Do Species Evolve Through Mutations Guided by Non-Coding RNAs?

TL;DR

This paper proposes a new evolutionary theory where mutations are guided by environmental cues through non-coding RNAs, explaining the emergence of novelties and integrating recent genetics and epigenetics findings.

Contribution

It introduces a novel theory suggesting environment-guided mutations via ncRNAs influence species evolution, expanding beyond traditional mutation and selection models.

Findings

Evidence supporting environment-guided mutations

Mechanism linking soma and germline via ncRNAs

Three stages of heritable changes in germline

Abstract

The current theory of evolution is almost the one Darwin and Wallace proposed two centuries ago and the following discoveries e.g., Mendelian genetics and neutral mutation theory have not made significant modifications. The current evolution theory relies mostly on heritable variations within species population, natural selection and genetic drift. The inability of the current theory to explain and predict biological observations, especially the emergence of evolutionary novelties, highlights the need to incorporate recent evolutionary, developmental and genetics findings in order to achieve a more comprehensive explanation of species evolution. The present paper provides significant body of evidence to substantiate a new theory to account for species evolution. The main axes of the proposed theory include: First, mutations leading to genetic novelties in a given species during evolution should be guided by the environment surrounding that species. Second, environment and germline are connected with each other via soma-germline messengers e.g., non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Third, based on the information that germline continuously receives in terms of epigenetic messengers three stages of heritable changes may occur in germline genome to produce more adaptable offspring: i, Epigenetic modifications, ii, Genetic mutations in the sequence of pre-existing genes in order to improve their potency, and iii, The production of new genes with distinct gene-coding regions, which may have their own regulatory regions.