“Jumping” genes are in the brain of an octopus and a person: they are responsible for cognition

Scientists believe that, as in the case of humans, transposons, also known as “jumping genes,” are responsible for

cognition.

These transposons account for almost half (45%)of the human genome and come in different forms - long with interspersed nuclear elements (LINE), short with interspersed nuclear elements (SINE) and many others. Scientists use "jumping" genes called Alu elements to trace our evolutionary history, but transposons were thought to be mere relics of the past with no discernible function in our modern genomes. 

However, LINEs are highly regulated in the brain,which makes sense because transposons cannot enter important genes and disrupt their function. Some scientists believe they may play a role in cognition due to their increased activity in the hippocampus, which is involved in learning processes. But with the still limited understanding of the human brain, this has been difficult to test. 

RTE-2_OV immunostaining in different areasbrain. Coronal sections of supraesophageal (SEM; a–d) and subesophageal (SUB; e–h) masses and horizontal slices of the optic lobe (OL; i–m) after fluorescent IHC (RTE-2_OV signal in green, DAPI used as nuclear stain) , colored magenta) highlight the differential pattern of positive cells and fibers in the brain of O. vulgaris.

In a recent study by the Zoological Stationnamed after Anton Dorn and the International Graduate School for Advanced Study (SISSA), scientists have identified significant activity of a genetic element from the LINE family in a key region of the brain of two octopus species: Octopus vulgaris and Octopus bimaculoides.

Researchers suggest that transposonsplay an important role in cognition in octopuses and may be the result of convergent evolution. This means that even though humans and octopuses do not share a common ancestor, both species have evolved these genetic elements in the brain to perform similar functions. 

"Opening a LINE family member active inbrains of two octopus species is very important because it supports the idea that these elements have a specific function beyond copy and paste,” said Remo Sanguez, director of the SISSA Sanguez Computational Genomics Laboratory. 

“I literally jumped up on a chair when undermicroscope saw a very strong signal of activity of this element in the vertical lobe of the brain, which in the octopus is the place of learning and cognitive abilities, just like in the human hippocampus,” continued Giovanna Ponte from the Anton Dorn Zoological Station. 

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