Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2026

G2-seq: A High Throughput Sequencing-based Technique for Identifying Late Replicating Regions of the Genome
Published on: March 22, 2018
Rates and patterns of gene duplication and loss in the human genome
James A Cotton1, Roderic D M Page
1Division of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QE, UK. james.cotton@nhm.ac.uk
Abstract:
Gene duplication has certainly played a major role in structuring vertebrate genomes but the extent and nature of the duplication events involved remains controversial. A recent study identified two major episodes of gene duplication: one episode of putative genome duplication ca. 500 Myr ago and a more recent gene-family expansion attributed to segmental or tandem duplications. We confirm this pattern using methods not reliant on molecular clocks for individual gene families. However, analysis of a simple model of the birth-death process suggests that the apparent recent episode of duplication is an artefact of the birth-death process. We show that a constant-rate birth-death model is appropriate for gene duplication data, allowing us to estimate the rate of gene duplication and loss in the vertebrate genome over the last 200 Myr (0.00115 and 0.00740 Myr(-1) lineage(-1), respectively). Finally, we show that increasing rates of gene loss reduce the impact of a genome-wide duplication event on the distribution of gene duplications through time.
Related Concept Videos
Gene Duplication and Divergence
The duplicated copies of the gene are called Paralogs. Paralogs with similar sequences and functions form a gene family. Across several species, a large number of gene families are characterized.
Gene Families
Occasionally these regions can be adapted to take on new roles within the organism, becoming novel genes...
Comparing Copy Number Variations and SNPs
Copy number variations or CNVs are the structural variations that cover more than 1kb of DNA sequence. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), on the other hand, is a single nucleotide change or a point mutation that is found in more than 1%...
Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?
In contrast, regions which code...
Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?
In contrast, regions which code...
Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

