Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Gene Duplication and Divergence

Gene Duplication and Divergence

The seminal work of Ohno in 1970 popularized the idea of gene duplication and divergence. DNA sequence comparison studies reveal that a large portion of the genes in bacteria, archaebacteria, and eukaryotes was generated by gene duplication and divergence, indicating its critical role in evolution.
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.

Comparing Copy Number Variations and SNPs

Comparing Copy Number Variations and SNPs

Sequencing of the human genome has opened up several best-kept secrets of the genome. Scientists have identified thousands of genome variations that exist within a population. These variations can be a single nucleotide or a larger chromosomal variation.
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%...

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

While every living organism has a genome of some kind (be it RNA, or DNA), there is considerable variation in the sizes of these blueprints. One major factor that impacts genome size is whether the organism is prokaryotic or eukaryotic. In prokaryotes, the genome contains little to no non-coding sequence, such that genes are tightly clustered in groups or operons sequentially along the chromosome. Conversely, the genes in eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of non-coding sequence.

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

While every living organism has a genome of some kind (be it RNA, or DNA), there is considerable variation in the sizes of these blueprints. One major factor that impacts genome size is whether the organism is prokaryotic or eukaryotic. In prokaryotes, the genome contains little to no non-coding sequence, such that genes are tightly clustered in groups or operons sequentially along the chromosome. Conversely, the genes in eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of non-coding sequence.

Gene Families

Gene Families

Gene families consist of groups of genes proposed to have originated from a common ancestor. Typically these arise through events in which a gene or genes are mistakenly duplicated during cell division. Unlike their parent genes (which are subject to selection pressure to maintain function), these gene copies do not need to preserve their sequences and may evolve at a relatively faster rate.
Occasionally these regions can be adapted to take on new roles within the organism, becoming novel genes...

Multi-species Conserved Sequences

Multi-species Conserved Sequences

Next-generation sequencing technologies have created large genomic databases of a variety of animals and plants. Ever since the human genome project was completed, scientists studied the genome of primates, mammals, and other phylogenetically distant living beings. Such large-scale studies have provided new insights into the evolutionary relationship between organisms.
Although the genome of each species varies greatly from each other, a few sequences are highly conserved. Such conserved DNA...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Pervasive HIV recombination limits the utility of circulating recombinant form nomenclature.

PLoS pathogens·2026

Same author

COVID-19 vaccination induces cross-neutralisation of sarbecoviruses related to SARS-CoV-2.

NPJ vaccines·2026

Same author

Domain-specific mechanisms of YAP1 variants in ocular coloboma revealed by in-vitro and organoid studies.

Biochimica et biophysica acta. Molecular basis of disease·2026

Same author

Structural Constraints Acting on the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Reveal Limited Space for Viral Adaptation.

Genome biology and evolution·2026

Same author

From single-sequences to evolutionary trajectories: protein language models capture the evolutionary potential of SARS-CoV-2.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Changes to virus taxonomy, the international code of virus classification and nomenclature, and the ICTV statutes ratified by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (2025).

Archives of virology·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Detection of Copy Number Alterations Using Single Cell Sequencing

Detection of Copy Number Alterations Using Single Cell Sequencing

Published on: February 17, 2017

All duplicates are not equal: the difference between small-scale and genome duplication.

Luke Hakes¹, John W Pinney, Simon C Lovell

¹Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK. luke.hakes@manchester.ac.uk

|October 6, 2007

Summary

Gene duplication events, whether small-scale or whole-genome, lead to distinct gene retention biases. These differences influence gene function and evolutionary pressures, impacting gene dispensability in yeast.

More Related Videos

G2-seq: A High Throughput Sequencing-based Technique for Identifying Late Replicating Regions of the Genome

G2-seq: A High Throughput Sequencing-based Technique for Identifying Late Replicating Regions of the Genome

Published on: March 22, 2018

Capturing Chromosome Conformation Across Length Scales

Capturing Chromosome Conformation Across Length Scales

Published on: January 20, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Detection of Copy Number Alterations Using Single Cell Sequencing

Detection of Copy Number Alterations Using Single Cell Sequencing

Published on: February 17, 2017

G2-seq: A High Throughput Sequencing-based Technique for Identifying Late Replicating Regions of the Genome

G2-seq: A High Throughput Sequencing-based Technique for Identifying Late Replicating Regions of the Genome

Published on: March 22, 2018

Capturing Chromosome Conformation Across Length Scales

Capturing Chromosome Conformation Across Length Scales

Published on: January 20, 2023

Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Genomics
Yeast genetics

Background:

Gene duplication is a primary driver of genomic evolution.
Comparing gene duplicates from small-scale and whole-genome duplication events in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate quantifiable differences between gene duplicates arising from small-scale and whole-genome duplication.
To determine the underlying mechanisms for observed differences in gene dispensability.

Main Methods:

Comparative analysis of gene duplicates in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Assessment of phenotypic effects upon gene deletion.
Functional divergence analysis of duplicate genes.

Main Results:

Whole-genome duplicates show less pronounced phenotypic effects and functional divergence compared to small-scale duplicates.
Differences in dispensability are specific to gene products within protein complexes.
No evidence suggests functional category association as the cause for dispensability differences.

Conclusions:

Genes from small-scale and whole-genome duplications exhibit quantifiable differences.
These differences stem from biases in gene retention, not functional categories.
Evolutionary pressures following duplication events shape gene dispensability.