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Related Concept Videos

Epistasis01:39

Epistasis

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In addition to multiple alleles at the same locus influencing traits, numerous genes or alleles at different locations may interact and influence phenotypes in a phenomenon called epistasis. For example, rabbit fur can be black or brown depending on whether the animal is homozygous dominant or heterozygous at a TYRP1 locus. However, if the rabbit is also homozygous recessive at a locus on the tyrosinase gene (TYR), it will have an unshaded coat that appears white, regardless of its TYRP1...
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Epistasis Analysis01:09

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Although Mendel chose seven unrelated traits in peas to study gene segregation, most traits involve multiple gene interactions that create a spectrum of phenotypes. When the interaction of various genes or alleles at different locations influences a phenotype, this is called epistasis. Epistasis often involves one gene masking or interfering with the expression of another (antagonistic epistasis). Epistasis often occurs when different genes are part of the same biochemical pathway. The...
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Gene Duplication and Divergence02:37

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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.
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From DNA to Protein03:06

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The flow of genetic information in cells from DNA to mRNA to protein is described by the central dogma, which states that genes specify the sequence of mRNAs, which in turn specify the sequence of amino acids making up all proteins. The decoding of one molecule to another is performed by specific proteins and RNAs. Because the information stored in DNA is so central to cellular function, it makes intuitive sense that the cell would make mRNA copies of this information for protein synthesis...
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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. 
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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.
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Optimization of Synthetic Proteins: Identification of Interpositional Dependencies Indicating Structurally and/or Functionally Linked Residues
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Epistasis in protein evolution.

Tyler N Starr1, Joseph W Thornton2

  • 1Graduate Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 60637.

Protein Science : a Publication of the Protein Society
|February 3, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Epistasis, or interactions between mutations, profoundly shapes protein evolution. Specific epistasis, driven by direct physical links, strongly influences evolutionary paths and outcomes more than nonspecific epistasis.

Keywords:
ancestral sequence reconstructiondeep mutational scanningepistasisevolutionary biochemistryprotein evolutionsequence spacesequence-function relationship

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Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Protein structure, function, and evolution are governed by interactions between amino acids.
  • Epistasis, the interaction between mutations, plays a critical role in these processes.
  • Recent research explores the prevalence, mechanisms, and evolutionary significance of epistasis within proteins.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the emerging understanding of pervasive epistasis in protein evolution.
  • To differentiate and explain two broad classes of epistatic interactions.
  • To elucidate the distinct effects of these epistasis classes on evolutionary trajectories and outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Review and synthesis of recent studies on protein epistasis.
  • Classification of epistatic interactions into specific and nonspecific types.
  • Analysis of the physical and biological mechanisms underlying each epistasis class.

Main Results:

  • Epistasis is pervasive, with mutation effects changing lineage-specifically over evolutionary time.
  • Two classes identified: specific epistasis (mutation affects few others via direct/indirect physical interactions) and nonspecific epistasis (mutation affects many, often via nonlinear property-fitness relationships).
  • Specific epistasis exerts stronger control over evolutionary rates and outcomes, imposing constraints and modulating potential.

Conclusions:

  • Epistasis significantly restricts or enables evolutionary pathways for proteins.
  • Specific epistasis has a more pronounced impact on protein evolution, increasing contingency on historical events.
  • Both epistasis types leave substantial imprints on protein sequences, structures, and functions.