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Related Concept Videos

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?02:05

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

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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.
In contrast, regions which code...
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Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?02:05

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Eukaryotic Evolution01:24

Eukaryotic Evolution

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The endosymbiont theory is the most widely accepted theory of eukaryotic evolution; however, its progression is still somewhat debated. According to the nucleus-first hypothesis, the ancestral prokaryote first evolved a membrane to enclose DNA and form the nucleus. Conversely, the mitochondria-first hypothesis suggests that the nucleus was formed after endosymbiosis of mitochondria.
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Synteny and Evolution02:31

Synteny and Evolution

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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.
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Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons02:54

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Genome comparison is one of the excellent ways to interpret the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The basic principle of genome comparison is that if two species share a common feature, it is likely encoded by the DNA sequence conserved between both species. The advent of genome sequencing technologies in the late 20th century enabled scientists to understand the concept of conservation of domains between species and helped them to deduce evolutionary relationships across diverse...
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Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes03:21

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

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While every living organism has a genome of some kind (be it RNA, or DNA), there is considerable variation in the sizes of these blueprints. One major factor that impacts genome size is whether the organism is prokaryotic or eukaryotic. In prokaryotes, the genome contains little to no non-coding sequence, such that genes are tightly clustered in groups or operons sequentially along the chromosome. Conversely, the genes in eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of non-coding sequence.
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Human evolution: the non-coding revolution.

Lucía F Franchini1, Katherine S Pollard2,3

  • 1Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular (INGEBI), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.

BMC Biology
|October 4, 2017
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Investigating human evolution requires understanding gene expression changes. This review explores methods to link genetic changes, like human accelerated regions (HARs), to unique human biology.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Genomics
  • Molecular biology

Background:

  • Gene expression changes are crucial for human evolution, but identifying causal mutations is challenging.
  • Comparative genomics has identified human-specific sequences, including human accelerated regions (HARs).
  • Linking these genetic differences to uniquely human traits remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review approaches for connecting genomic changes to uniquely human biology.
  • To discuss molecular-level progress in this field.
  • To outline future prospects for identifying genetic causes of human uniqueness.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative genomics to identify human-specific accelerated regions (HARs).
  • Molecular analyses to understand gene regulation and expression.
  • Review of existing literature on human evolutionary genetics.

Main Results:

  • Identification of human accelerated regions (HARs) and other human-specific sequences.
  • Progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms linking genetic changes to biological differences.
  • Established methodologies for studying the genetic basis of human evolution.

Conclusions:

  • Linking genomic divergence to uniquely human biology is an ongoing challenge.
  • Molecular approaches are advancing our understanding of human evolution.
  • Future research holds promise for uncovering the genetic underpinnings of human uniqueness.