Heat-shock proteins - Hidden Evolution

How far does the human understanding of evolution reach?

Speculation based on some recent research suggests we may have only scratched the surface. The theory concerns the period of rapid divergent evolution known as the Cambrian explosion, which was a period of 100 million years in which the vast majority of body forms evolved, and none have evolved since. One theory suggests this oddity may have been caused by uncovering hidden variation, recently revealed to be kept in check Heat-Shock Proteins (HSP’s). Until recently, it was understood that these proteins were used to buffer against external stresses, such as heat of pH change, in all cells. Now, however, research shows that they work to buffer against powerful internal stress: genetic variation.

The research shows that by warping or removing these Heat-Shock Proteins, genetic variation was increased in both D. melanogaster (a fly) and A. thaliana (a plant) over the course of a single generation. The distinction between plant and animal shows that this phenomenon is not unique to one or the other, but likely present in all organisms (as all organisms make use of Heat-Shock Proteins). It is not yet certain that this an accurate beginning for a model of evolutionary leaps, but it is certainly a start.

References:

http://www.nature.com.ezproxy.library.uq.edu.au/news/1998/981203/full/981203-3.html

http://www.nature.com.ezproxy.library.uq.edu.au/news/2002/020506/full/020506-13.html