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Divergent subgenome evolution after allopolyploidization in African clawed frogs (Xenopus)
Benjamin L S Furman1, Utkarsh J Dang2, Ben J Evans1
1Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Journal of Evolutionary Biology
|October 21, 2018
Summary
Whole genome duplication (WGD) in frogs led to gene redundancy and innovation. Gene loss rates were higher in one subgenome, with relaxed selection influencing evolutionary trajectories.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Genomics
- Molecular evolution
Background:
- Whole genome duplication (WGD) creates genetic redundancy, driving biological innovation.
- Allopolyploidization, a mode of WGD, results in descendant species with subgenomes from two ancestral species.
- Gene duplication evolutionary trajectories are shaped by natural selection and gene silencing (pseudogenization).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the interplay of natural selection and gene loss over time in allopolyploid genomes.
- To compare evolutionary dynamics between subgenomes within allotetraploid species.
- To understand the forces shaping allopolyploid genomes in vertebrates.
Main Methods:
- Comparative genomic analysis of several allotetraploid clawed frog (Xenopus) species.
- Analysis of gene duplication, purifying selection, and gene loss rates.
- Comparison with a diploid outgroup to assess evolutionary changes post-WGD.
Main Results:
- Purifying selection was relaxed in polyploid genomes compared to diploid outgroups.
- Selection pressure was asymmetric between the two subgenomes within polyploids.
- The subgenome with relaxed purifying selection exhibited shorter coding regions and a higher rate of gene loss.
- Gene loss rates remained consistent over time after WGD.
Conclusions:
- Relaxed and asymmetric purifying selection significantly influences gene evolution and loss in allopolyploid genomes.
- Gene loss is a prominent feature in subgenomes experiencing weaker selection after WGD.
- These findings offer insights into the long-term evolutionary consequences of WGD in vertebrates and potentially other life forms.
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