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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.

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...

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.

Exon Recombination

Exon Recombination

The evolution of new genes is critical for speciation. Exon recombination, also known as exon shuffling or domain shuffling, is an important means of new gene formation. It is observed across vertebrates, invertebrates, and in some plants such as potatoes and sunflowers. During exon recombination, exons from the same or different genes recombine and produce new exon-intron combinations, which might evolve into new genes.
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon has three reading...

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

The genomes of eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of sequence which do not code for proteins or RNAs. Although some of these regions do contain crucial regulatory sequences, the vast majority of this DNA serves no known function. Typically, these regions of the genome are the ones in which the fastest change, in evolutionary terms, is observed, because there is typically little to no selection pressure acting on these regions to preserve their sequences.
In contrast, regions which code...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

Gene duplications, robustness and evolutionary innovations.

Andreas Wagner¹

¹University of Zurich, Department of Biochemistry, Bldg Y27, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland. aw@bioc.uzh.ch

Bioessays : News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology

|March 19, 2008

Summary

Gene duplications enhance mutational robustness, driving evolutionary innovations. This mechanism, seen in vertebrate radiation and plant evolution, highlights how genetic changes foster major evolutionary leaps.

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Genetics
Developmental biology

Background:

Mutational robustness is crucial for evolutionary innovation.
Gene duplications are a specific type of mutation that often increases robustness.
Regulatory networks frequently involve gene duplications and are linked to evolutionary novelty.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the role of gene duplications in facilitating evolutionary innovations.
To illustrate the general mechanism linking robustness to innovation via gene duplication.
To provide examples of this mechanism across different evolutionary scales.

Main Methods:

Review and synthesis of existing literature on gene duplication and evolutionary innovation.
Analysis of case studies from major evolutionary events.
Comparative genomics and evolutionary developmental biology approaches.

Main Results:

Gene duplications consistently increase mutational robustness.
This increased robustness provides a substrate for evolutionary innovation.
Examples from vertebrate radiation, flowering plant evolution, and heart development demonstrate this principle.

Conclusions:

Gene duplication is a powerful engine for evolutionary innovation.
The mechanism of increased robustness via gene duplication is a fundamental driver of evolutionary change.
This principle applies across diverse taxa and evolutionary timescales.