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Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
Published on: February 3, 2023
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Multiple intermolecular interactions facilitate rapid evolution of essential genes.
Huei-Yi Lai1, Yen-Hsin Yu1, Yu-Ting Jhou1
1Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
Nature Ecology & Evolution
|March 30, 2023
Summary
Essential genes, crucial for basic cell functions, can evolve rapidly, especially within large protein complexes. This rapid evolution is driven by co-evolutionary processes, influenced by interactions with other proteins.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Essential genes are typically considered highly conserved due to their fundamental cellular roles.
- The evolutionary rates and conservation patterns of essential genes across different species are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether all essential genes evolve at similar rates.
- To identify factors that may accelerate the evolution of essential genes.
Main Methods:
- Replaced 86 essential genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae with orthologs from species diverging at different evolutionary distances (50, 100, 270, and 420 million years ago).
- Analyzed the evolutionary rates of these replaced genes.
- Investigated the functional and physical interactions of fast-evolving genes, focusing on the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C).
Main Results:
- Identified a subset of essential genes that evolve rapidly, often encoding subunits of large protein complexes like the APC/C.
- Demonstrated that the incompatibility of fast-evolving genes can be resolved by co-replacing interacting protein components, indicating co-evolution.
- Showed that co-evolution extends beyond direct interactors to secondary proteins, highlighting the role of epistasis.
Conclusions:
- Rapid evolution of essential genes is possible and is associated with participation in large protein complexes.
- Protein co-evolution, influenced by epistasis and intermolecular interactions within complexes, drives accelerated evolution of essential gene subunits.
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