A study published in the journal Genetics has unveiled about the mutation that took place in the teosinte plant around 10,000 years ago. Now, the researchers have unveiled that the mutation took place in a single letter in the plant’s long string of DNA.

Study’s author John Doebley, professor at UW-Madison, said that lots of mutations have happened in corn, but the above mentioned was the biggest. Teosinte, which originates in Mexico, has an ear with just 10 to 12 kernels.

It is considered that the plant has been domesticated between 10,000 and 9,000 years ago. Due to a single mutation, the plant started to look like corn. The mutation led the grain to forgo its protective covering.

And, then centuries of artificial selection and many other rounds of mutations, the plant witnessed many modifications including it grew taller and developed more broad leaves. By reenacting the mutation, the researchers were able to come to know about the single gene that was responsible for the major change.

The researchers have mapped the genomes of generations of teosinte plants and prepared a data to get an idea about the gene. Finally, they were able to know about the exact DNA nucleotide that led to the disappearance of husk. A nucleotide change in the teosinte glume architectural gene (tga1) made corn.

Single-letter mutations have also been identified in other plants as well like in wheat. “A huge proportion of the world is economically dependent on the crop and understanding how it was constructed 10,000 years ago is more than just intellectually satisfying”, affirmed John Doebley, UW-Madison professor.