Wednesday, August 6, 2025
Science
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag
No Result
View All Result
Home Science News Biology

Every rose has its thorns … or does it?

August 1, 2024
in Biology
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
NY Botanical Garden Rose
66
SHARES
603
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

According to Greek mythology, red roses first appeared when Aphrodite pricked her foot on a thorn, spilling blood on a white rose. Since then, roses’ thorns have captured the imaginations of countless poets and forlorn lovers.

NY Botanical Garden Rose

Credit: Jack Satterlee/Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

According to Greek mythology, red roses first appeared when Aphrodite pricked her foot on a thorn, spilling blood on a white rose. Since then, roses’ thorns have captured the imaginations of countless poets and forlorn lovers.

But they aren’t the only plants with these dangerous protrusions, technically called prickles. Prickles have evolved independently in species across the plant kingdom. Their main function: warding off herbivores. They’re even present in certain eggplant and rice crops. Yet, for years, it’s been unclear how the trait pops up so frequently in such unrelated species.

Now, in a breakthrough discovery, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has found that the same ancient gene family is responsible for prickles across many plants, despite millions of years of evolutionary separation.

CSHL postdoc James Satterlee was inspired to investigate prickles upon touring a field where his advisor, Professor & HHMI Investigator Zachary Lippman, grows hundreds of nightshades. Think tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants.

“I noticed many had very prominent prickles. So, I asked, ‘What do we know about that? What’s going on with this adaptation?’ It turns out we knew almost nothing,” recalls Satterlee. 

With scientists in Spain, Satterlee began analyzing eggplants, which led him to a gene family called LONELY GUY (LOG). LOG genes are normally responsible for making a hormone that causes cell division and expansion. Satterlee discovered that certain LOG mutations also eliminate prickles in eggplants. Lippman and Satterlee wondered: Could LOG-related genes be responsible for prickle gains and losses across multiple plants over millions of years?

The team started combing through prior studies and contacting collaborators around the globe. Satterlee and Lippman worked with the New York Botanical Garden to examine specimens with and without prickles. Collaborators at Cornell University used genome editing to eliminate prickles in desert raisins, a foraged berry native to Australia. Another colleague in France suppressed prickles in roses. In total, the team came to associate prickles with LOG-related genes in about 20 species.

Lippman says while this discovery could be used to engineer plants without prickles, it also has big implications for understanding convergent evolution in all life. That is, how completely different species independently develop similar traits. 

“You’re really asking about life in general—evolution of traits. How do they emerge? How are they modified? What are the underlying mechanisms? What can we learn about things we take for granted?” he explains. 

The answer could someday make lesser-known species like desert raisins a new fruit in supermarkets. At the very least, it should make life easier for horticulturalists plucking roses’ pesky thorns.



Journal

Science

DOI

10.1126/science.ado1663

Article Title

Convergent evolution of plant prickles by repeated gene co-option over deep time

Article Publication Date

2-Aug-2024

Share26Tweet17
Previous Post

Climate anomalies may play a major role in driving cholera pandemics

Next Post

Study uncovers connections between obesity and heart failure

Related Posts

blank
Biology

Hot Capsicum Extracts Combat Culex and Musca Larvae

August 6, 2025
blank
Biology

Probiotic Potential of β-Galactosidase Lactobacillus rhamnosus

August 6, 2025
blank
Biology

Impact of Water-Saving Irrigation on Alfalfa Rhizosphere Microbes

August 6, 2025
blank
Biology

Centuries After Their Discovery, Red Blood Cells Continue to Reveal New Surprises

August 6, 2025
blank
Biology

Eugenol’s Anti-Leishmanial Potential Explored In Vitro

August 6, 2025
blank
Biology

Detecting Earthy Off-Odors in Water via HS-SPME-GC-MS

August 6, 2025
Next Post
Study uncovers connections between obesity and heart failure

Study uncovers connections between obesity and heart failure

  • Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    27530 shares
    Share 11009 Tweet 6881
  • University of Seville Breaks 120-Year-Old Mystery, Revises a Key Einstein Concept

    942 shares
    Share 377 Tweet 236
  • Bee body mass, pathogens and local climate influence heat tolerance

    641 shares
    Share 256 Tweet 160
  • Researchers record first-ever images and data of a shark experiencing a boat strike

    506 shares
    Share 202 Tweet 127
  • Warm seawater speeding up melting of ‘Doomsday Glacier,’ scientists warn

    310 shares
    Share 124 Tweet 78
Science

Embark on a thrilling journey of discovery with Scienmag.com—your ultimate source for cutting-edge breakthroughs. Immerse yourself in a world where curiosity knows no limits and tomorrow’s possibilities become today’s reality!

RECENT NEWS

  • Combining LiDAR and Sentinel-2 for Mihăești Flood Mapping
  • Hot Capsicum Extracts Combat Culex and Musca Larvae
  • CAR T-Cell Therapy: The Future of Cancer Eradication
  • Probiotic Potential of β-Galactosidase Lactobacillus rhamnosus

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Athmospheric
  • Biology
  • Bussines
  • Cancer
  • Chemistry
  • Climate
  • Earth Science
  • Marine
  • Mathematics
  • Medicine
  • Pediatry
  • Policy
  • Psychology & Psychiatry
  • Science Education
  • Social Science
  • Space
  • Technology and Engineering

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 5,184 other subscribers

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Discover more from Science

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading