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Updated: May 14, 2026
08:57
Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin
Published on: August 14, 2018
Quantification and functional analysis of modular protein evolution in a dense phylogenetic tree.
Andrew D Moore1, Sonja Grath, Andreas Schüler
1Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, Münster, Germany.
Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta
|February 5, 2013
Summary
Protein domain rearrangements drive molecular evolution, creating new functions. New arrangements arise frequently, often through simple events, impacting cellular signaling and adaptation.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Molecular evolution
- Protein domain evolution
Background:
- Modularity is crucial for molecular evolution, enabling reuse of components like gene regulatory elements and protein domains.
- Protein domain rearrangements are key mechanisms for generating functional diversity and facilitating rapid evolutionary adaptation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the patterns and functional consequences of protein domain rearrangements at high resolution.
- To quantify the frequency and evolutionary rates of domain rearrangement events (fusion, fission, addition, loss) in pancrustaceans.
- To investigate the impact of these rearrangements on cellular signaling and adaptive potential.
Main Methods:
- High-resolution analysis of protein domain arrangements in a diverse pancrustacean dataset.
- Estimation of branch-specific rates for domain fusion, fission, domain addition, and terminal loss.
- Characterization of novel domain arrangements, including repeat domain patterns ('supra-repeats').
Main Results:
- Approximately 16 new domain arrangements emerge per million years in pancrustaceans.
- 64-81% of new arrangements result from simple, single-step modular rearrangement events.
- Frequencies of fission and terminal deletion events increase over evolutionary time.
- Modular rearrangements significantly impact cellular signaling pathways, suggesting strong adaptive potential.
- Complex 'supra-repeat' structures in novel arrangements indicate potential multi-step evolutionary events.
Conclusions:
- Protein domain rearrangement is a dynamic and significant driver of molecular evolution.
- Simple rearrangement events are common, but complex patterns also contribute to evolutionary innovation.
- These evolutionary dynamics provide insights into protein plasticity and adaptation.
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