- Reaction score
- 1,676
Scientists have altered the genes of the animals colloquially known as daddy long legs and turned them into 'daddy short legs.'
Utilizing RNA interference, researchers at the University of Wisconsin Madison were able to sequence the genome of Phalangium opilio and modify six of the arachnids' eight legs and turn them into half their normal size.
Known as Opiliones or harvestmen, these animals - which are not spiders, though they are closely related - saw their long legs transformed into pedipalps (used for food) as a result of the genetic transformation.
'We've shown… how the combinations of these genes create a blueprint in the embryo to differentiate between what's going to be a leg that is used for walking and what is going to be a pedipalp, which can be used to manipulate food and assess the surroundings,' the study's lead author, Guilherme Gainett at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said in an interview with New Scientist.
www.dailymail.co.uk
Utilizing RNA interference, researchers at the University of Wisconsin Madison were able to sequence the genome of Phalangium opilio and modify six of the arachnids' eight legs and turn them into half their normal size.
Known as Opiliones or harvestmen, these animals - which are not spiders, though they are closely related - saw their long legs transformed into pedipalps (used for food) as a result of the genetic transformation.
'We've shown… how the combinations of these genes create a blueprint in the embryo to differentiate between what's going to be a leg that is used for walking and what is going to be a pedipalp, which can be used to manipulate food and assess the surroundings,' the study's lead author, Guilherme Gainett at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said in an interview with New Scientist.
The genome of a daddy-long-legs (Opiliones) illuminates the evolution of arachnid appendages | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Chelicerate arthropods exhibit dynamic genome evolution, with ancient whole-genome duplication (WGD) events affecting several orders. Yet, genomes remain unavailable for a number of poorly studied orders, such as Opiliones (daddy-long-legs), which has ...
royalsocietypublishing.org
Scientists modify genes of daddy long legs and shorten their legs
Scientists altered the genes of daddy long legs and shortened six of their legs by nearly half, according to a newly published study. They use RNA interference to sequence their genome.
Last edited by a moderator:
