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Related Concept Videos

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?02:05

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...
Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?02:05

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...
Gene Families01:57

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...
Gene Families01:57

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...
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons02:54

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

Genome comparison is one of the excellent ways to interpret the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The basic principle of genome comparison is that if two species share a common feature, it is likely encoded by the DNA sequence conserved between both species. The advent of genome sequencing technologies in the late 20th century enabled scientists to understand the concept of conservation of domains between species and helped them to deduce evolutionary relationships across diverse...
Gene Duplication and Divergence02:37

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.

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Updated: Jun 23, 2026

A Bioinformatics Pipeline for Investigating Molecular Evolution and Gene Expression using RNA-seq
07:09

A Bioinformatics Pipeline for Investigating Molecular Evolution and Gene Expression using RNA-seq

Published on: May 28, 2021

Characterizing gene family evolution.

David A Liberles1, Katharina Dittmar

  • 1Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, UMDNJ. liberles@uwyo.edu

Biological Procedures Online
|May 23, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Gene family analysis in genomics and systematics faces challenges due to varied methods and assumptions. This study critiques traditional concepts and proposes an improved strategy for characterizing gene family evolution.

Keywords:
evolution, moleculargenomicsphylogenysequence homology

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Last Updated: Jun 23, 2026

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Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin
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Area of Science:

  • Comparative genomics
  • Molecular evolution
  • Systematics
  • Functional genomics

Background:

  • Gene families are crucial for comparative genomics, molecular evolution, and systematics.
  • Inconsistent methodologies and assumptions in gene family construction and analysis lead to divergent conclusions.
  • Traditional systematic concepts like monophyly and homology/homoplasy are often misapplied to gene families.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critique the application of traditional systematic concepts (monophyly, homology) to gene families.
  • To contrast formal systematic definitions with operational definitions from functional genomics.
  • To propose an idealized, improved strategy for characterizing gene family evolution for both systematic and functional applications.

Main Methods:

  • Critical analysis of traditional concepts in gene family studies.
  • Comparison of systematic and functional genomics definitions.
  • Review of methodological improvements in sequence evolution analysis.

Main Results:

  • Traditional concepts like monophyly and homology can lead to incorrect inferences when applied to gene families.
  • Divergence exists between formal systematic definitions and operational functional genomics definitions.
  • The utility of hierarchical homology and homology at the character state level is questioned in sequence evolution.

Conclusions:

  • Re-evaluation of traditional concepts is necessary for accurate gene family analysis.
  • A unified strategy is needed to reconcile systematic and functional genomics approaches.
  • Proposed idealized strategy offers a path forward for robust gene family evolution characterization.