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Quantitative Analysis of Protein Expression to Study Lineage Specification in Mouse Preimplantation Embryos
Published on: February 22, 2016
Divergence of imprinted genes during mammalian evolution
Barbara Hutter1, Matthias Bieg, Volkhard Helms
1Lehrstuhl für Computational Biology, Universität des Saarlandes, D-66041 Saarbrücken, Germany.
BMC Evolutionary Biology
|May 1, 2010
Summary
Imprinted genes show unique evolutionary paths. Maternally expressed genes diverge more in mammals, while paternally expressed genes are conserved, suggesting varied evolutionary pressures and selection.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Genomics
- Molecular genetics
Background:
- Imprinted genes exhibit monoallelic expression based on parental origin, differing from most mammalian genes.
- Unique inheritance patterns suggest imprinted genes may face distinct evolutionary pressures.
- Understanding the evolutionary history of imprinted genes is crucial for deciphering their functional roles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolutionary conservation of imprinted genes across vertebrate genomes.
- To assess the impact of natural selection on imprinted genes.
- To compare the evolutionary trajectories of maternally and paternally expressed imprinted genes.
Main Methods:
- Genome-wide comparative analysis of imprinted gene orthologs in vertebrate genomes.
- Assessment of evolutionary divergence at cDNA and protein levels.
- Investigation of conservation patterns in relation to gene imprinting status and parental origin.
Main Results:
- Orthologs of imprinted genes display significant divergence in mammals, particularly maternally expressed genes in rodents.
- Paternally expressed genes in rodents (mouse and rat) show strong conservation.
- Early imprinted gene divergence was paralleled by strict conservation of their paralogs.
Conclusions:
- Maternally expressed genes may experience relaxed selection due to balancing maternal and embryonic fitness.
- Conserved paralogs might provide functional redundancy, enabling imprinted gene divergence.
- Intensified imprinting in modern rodents correlates with strong purifying selection on imprinted genes.
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