sánchez of the Center for Palaeogenetics and SciLifeLab in Sweden, lead author of the study published in the journal Genome Research .
“If we want to understand extinct species, we need to understand what complement of genes they had and also what those genes did and which genes were active,” says geneticist and study co-author Marc Friedländer of Stockholm University and SciLifeLab.
There are questions about how long the RNA can survive in the conditions – room temperature in a cupboard – where these remains are stored. The remains at the Swedish Museum of Natural History are in a semi-mummified state, with skin, muscles and bones preserved but internal organs missing.
“Most researchers thought that RNA would only survive for a very short time – like days or weeks – at room temperature. This may be true if the sample is wet or damp, but apparently not if it is dry,” says the evolutionary geneticist. Love Dalén of the Center for Paleogenetics.
The thylacine resembles a wolf, apart from the tiger-like stripes on its back. The arrival of humans in Australia around 50,000 years ago resulted in massive population loss. The arrival of European colonists in the 18th century wreaked havoc on the remaining population concentrated on the island of Tasmania, who were then rewarded after they were declared a danger to livestock. The last thylacine was found dead in a Tasmanian zoo in 1936.
“The story of the death of the Tasmanian tiger is one of the most documented extinction events and has been proven to be caused by human activity. Unfortunately, the thylacine was declared protected just two months before the last known individual died in captivity, something that was too late to find out. saving them from extinction,” said Mármol.
Private “de-extinction” initiatives have been launched with the aim of reviving certain extinct species such as the thylacine, dodo or woolly mammoth.
“While we remain skeptical about the possibility of truly recreating extinct species using gene editing in living animal relatives – and the time scale to reach the endpoint may be underestimated – we support further research into the biology of extinct species This. animals,” said Mármol.
(Reporting by Will Dunham in Washington, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
2023-09-19 18:53:07
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