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The potency of cannabis is inscribed in its DNA, "inherited" by old viruses that have led the evolution by determining the production of its best-known active ingredients: tetrahydrocannabinol (Thc) and cannabidiol (Cbd ). This is demonstrated by the first detailed map of chromosomes of the species Cannabis sativa: useful for identifying the exact position of the genes involved in the production of active molecules, will improve the culture for therapeutic purposes, as indicated by Published by Genome Research by an international group led by the University of Toronto, Canada.
The collaboration had already led to the publication of the first cannabis genome map in 2011, but the project was too fragmented to reveal the exact position of genes on chromosomes. After a few years, combining mapping with a new sequencing technique, the researchers finally managed to draw a detailed map of the chromosomes, discovering that the two genes responsible for the production of Thc and Cbd evolved from one to another. single gene. : both placed on chromosome 6, are surrounded by entangled, almost "wrapped" DNA sequences of ancient viruses that would have colonized the plant millions of years ago.
The sequences of the viral genome, integrated into the DNA of the plant, would be duplicated and then become "mobile", succeeding in bouncing the chromosomes from one point to another. This invasion would have pushed the two genes to evolve differently. Another very useful finding for selection in future crops is that of the gene that produces cannabicromene (Cbc), another less known active substance that appears to have important pharmacological properties and may be responsible for some psychoactive effects on strains. cannabis. grown for therapeutic use.
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