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Duplicate genes and robustness to transient gene knock-downs in Caenorhabditis elegans.

We examine robustness to mutations in the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans and the role of single-copy and duplicate genes in it. We do so by integrating complete genome sequence and microarray gene expression data with results from a genome-scale study using RNA interference (RNAi) to temporarily eliminate the functions of more than 16000 worm genes. We found that 89% of single-copy and 96% of duplicate genes show no detectable phenotypic effect in an RNAi knock-down experiment. We find that mutational robustness is greatest for closely related gene duplicates, large gene families and similarly expressed genes. We discuss the different causes of mutational robustness in single-copy and duplicate genes, as well as its evolutionary origin.

Animals↗

Evolution of gene networks by gene duplications: a mathematical model and its implications on genome organization.

Networks of transcriptional regulators have key roles in metazoan development. Important forces in the evolution of these networks are gene duplications and gene deletions, events that may change the spatiotemporal expression pattern of network genes. A measure for the probability of such changes after gene-duplication events is proposed. This measure is based on a simple mathematical model that describes such networks as dynamical systems and on properties of ensembles of these dynamical systems. It is predicted that this probability depends only on the fraction of genes duplicated in a single event and that it is largest if approximately 40% of the genes in a network are duplicated. This property is robust with respect to variations in model parameters. On these grounds, it is argued that (i) evolution of gene networks should preferentially occur either by duplication of single genes or by duplication of all genes involved in a network, and that (ii) tight linkage ("clustering") or strong dispersal are the two evolutionarily most favorable forms of genomic organization of genes forming such networks.

Animals↗

Buffering of crucial functions by paleologous duplicated genes may contribute cyclicality to angiosperm genome duplication.

Genome duplication followed by massive gene loss has permanently shaped the genomes of many higher eukaryotes, particularly angiosperms. It has long been believed that a primary advantage of genome duplication is the opportunity for the evolution of genes with new functions by modification of duplicated genes. If so, then patterns of genetic diversity among strains within taxa might reveal footprints of selection that are consistent with this advantage. Contrary to classical predictions that duplicated genes may be relatively free to acquire unique functionality, we find among both Arabidopsis ecotypes and Oryza subspecies that SNPs encode less radical amino acid changes in genes for which there exists a duplicated copy at a "paleologous" locus than in "singleton" genes. Preferential retention of duplicated genes encoding long complex proteins and their unexpectedly slow divergence (perhaps because of homogenization) suggest that a primary advantage of retaining duplicated paleologs may be the buffering of crucial functions. Functional buffering and functional divergence may represent extremes in the spectrum of duplicated gene fates. Functional buffering may be especially important during "genomic turmoil" immediately after genome duplication but continues to act approximately 60 million years later, and its gradual deterioration may contribute cyclicality to genome duplication in some lineages.

Arabidopsis↗

Rapid divergence of gene duplicates on the Drosophila melanogaster X chromosome.

The recent sequencing of several eukaryotic genomes has generated considerable interest in the study of gene duplication events. The classical model of duplicate gene evolution is that recurrent mutation ultimately results in one copy becoming a pseudogene, and only rarely will a beneficial new function evolve. Here, we study divergence between coding sequence duplications in Drosophila melanogaster as a function of the linkage relationship between paralogs. The mean K(a)/K(s) between all duplicates in the D. melanogaster genome is 0.2803, indicating that purifying selection is maintaining the structure of duplicate coding sequences. However, the mean K(a)/K(s) between duplicates that are both on the X chromosome is 0.4701, significantly higher than the genome average. Further, the distribution of K(a)/K(s) for these X-linked duplicates is significantly shifted toward higher values when compared with the distributions for paralogs in other linkage relationships. Two models of molecular evolution provide qualitative explanations of these observations-relaxation of selective pressure on the duplicate copies and, more likely, positive selection on recessive adaptations. We also show that there is an excess of X-linked duplicates with low K(s), suggesting a larger proportion of relatively young duplicates on the D. melanogaster X chromosome relative to autosomes.

Animals↗

An intraspecific gene duplication polymorphism of the urate oxidase gene of Drosophila virilis: a genetic and molecular analysis.

Nineteen strains of Drosophila virilis from diverse geographic locations were examined by genetic and molecular analyses, revealing (a) 12 strains with a single copy of the urate oxidase (UO) gene per haploid genome and (b) 7 strains with a tandem duplication of the UO locus. The D. virilis strains with the UO duplication appear to have identical restriction maps of this region, implying either a single origin for the duplication or several similar events occurring at a hot spot. On the basis of the location of the duplication breakpoints and the restriction sites flanking these breakpoints, this duplication probably arose through nonhomologous recombination involving either a breakage and rejoining event or replication slippage. because documented cases of intraspecific gene duplication polymorphism are rare, the D. virilis UO duplication will be useful in identifying the molecular event giving rise to a gene duplication.

Animals↗

Analysis of lamprey and hagfish genes reveals a complex history of gene duplications during early vertebrate evolution.

It has been proposed that two events of duplication of the entire genome occurred early in vertebrate history (2R hypothesis). Several phylogenetic studies with a few gene families (mostly Hox genes and proteins from the MHC) have tried to confirm these polyploidization events. However, data from a single locus cannot explain the evolutionary history of a complete genome. To study this 2R hypothesis, we have taken advantage of the phylogenetic position of the lamprey to study the history of gene duplications in vertebrates. We selected most gene families that contain several paralogous genes in vertebrates and for which lamprey genes and an out-group are known in databases. In addition, we isolated members of the nuclear receptor superfamily in lamprey. Hagfish genes were also analyzed and found to confirm the lamprey gene analysis. Consistent with the 2R hypothesis, the phylogenetic analysis of 33 selected gene families, dispersed through the whole genome, revealed that one period of gene duplication arose before the lamprey-gnathostome split and this was followed by a second period of gene duplication after the lamprey-gnathostome split. Nevertheless, our analysis suggests that numerous gene losses and other gene-genome duplications occurred during the evolution of the vertebrate genomes. Thus, the complexity of all the paralogy groups present in vertebrates should be explained by the contribution of genome duplications (2R hypothesis), extra gene duplications, and gene losses.

Animals↗

Methods for identifying and mapping recent segmental and gene duplications in eukaryotic genomes.

The aim of this chapter is to provide instruction for analyzing and mapping recent segmental and gene duplications in eukaryotic genomes. We describe a bioinformatics-based approach utilizing computational tools to manage eukaryotic genome sequences to characterize and understand the evolutionary fates and trajectories of duplicated genes. An introduction to bioinformatics tools and programs such as BLAST, Perl, BioPerl, and the GFF specification provides the necessary background to complete this analysis for any eukaryotic genome of interest.

Animals↗

Differential expression of the virulence-associated protein p57 and characterization of its duplicated gene msa in virulent and attenuated strains of Renibacterium salmoninarum.

Virulence mechanisms utilized by the salmonid fish pathogen Renibacterium salmoninarum are poorly understood. One potential virulence factor is p57 (also designated MSA for major soluble antigen), an abundant 57 kDa soluble protein that is predominately localized on the bacterial cell surface with significant levels released into the extracellular milieu. Previous studies of an attenuated strain, MT 239, indicated that it differs from virulent strains in the amount of surface-associated p57. In this report, we show overall expression of p57 in R. salmoninarum MT 239 is considerably reduced as compared to a virulent strain, ATCC 33209. The amount of cell-associated p57 is decreased while the level of p57 in the culture supernatant is nearly equivalent between the strains. To determine if the lowered amount of cell-associated p57 was due to a sequence defect in p57, a genetic comparison was performed. Two copies of the gene encoding p57 (msa1 and msa2) were found in 33209 and MT 239, as well as in several other virulent isolates. Both copies from 33209 and MT 239 were cloned and sequenced and found to be identical to each other, and identical between the 2 strains. A comparison of msa1 and msa2 within each strain showed that their sequences diverge 40 base pairs 5' to the open reading frame, while sequences 3' to the open reading frame are essentially identical for at least 225 base pairs. Northern blot analysis showed no difference in steady state levels of msa mRNA between the 2 strains. These data suggest that while cell-surface localization of p57 may be important for R. salmoninarum virulence, the differences in localization and total p57 expression between 33209 and MT 239 are not due to differences in msa sequence or differences in steady state transcript levels.

Animals↗

SMN gene duplication and the emergence of the SMN2 gene occurred in distinct hominids: SMN2 is unique to Homo sapiens.

The spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) region on chromosome 5q13 contains an inverted duplication of about 500 kb, and deleterious mutations in the survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene cause SMA, a common lethal childhood neuropathy. We have used a number of approaches to probe the evolutionary history of these genes and show that SMN gene duplication and the appearance of SMN2 occurred at very distinct evolutionary times. Molecular fossil and molecular clock data suggest that this duplication may have occurred as recently as 3 million years ago in that the position and identity repetitive elements are identical for both human SMN genes and overall sequence divergence ranged from 0.15% to 0.34%. However, these approaches ignore the possibility of sequence homogenization by means of gene conversion. Consequently, we have used quantitative polymerase chain rection and analysis of allelic variants to provide physical evidence for or against SMN gene duplication in the chimpanzee, mankind's closest relative. These studies have revealed that chimpanzees have 2-7 copies of the SMN gene per diploid genome; however, the two nucleotides diagnostic for exons 7-8 and the SMNdelta7 mRNA product of the SMN2 gene are absent in non-human primates. In contrast, the SMN2 gene has been detected in all extant human populations studied to date, including representatives from Europe, the Central African Republic, and the Congo. These data provide conclusive evidence that SMN gene duplication occurred more than 5 million years ago, before the separation of human and chimpanzee lineages, but that SMN2 appears for the first time in Homo sapiens.

Alleles↗

Higher gene duplicabilities for metabolic proteins than for nonmetabolic proteins in yeast and E. coli.

Although the evolutionary significance of gene duplication has long been appreciated, it remains unclear what factors determine gene duplicability. In this study we investigated whether metabolism is an important determinant of gene duplicability because cellular metabolism is crucial for the survival and reproduction of an organism. Using genomic data and metabolic pathway data from the yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and Escherichia coli, we found that metabolic proteins indeed tend to have higher gene duplicability than nonmetabolic proteins. Moreover, a detailed analysis of metabolic pathways in these two organisms revealed that genes in the central metabolic pathways and the catabolic pathways have, on average, higher gene duplicability than do other genes and that most genes in anabolic pathways are single-copy genes.

Computational Biology↗

Divergence pattern of duplicate genes in protein-protein interactions follows the power law.

The impact of the biological network structures on the divergence between the two copies of one duplicate gene pair involved in the networks has not been documented on a genome scale. Having analyzed the most recently updated Database of Interacting Proteins (DIP) by incorporating the information for duplicate genes of the same age in yeast, we find that there was a highly significantly positive correlation between the level of connectivity of ancient genes and the number of shared partners of their duplicates in the protein-protein interaction networks. This suggests that duplicate genes with a low ancestral connectivity tend to provide raw materials for functional novelty, whereas those duplicate genes with a high ancestral connectivity tend to create functional redundancy for a genome during the same evolutionary period. Moreover, the difference in the number of partners between two copies of a duplicate pair was found to follow a power-law distribution. This suggests that loss and gain of interacting partners for most duplicate genes with a lower level of ancestral connectivity is largely symmetrical, whereas the "hub duplicate genes" with a higher level of ancient connectivity display an asymmetrical divergence pattern in protein-protein interactions. Thus, it is clear that the protein-protein interaction network structures affect the divergence pattern of duplicate genes. Our findings also provide insights into the origin and development of biological networks.

Databases, Protein↗

Mechanisms and rates of birth and death of dispersed duplicated genes during the evolution of a multigene family in diploid and tetraploid wheats.

A family of 5 genes that evolved within the past 1.9 Myr in diploid wheat was characterized. The ancestral gene, ALP-A1, is on chromosome 1A and encodes an aci-reductone dioxygenase-like protein. The duplicated genes ALP-A2, ALP-A3, ALP-A4.1, and ALP-A4.2 acquired complete coding sequences but lost the original promoter. They are on chromosomes 4A, 2A, 6A and 6A, respectively, and evolved sequentially, the youngest duplicated gene always producing the next duplicate. It is shown that dispersed gene duplication rate consists of the primary rate (duplications of ancestral genes) and the secondary rate (duplications of genes that had been generated by recent duplications). The primary rate was 2.5 x 10(-3) gene(-1) Myr(-1) in diploid wheat. The secondary rate was 5.2 x 10(-2) gene(-1) Myr(-1) in the ALP family. The 20-fold acceleration of the secondary rate was caused by the insertion of the ALP-A2 gene into a novel type transposon. Only the ALP-A1 and ALP-A3 genes are transcribed. The transcription of ALP-A3 is directed by a promoter within a DNA fragment similar to a CACTA type of DNA transposons, making ALP-A3 a new gene. The ALP-A3 transcript is longer than that of the ALP-A1. The half-life of ALP duplicated genes was estimated to be 0.87 Myr. Strong purifying selection acting on the ancestral gene ALP-A1 was undiminished by the evolution of duplicated genes. The evolution of the ALP family shows that repeated elements facilitate both gene duplication and expression of duplicated genes and highlights their importance for the evolution of gene repertoire in large plant genomes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The potential role of gene duplications in the evolution of imprinting mechanisms.

Using the completed genomic sequences of mouse and human we performed a comparative analyses of imprinted genes and gene clusters. For many imprinted genes we could detect imprinted as well as non-imprinted paralogues. The inter- and intrachromosomal similarities between paralogues and their linkage to imprinting clusters suggests that imprinted genes were dispersed throughout the genome by gene duplications as well as translocation and transposition events. Our findings indicate that imprinting clusters may have been linked together on one (or a few) ancestral pre-imprinted chromosome(s), arguing for a common mechanistic origin of imprinting control. Imprinting may originally have evolved on a simple basis of dosage compensation required for some duplicated genes (chromosomes) followed by selection of sex-biased expression control.

Evolution, Molecular↗

Approach of the functional evolution of duplicated genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using a new classification method based on protein-protein interaction data.

The concept of protein function is widely used and manipulated by biologists. However, the means of the concept and its understanding may vary depending on the level of functionality one considers (molecular, cellular, physiological, etc.). Genomic studies and new high-throughput methods of the post-genomic era provide the opportunity to shed a new light on the concept of protein function: protein-protein interactions can now be considered as pieces of incomplete but still gigantic networks and the analysis of these networks will permit the emergence of a more integrated view of protein function. In this context, we propose a new functional classification method, which, unlike usual methods based on sequence homology, allows the definition of functional classes of protein based on the identity of their interacting partners. An example of such classification will be shown and discussed for a subset of Saccharomyces cerevisiae proteins, accounting for 7% of the yeast proteome. The genome of the budding yeast contains 50% of protein-coding genes that are paralogs, including 457 pairs of duplicated genes coming probably from an ancient whole genome duplication. We will comment on the functional classification of the duplicated genes when using our method and discuss the contribution of these results to the understanding of function evolution for the duplicated genes.

Evolution, Molecular↗

Experimental evolution of gene duplicates in a bacterial plasmid model.

The fate of gene duplicates subjected to diversifying selection was tested experimentally in a bacterial system. The wild-type TEM-1 beta-lactamase gene confers resistance to ampicillin but not to cefotaxime. Point mutations confer cefotaxime resistance, but they compromise ampicillin resistance. Thus, selection for both drug resistances in a bacterium with two copies of beta-lactamase should favor the divergence of one copy to improve cefotaxime resistance while maintaining the other copy to preserve ampicillin resistance. This selection was performed on a bacterium with identical sequences of beta-lactamase on two separate, compatible plasmids. As expected, one plasmid evolved increased cefotaxime resistance when appropriately strong cefotaxime selection was applied. However, the cefotaxime-resistant plasmid maintained sufficient ampicillin resistance to tolerate the concentration of ampicillin used, and the other plasmid was lost. Hosts carrying both the cefotaxime-resistant and wild-type plasmids were then subjected to various higher concentrations of both drugs to find conditions that would ensure the maintenance of both plasmids. In a striking contradiction to our model, no such conditions were found. The fitness cost of carrying both plasmids increased dramatically as antibiotic levels were raised, and either the wild-type plasmid was lost or the cells did not grow. This study highlights the importance of the cost of duplicate genes and the quantitative nature of the tradeoff in the evolution of gene duplication through functional divergence.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Population-genetic models of the fates of duplicate genes.

The ultimate fate of a duplicated gene is that it either silenced through inactivating mutations or both copies are maintained by selection. This later fate can occur via neofunctionalization wherein one copy acquires a new function or by subfunctionalization wherein the original function of the gene is partitioned across both copies. The relative probabilities of these three different fates involve often very subtle iterations between of population size, mutation rate, and selection. All three of these fates are critical to the expansion and diversification of gene families.

Evolution, Molecular↗

Accelerated rates of intron gain/loss and protein evolution in duplicate genes in human and mouse malaria parasites.

Very little is known about molecular evolution in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Given the potentially important role that introns play in directing transcription and the posttranscriptional control of gene expression, we compare rates of intron/gain loss and intronic substitution in P. falciparum and the rodent malaria P. y. yoelii in both orthologous and duplicate genes. Specifically, we test the hypothesis that intron gain/loss and protein evolution is accelerated in duplicate genes versus orthologous genes in both parasites using the genome sequence of both species. We find that duplicate genes in both P. falciparum and P. y. yoelii exhibit a dramatic acceleration of both intron gain/loss and protein evolution in comparison with orthologs, suggesting increased directional and/or relaxed selection in duplicate genes. Further, we find that rates of intron gain/loss and protein evolution are weakly coupled in orthologs but not paralogs, supporting the hypothesis that selection acts on genes as functionally integrated units after speciation but not necessarily after gene duplication. In contrast, we find that rates of nucleotide substitution do not differ significantly between intronic sites and synonymous sites among duplicate genes, implying that a large fraction of intronic sites in Plasmodium evolve under little or no selective constraint.

Animals↗