Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

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.

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

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...

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?

Seedless Vascular Plants

Seedless Vascular Plants

Seedless Vascular Plants Were the First Tall Plants on Earth

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Diploids Derived from Polyploids: Genetic Characteristics of Four Novel Interspecific Sorghum Populations.

G3 (Bethesda, Md.)·2026

Same author

Insights Into the Origin and Local Adaptation Evolution of the Cultivated Sesame With Telomere-to-Telomere High-Quality Genome.

Plant biotechnology journal·2026

Same author

Insights into the genetic basis of natural selection and domestication from Sorghum.

Scientific reports·2026

Same author

Genetic dissection of plant architecture, development, and seed morphology in exotic × elite Upland cotton populations.

The plant genome·2026

Same author

Addendum: Detection of colinear blocks and synteny and evolutionary analyses based on utilization of MCScanX.

Nature protocols·2026

Same author

Genome stabilization in the neotetraploid wasabi (Eutrema japonicum): subgenome dominance and extensive chromosomal rearrangements.

BMC plant biology·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 28, 2026

Geomagnetic Field Gmf and Plant Evolution: Investigating the Effects of Gmf Reversal on Arabidopsis thaliana Development and Gene Expression

Geomagnetic Field Gmf and Plant Evolution: Investigating the Effects of Gmf Reversal on Arabidopsis thaliana Development and Gene Expression

Published on: November 30, 2015

Gene duplication and evolution in recurring polyploidization-diploidization cycles in plants.

Xin Qiao¹, Qionghou Li¹, Hao Yin¹

¹Centre of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.

|February 23, 2019

Summary

Gene duplication drives plant evolution and biodiversity. Tandem and proximal duplications are crucial for adaptation, while whole-genome duplications decrease over time, offering insights into plant evolution.

Keywords:

Evolution Gene conversion Gene duplication Plant Polyploidization

More Related Videos

Making Gynogenetic Diploid Zebrafish by Early Pressure

Making Gynogenetic Diploid Zebrafish by Early Pressure

Published on: June 30, 2009

A Drosophila Model to Study Wound-induced Polyploidization

A Drosophila Model to Study Wound-induced Polyploidization

Published on: June 9, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 28, 2026

Geomagnetic Field Gmf and Plant Evolution: Investigating the Effects of Gmf Reversal on Arabidopsis thaliana Development and Gene Expression

Geomagnetic Field Gmf and Plant Evolution: Investigating the Effects of Gmf Reversal on Arabidopsis thaliana Development and Gene Expression

Published on: November 30, 2015

Making Gynogenetic Diploid Zebrafish by Early Pressure

Making Gynogenetic Diploid Zebrafish by Early Pressure

Published on: June 30, 2009

A Drosophila Model to Study Wound-induced Polyploidization

A Drosophila Model to Study Wound-induced Polyploidization

Published on: June 9, 2020

Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Genomics
Plant Science

Background:

Increasing plant genome and transcriptome data offer resources for studying gene duplication.
Gene duplication is a key evolutionary process shaping biodiversity in plants.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the evolutionary consequences of various gene duplication modes in plants.
To understand the principles of duplicate gene retention across plant taxa.

Main Methods:

Surveyed 141 sequenced plant genomes.
Developed the DupGen_finder pipeline to identify different gene duplication modes.
Analyzed abundance, selection pressure, expression divergence, and gene conversion rates.

Main Results:

Identified distinct patterns for whole-genome, tandem, proximal, transposed, and dispersed duplications.
Tandem and proximal duplications are continuously supplied and under stronger selection, favoring self-defense roles.
Gene conversion rates for whole-genome duplications decrease over time.

Conclusions:

Established a comprehensive landscape of plant gene duplication modes.
Provides a foundation for studying the dynamic evolution of duplicate genes.
Created the Plant Duplicate Gene Database for accessing duplicated gene pairs.