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Pleiotropy01:33

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Pleiotropy is the phenomenon in which a single gene impacts multiple, seemingly unrelated phenotypic traits. For example, defects in the SOX10 gene cause Waardenburg Syndrome Type 4, or WS4, which can cause defects in pigmentation, hearing impairments, and an absence of intestinal contractions necessary for elimination. This diversity of phenotypes results from the expression pattern of SOX10 in early embryonic and fetal development. SOX10 is found in neural crest cells that form melanocytes,...
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Nondisjunction is the failure of homologous chromosomes or sister chromatids to separate correctly and move to the opposite poles of the cells. This produces daughter cells with abnormal chromosome numbers.  Nondisjunction is common during anaphase I or anaphase II of meiosis.  Mutations in synaptonemal complex proteins that attach homologous chromosomes increase the chances of nondisjunction in anaphase I of meiosis I. In contrast, mutations in topoisomerases and condensins that hold...
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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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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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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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Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model System to Study Protein Homeostasis in a Multicellular Organism
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Pleiotropy increases with gene age in six model multicellular eukaryotes.

Reese Martin1,2, Ann T Tate1,2

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States.

Evolution Letters
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PubMed
Summary

Gene age influences pleiotropy, where one gene affects multiple traits. Middle-aged and ancient genes show higher pleiotropy than young genes across species, suggesting a fundamental link between gene age and function.

Keywords:
comparative genomicsevolutionary genomicsgene duplicationgenetic pleiotropy

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary genetics
  • Genomics
  • Molecular biology

Background:

  • Gene traits like function, length, and GC content vary with gene age.
  • Pleiotropy, a single gene affecting multiple traits, is shaped by selection and subfunctionalization.
  • The evolutionary dynamics of pleiotropy prevalence over gene age remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between gene age and the prevalence of pleiotropy.
  • To test the hypothesis that pleiotropy peaks in middle-aged genes.
  • To determine if this relationship is conserved across different eukaryotic species.

Main Methods:

  • Calculated gene age using orthologs from the Open Tree of Life and Orthologous Matrix Database.
  • Assessed pleiotropic status via protein-protein interactions (STRINGdb) and Gene Ontology (GO) biological processes.
  • Analyzed data from model eukaryotes: Homo sapiens, Mus musculus, Danio rerio, Drosophila melanogaster, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Arabidopsis thaliana.

Main Results:

  • Middle-aged and ancient genes exhibit significantly higher pleiotropy compared to young genes.
  • This age-dependent pleiotropy pattern was consistent across all studied species.
  • Pleiotropy levels varied based on gene functional class when analyzing biological process counts.

Conclusions:

  • A fundamental relationship exists between gene age and pleiotropy.
  • The findings suggest evolutionary forces shape pleiotropy prevalence over a gene's lifespan.
  • Further research into this relationship could illuminate mechanisms of gene functional evolution.