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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 30, 2026

Dissection and Coronal Slice Preparation of Developing Mouse Pituitary Gland

Dissection and Coronal Slice Preparation of Developing Mouse Pituitary Gland

Published on: November 16, 2017

Partial gene duplication and posterior pituitary peptide.

J A Black, R N Harkins

Journal of Molecular Evolution

|June 9, 1975

Summary

Low-frequency dipeptides in protein sequences may indicate partial gene duplication events. Analysis of posterior pituitary peptide reveals patterns consistent with this evolutionary mechanism.

Area of Science:

Biochemistry
Molecular Biology
Evolutionary Biology

Background:

Dipeptide frequencies vary across protein sequences.
Gene duplication is a significant driver of protein evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the correlation between low-frequency dipeptides and partial gene duplication.
To explore the evolutionary history of the posterior pituitary peptide.

Main Methods:

Compilation of dipeptide frequencies from 100 known protein sequences.
Sequence analysis of the posterior pituitary peptide.

Main Results:

Identified specific dipeptides occurring at low frequencies.
The posterior pituitary peptide (48 residues) contains two Cysteine-Tryptophan (Cys-Trp) pairs.

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Adjacent sequence portions suggest potential partial gene duplication.

Conclusions:

Low-frequency dipeptides can serve as markers for identifying proteins with partial gene duplication.
The evolutionary history of the posterior pituitary peptide may involve partial gene duplication, as evidenced by its sequence features.