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IF OUR DNA is a blueprint, then
RNA is the messenger, ferrying
instructions for biological tasks
to our cells. If you’re an octopus,
though, that message can change
en route.
An international research team
found that octopuses can edit their
RNA, albeit unintentionally. This
ability may offer some of the same
adaptive benefits as natural selection,
but on an individual level. Writing in
April in the journal Cell, the scientists
said this ability allows octopuses to
reinterpret their DNA in a way that
could grant them new traits, like better
cold adaptation. There were also hints
that these RNA changes made the
animals smarter.
Octopuses are infamously clever,
and such RNA editing could help
explain why. Adding weight to thistheory is evidence that nautiluses,
a closely related shelled cephalopod
known to be less intelligent, don’t
possess the same editing capabilities.
There is a trade-off, however. To
preserve their RNA-editing powers,
octopus genomes are much more
resistant to mutation, the driving
force of natural selection. This
means that while individuals
can make relatively sweeping
changes to their bodies,
the species as a whole
doesn’t change much
from generation
to generation.
NATHANIEL SCHARPINGOctopuses Can Stray
From Their DNA