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Mosaic evolution of ruminant stomach lysozyme genes
1Banting and Best Diabetes Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5G1L5, Canada.
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
|January 6, 2000
Summary
Ruminant stomach lysozyme genes show a mosaic evolution pattern. Coding exons evolved concertedly, while introns and flanking regions diverged, aiding adaptation in early ruminants.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Molecular Evolution
- Comparative Genomics
Background:
- Ruminant genomes possess multiple lysozyme genes, with four expressed in the stomach.
- Lysozyme gene duplications predate the divergence of species like cows and sheep.
- Stomach lysozyme gene coding regions within a species exhibit higher similarity, suggesting concerted evolution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolutionary patterns of introns and flanking regions in ruminant stomach lysozyme genes.
- To determine if these non-coding regions evolve concertedly or divergently.
- To understand the overall evolutionary mechanism of ruminant stomach lysozyme genes.
Main Methods:
- Isolation and characterization of two sheep stomach lysozyme genes.
- Sequence comparison between sheep and cow stomach lysozyme genes.
- Analysis of coding exons, introns, and flanking regions.
Main Results:
- Introns and flanking regions of sheep and cow stomach lysozyme genes show divergent evolution.
- The 3' untranslated region of mRNAs also evolved divergently.
- A mosaic pattern of concerted evolution (coding exons) and divergent evolution (non-coding regions) was identified.
Conclusions:
- Ruminant stomach lysozyme genes exhibit a mixed evolutionary pattern.
- Concerted evolution of coding exons may facilitate rapid adaptation to new functions.
- This mosaic evolution potentially contributed to the adaptive radiation of lysozymes in early ruminants.