Team of scientists solve 160 year old biology puzzle

Team of scientists solve 160 year old biology puzzle in the research by the name “Genomic and genetic insights into Mendel’s pea genes.”

A group of international scientists, primarily from China and the UK, has identified the genetic variants behind all seven traits that Gregor Mendel used over 160 years ago to establish the basic principles of inheritance, solving a long-standing mystery in biology. Their findings were recently published in the journal Nature.

The research, titled “Genomic and genetic insights into Mendel’s pea genes,” was led by Cheng Shifeng from the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, alongside professors Noam Chayut and Noel Ellis from the John Innes Centre in the UK.

Using cutting-edge genomics, high-throughput phenotyping, and computational biology, the team re-examined Mendel’s groundbreaking 1865 experiments with garden peas.

Mendel’s work uncovered the foundational laws of inheritance. Although most genes behind his seven observed traits, like seed shape and plant height, were found in recent decades, three had remained undiscovered until now.

A crucial step in the project involved creating a wide-ranging, genetically diverse collection of pea samples. Chayut and Ellis carefully selected over 700 accessions from the John Innes Centre’s Pisum collection to ensure broad representation.

Chayut highlighted that capturing rare variants required a wide and representative sampling of genetic material.

The selected pea samples were brought to China after 2019 and grown in both southern and northern regions for further study.

Cheng and his team conducted detailed trait analysis and produced a high-resolution map of genetic variations, which led to identifying the missing genetic factors.

Cheng emphasized the collaborative nature of the project, noting that phenotypic data were gathered from both the UK and China using a multidisciplinary approach.

He explained that Mendel, without knowledge of genes, discovered fundamental inheritance laws — and modern technologies have now revealed the precise genes and mutations he was unknowingly tracking.

The team’s findings showed that the mutations underlying Mendel’s traits are highly diverse, highlighting a more intricate genetic landscape than previously thought.

Cheng noted that most of the identified mutations result in loss-of-function changes, providing a clear molecular explanation for the dominance and recessiveness Mendel observed.

In addition to solving the mystery of Mendel’s traits, the researchers also discovered new genetic elements, such as a natural flower color reversion and a modifier gene, Mfa, which suppresses abnormal flower growth (fasciation).

One of Mendel’s most elusive traits, pod color, had long resisted molecular explanation until now.

Julie Hofer, a postdoctoral researcher and co-first author, said the discovery shows how even subtle genomic structures can influence gene function at the transcriptional level.

Ellis remarked that the team has now linked Mendel’s theoretical “factors” to actual molecular structures, revealing a deeper and more intricate beauty in genetics than Mendel could have imagined.