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04:52
Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
Published on: February 3, 2023
A case-by-case evolutionary analysis of four imprinted retrogenes
Ruth B McCole1, Noeleen B Loughran, Mandeep Chahal
1Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, King's College London, London SE1 9RT, United Kingdom. ruth.mccole@genetics.harvard.edu
Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|December 21, 2010
Summary
New genes called retrogenes evolve differently after formation. Some change significantly, while others stay similar to their parent genes, showing diverse evolutionary paths.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Genomics
- Epigenetics
Background:
- Retroposition generates new genes with high similarity to parent genes.
- Parental imprinting is an epigenetic phenomenon affecting some retrogenes.
- The evolutionary trajectories of imprinted retrogenes are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolutionary fate of four specific mouse imprinted retrogenes: Inpp5f_v2, Mcts2, Nap1l5, and U2af1-rs1.
- To determine the age of these retrogene insertions.
- To analyze their evolutionary trajectories, expression patterns, and potential functional impacts.
Main Methods:
- Codon-based models of sequence evolution were employed to analyze evolutionary pressures.
- Expression patterns were examined across multiple tissues.
- Protein 3D structure modeling was used to assess potential conformational changes.
Main Results:
- The four studied retrogenes exhibit diverse evolutionary paths, including positive selection, purifying selection, and neutral evolution.
- Retrogenes display atypical, broad expression patterns across various tissues.
- A positively selected residue in U2af1-rs1 may alter protein conformation compared to its parent gene.
Conclusions:
- Imprinted retrogenes, despite shared regulatory and sequence characteristics, follow highly varied evolutionary trajectories.
- Evolutionary pressures shape retrogene evolution diversely, impacting their functional roles.
- Understanding retrogene evolution provides insights into genome dynamics and gene innovation.
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