{
  "id": 6679221,
  "title": "The eumetazoan origin of PRDM9 function revealed by cnidarian genome analysis",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/the-eumetazoan-origin-of-prdm9-function-revealed-by-cnidarian-genome",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-10T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.07.749791v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Recombination plays a vital role in species evolution and adaptation, determining the location of genetic reshuffling. In vertebrates, PRDM9 dictates the site of double-strand breaks initiating meiotic recombination; however, this only pertains to specific Prdm9 orthologs with certain molecular characteristics, including the presence of KRAB, SSXRD, PR/SET, and ZnF domains, catalytic tyrosines conservation, and a rapidly evolving zinc finger array. The evolutionary origin of PRDM9 is believed to trace back to the last common ancestor of metazoans, yet its exploration outside vertebrates has been limited. To address this gap, researchers examined the genomes of 28 cnidarian species, discovering at least one full-length and functional PRDM9 ortholog in each. Remarkably, ten of these species harbored multiple full-length paralogs with the same molecular markers of functionality, a pattern unprecedented in any other analyzed taxa. This finding was further supported by the identification of numerous truncated paralogs, arising at various stages of evolution, highlighting the dynamic birth-and-death process of PRDM9 in cnidarians. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the majority of full-length paralogs emerged from recent duplication events following speciation, although truncated paralogs originated throughout cnidarian evolution. Notably, one of the oldest truncated paralogs appeared prior to the divergence between Actinaria and Scleractinia, suggesting the acquisition of a potentially novel function that has persisted for at least 540 million years, though its precise role remains unknown. This research not only sheds light on the ancient origins of PRDM9's function but also raises intriguing questions regarding the functional redundancy of these multiple full-length paralogs and their evolutionary significance for cnidarian genomes.",
  "summary": "Where recombination takes place is crucial as it determines the position of genetic reshuffling, which facilitates species evolution and adaptation. In many vertebrates, PRDM9 determines the location of double-strand breaks that initiates meiotic recombination. However, this only applies for Prdm9 orthologs that possess certain molecular features, such as the presence of the four functional…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}