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Updated: Jul 7, 2026
08:19
Quantitative Comparison of cis-Regulatory Element (CRE) Activities in Transgenic Drosophila melanogaster
Published on: December 19, 2011
Evolution of protein-coding genes in Drosophila
Amanda M Larracuente1, Timothy B Sackton, Anthony J Greenberg
1Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. aml69@cornell.edu
Trends in Genetics : TIG
|February 6, 2008
Summary
Natural selection drives protein evolution rate variation in Drosophila. Factors like translational selection, gene essentiality, and expression bias significantly influence these evolutionary rates.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Genomics
- Molecular evolution
Background:
- Evolutionary rate heterogeneity among proteins is observed, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood.
- The 12 Drosophila genomes offer a valuable resource for investigating protein evolution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of natural selection in shaping protein evolutionary rates using Drosophila genomic data.
- To differentiate between factors that strengthen purifying selection and those that increase positive selection on proteins.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of the 12 Drosophila genomes.
- Distinguishing between purifying and positive selection pressures.
- Evaluating the impact of various factors on evolutionary rates.
Main Results:
- Translational selection is confirmed as a significant factor in Drosophila protein evolution.
- Tissue bias in expression, gene essentiality, intron number, and recombination rate are identified as contributors to evolutionary rate variation.
Conclusions:
- Natural selection, encompassing both purifying and positive selection, plays a crucial role in protein evolutionary rate heterogeneity.
- Multiple factors interact to shape the diverse evolutionary trajectories of proteins within the Drosophila genus.
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