Tiny Creature Is a Big Subject

by mike williams

We may not look anything like tiny, amoeba-like creatures that live in the sea, but what we have in common with them — and with all the creatures on Earth — interests Nicholas Putnam.
An assistant professor in Rice’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Putnam co-authored a study published in the journal Nature that breaks down the genetic code of Trichoplax, a simple saltwater creature one might find anywhere in the world — even in household aquariums.
“We’re trying to identify genes in the Trichoplax that also are found in other animals,” Putnam said.

Recognizing common genes among many species helps scientists figure out their lineage, as well as where they diverge. It also might help scientists learn the ways groups of genes function.
Why Trichoplax?

Putnam Recognizing common genes among many species helps scientists figure out their lineage, as well as where they diverge. It also might help scientists learn the ways groups of genes function.
— Nicholas Putnam

“Sequencing a genome is a big effort and a big investment, so we have to choose carefully,” Putnam said. Trichoplax, which is a tiny little pancake of cells you can barely see without a microscope, has a relatively low place in the evolutionary chain, making it ideal for study. But despite its lowly status, Trichoplex shares genetic elements with humans. A gene index published as part of the Nature paper clearly shows many large collections of genes that group together on both Trichoplax and human chromosomes.

Trichoplax, which is a tiny little pancake of cells you can barely see without a microscope, has a relatively low place in the evolutionary chain, making it ideal for study.

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Putnam hopes to understand the purpose these large, conserved groupings of genes serve, as well as the reason they’re together and the effects on the health of the organism if they get separated by a mutation.

The study was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, the University of California and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.