Denmark | An international research initiative has identified a previously unknown protein fusion that may explain how primitive plant life transitioned from aquatic habitats to land surfaces over 400 million years ago. By examining early evolutionary plant lineages, molecular biologists isolated a specific biological mechanism that allowed cellular structures to expand beyond flat layouts.Prior to this evolutionary shift, primitive organisms were constrained to two-dimensional, thread-like filaments that multiplied horizontally across surfaces. The newly identified protein, designated RAK1, acts as an evolutionary hybrid combining an intercellular signaling kinase with an acetyltransferase enzyme. Laboratory trials involving targeted gene deletion demonstrated that cells lacking this specific molecular worker failed to divide properly, resulting in highly malformed buds and halted upright development. By effectively bridging cellular signaling pathways with intracellular metabolic regulation, this protein enabled ancient vegetation to divide in three dimensions, driving the structural complexity required to form complex organs, leaves, and vertical stalks.
Source: University of Copenhagen
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