Challenging and redefining Dollo's law of evolution: re-appearance of lost structures.

Abstract

According to a modern interpretation of Dollo's Law of irreversibility in evolution, a lost structure, is unable to reappear in evolution due to the accumulation of mutations in the genes required for its formation. However, several reports have challenged this law, even in vertebrates. Lost structures have been reported to re-appear in natural populations, as well as through spontaneous mutations, genetic engineering, and pharmacology. Some of these lost structure re-appearances are fully viable in the organism, especially while others are only detected during embryogenesis or early stages of life as the organism is unable to reach adult stages. We hypothesize that the re-appearance of lost structures can only occur if homologous structures are still fully developed in the organism, allowing for a re-utilization of the developmental pathways that are needed to re-form a lost structure. However, if no instance of the lost character remains, the re-evolution of this specific character cannot happen. Therefore, our latest results using pharmacology continue to support hat has been previously postulated: Dollo's law of evolution remains true for lost characters that have not remained in the organism but should be amended for the re-apparition of lost structures with serial homologous characters present in any form in the organism.