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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.

Polytene Chromosomes

Polytene Chromosomes

Polytene chromosomes are giant interphase chromosomes with several DNA strands placed side by side. They were discovered in the year 1881 by Balbiani in salivary glands, intestine, muscles, malpighian tubules, and hypoderm of larvae Chironomus plumosus. Hence, these are also called "Salivary gland chromosomes." These are found in insects of the order Diptera and Collembola; in certain organs of mammals; and synergids, antipodes of flowering plants. Polytene chromosomes are also regularly...

Polytene Chromosomes

Polytene Chromosomes

Polytene chromosomes are giant interphase chromosomes with several DNA strands placed side by side. They were discovered in the year 1881 by Balbiani in salivary glands, intestine, muscles, malpighian tubules, and hypoderm of larvae Chironomus plumosus. Hence, these are also called "Salivary gland chromosomes." These are found in insects of the order Diptera and Collembola; in certain organs of mammals; and synergids, antipodes of flowering plants. Polytene chromosomes are also regularly...

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...

Law of Segregation

Law of Segregation

When crossing pea plants, Mendel noticed that one of the parental traits would sometimes disappear in the first generation of offspring, called the F1 generation, and could reappear in the next generation (F2). He concluded that one of the traits must be dominant over the other, thereby causing masking of one trait in the F1 generation. When he crossed the F1 plants, he found that 75% of the offspring in the F2 generation had the dominant phenotype, while 25% had the recessive phenotype.

Hardy-Weinberg Principle

Hardy-Weinberg Principle

Diploid organisms have two alleles of each gene, one from each parent, in their somatic cells. Therefore, each individual contributes two alleles to the gene pool of the population. The gene pool of a population is the sum of every allele of all genes within that population and has some degree of variation. Genetic variation is typically expressed as a relative frequency, which is the percentage of the total population that has a given allele, genotype or phenotype.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 26, 2026

Manipulation of Ploidy in Caenorhabditis elegans

Manipulation of Ploidy in Caenorhabditis elegans

Published on: March 15, 2018

The odds of duplicate gene persistence after polyploidization.

Frédéric J J Chain¹, Jonathan Dushoff, Ben J Evans

¹Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada. chain@evolbio.mpg.de

|December 14, 2011

Summary

Gene duplication persistence in Xenopus laevis is predicted by gene expression levels and evenness in Silurana tropicalis. These factors, along with slower protein evolution, influence duplicate gene longevity after whole genome duplication.

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Area of Science:

Genomics
Evolutionary Biology
Molecular Biology

Background:

Gene duplication drives evolutionary innovation, leading to genomic redundancy, specialization, and speciation.
Following duplication, gene copies persist if natural selection favors their function or if they diverge before silencing.

Purpose of the Study:

To quantify how genetic parameters in Silurana tropicalis influence the persistence of duplicate genes in Xenopus laevis.
To identify key predictors of duplicate gene longevity after whole genome duplication.

Main Methods:

Analyzed genetic and expression data from Silurana tropicalis orthologs of Xenopus laevis paralogs and singletons.
Utilized public databases and 454 pyrosequencing for comprehensive data acquisition.
Employed logistic regression to determine significant predictors of duplicate gene persistence.

Main Results:

Total gene expression level and evenness of expression across tissues/development in S. tropicalis are the most critical predictors of duplicate gene persistence in X. laevis.
Slower protein evolution and higher information density (fewer exons, shorter introns) in S. tropicalis also correlate positively with duplicate gene persistence.

Conclusions:

Duplicate gene persistence after whole genome duplication is influenced by multiple factors, with pre-duplication expression level and evenness being most crucial.
These expression parameters may serve as reliable predictors for duplicate gene longevity in other species undergoing whole genome duplication.