Bryophytes: natural incubators of new gene evolution

Abstract

De novo gene origination from noncoding regions is a major source of genetic innovation. Dong et al . [1] (Nat. Genet. 2025; 57:2562–2569) reveal that bryophytes harbor an exceptionally high abundance of such genes, establishing them as a new and key system for studying the mechanisms and evolutionary consequences of new gene emergence in plants.