Haifa, Israel. A doctoral student has discovered how a newly discovered gene played a central role in the transition of aquatic plants to land plants — a process that led to life on land as we know it.

A chance discovery of a genetic mutation in wild barley that grows in Israel's Judean Desert, in the course of a doctoral study at the University of Haifa, led to an international study deciphering evolution of life on land.


Guoxiong Chen found a mutation of wild barley that was significantly smaller than is typical of the species that causes an abnormal increase in water loss. The mutation disrupts the production of cutin that is secreted from the epidermal cells, a component in the plant's cuticle that reduces water loss and prevents the plant's dehydration.

Guoxiong Chen returned to China as a full professor while continuing his study of the wild barley, for which he enrolled an international team of scholars from China, Israel, Japan, and Switzerland.

The work, over eight years of effort, is the basis for this report.

Their study findings appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)."Life on Earth began in the water, and in order for plants to rise above water to live on land, they had to develop a cuticle membrane that would protect them from uncontrolled evaporation and dehydration. "In our study we discovered a completely new gene that along with other genes contributes to the formation of this cuticle," said Prof. Eviatar (Eibi) Nevo of the Institute of Evolution of the University of Haifa, who took part in the study.

After about eight years of research, the team discovered a new gene that contributes to the production of cutin, which is found in all land plants but is either nonexistent or present in tiny amounts in aquatic plants. Guoxiong Chen called this new gene Eibi1, in honor of Nevo, his supervisor. [cf. Sidebar]

"This is one of the genes that contributed to the actual eventuality of life on land as we know it today. It is a key element in the adaptation process that aquatic plants underwent in order to live on land," explained Prof. Nevo. Besides the evolutionary importance of this new gene, it is also of value in the future enhancement of cereals.

Once scientists more fully understand the mechanism behind the production of cutin, and discover genetic variants of the Eibi1 gene, they can enhance the cuticle formation and increase the resistance of wheat and barley species to water loss while helping them toward greater durability the dryer conditions that prevail on land.

"Genetic enhancement of cultivated plants to make them durable in dry and saline conditions can increase food production around the world," the researchers say.

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