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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 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.

Synteny and Evolution

Synteny and Evolution

John H. Renwick first coined the term “synteny” in 1971, which refers to the genes present on the same chromosomes, even if they are not genetically linked. The species with common ancestry tend to show conserved syntenic regions. Therefore, the concept of synteny is nowadays used to describe the evolutionary relationship between species.
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral chromosome underwent...

Convergent Evolution

Convergent Evolution

Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.

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...

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: May 14, 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

Accelerated exon evolution within primate segmental duplications.

Belen Lorente-Galdos, Jonathan Bleyhl, Gabriel Santpere

|January 31, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Segmental duplications, often overlooked, show rapid evolution in humans and Old World monkeys. This suggests these complex genomic regions evolve faster than previously believed.

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Identification of Alternative Splicing and Polyadenylation in RNA-seq Data

Identification of Alternative Splicing and Polyadenylation in RNA-seq Data

Published on: June 24, 2021

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Last Updated: May 14, 2026

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

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Identification of Alternative Splicing and Polyadenylation in RNA-seq Data

Identification of Alternative Splicing and Polyadenylation in RNA-seq Data

Published on: June 24, 2021

Area of Science:

Genomics
Evolutionary Biology
Molecular Biology

Background:

Natural selection signatures help understand species uniqueness.
Genes in segmental duplications are often missed in selection studies due to assembly limitations and gene tree difficulties.

Purpose of the Study:

To identify signatures of natural selection in human and macaque genomes, particularly within segmental duplications.
To investigate the rate of evolution in coding sequences within these complex genomic regions.

Main Methods:

Detected nucleotide differences in coding exons compared to human genome assembly and sequencing reads.
Employed a likelihood-ratio test to compare nucleotide difference rates between coding exons and intronic sequences.
Identified exons showing rapid coding sequence evolution.

Main Results:

Identified 74 exons with evidence of rapid evolution in humans and Old World monkeys.
Found that 55% of these rapidly evolving exons were duplicated, a significant enrichment compared to the overall duplication rate.
Demonstrated a higher prevalence of rapid evolution in duplicated genes than previously assumed.

Conclusions:

Provides a more complete understanding of natural selection acting on segmental duplications.
Suggests that segmental duplications may undergo rapid evolution more often than previously thought.