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Related Concept Videos

Gene Duplication and Divergence02:37

Gene Duplication and Divergence

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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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Humans have been attempting to properly classify living things since Aristotle made the first attempt during the 4th century BC. Aristotle’s system was improved upon during the Renaissance and then, subsequently, by Carolus Linnaeus in the mid 1700’s. These more formal classification and organization systems grouped species by their physical similarity to one another. For example, all vertebrates have a backbone, but invertebrates do not. Traits like the backbone are called...
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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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The primary microtubule organizing center (MTOC) in animal cells is the centrosome. A centrosome has two cylindrical centrioles at its core. Each centriole consists of nine sets of three microtubules held together by proteins. The centrioles are positioned at right angles to each other and surrounded by a shapeless protein cloud called the pericentriolar matrix, or pericentriolar material (PCM).
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 20, 2026

Gene Duplication and Divergence: Paralogs & Pseudogenes
02:37

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ATG gene duplication in vertebrates: evolutionary divergence and its functional implications.

Sidi Zhang1, Ikuko Koyama-Honda1, Daiki Hiratsuka1

  • 1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.

Autophagy
|January 19, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Most autophagy-related (ATG) genes in vertebrates arose from whole-genome duplication events. Gene duplication led to varied evolutionary paths, with some paralogs retaining ancestral functions while others evolved new roles or shared dosage.

Keywords:
ATG genesevolutionary fatefunctional differencegene duplicationohnologvertebrates

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Last Updated: Jan 20, 2026

Gene Duplication and Divergence: Paralogs & Pseudogenes
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Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Macroautophagy (autophagy) relies on ~20 autophagy-related (ATG) genes.
  • Gene duplication in ATG genes significantly impacts autophagy pathway evolution, particularly in vertebrates.
  • The precise timing and functional divergence of vertebrate ATG gene duplications remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the duplication timing of ATG genes near the vertebrate root.
  • To analyze the evolutionary divergence patterns and functional differences between ATG paralogs.
  • To establish a timeline for functional differentiation of duplicated ATG genes.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of sequence and gene expression divergence between ATG paralogs.
  • Categorization of evolutionary fates (e.g., functional retention, neofunctionalization, subfunctionalization).
  • Assessment of autophagic function for specific paralogs (e.g., ULK1/2, BECN1/2).

Main Results:

  • Most ATG genes likely duplicated via whole-genome duplication events near the vertebrate root.
  • Asymmetric evolution observed in BECN, WIPI, and ATG16 paralogs, with one retaining ancestral function.
  • ULK-1, GABARAP, and LC3 paralogs show patterns consistent with dosage sharing or hypofunctionalization.
  • ATG9B underwent significant sequence divergence and expression reduction in mammals.
  • Only BECN1, not BECN2, retains autophagic function; both ULK1 and ULK2 support autophagy.

Conclusions:

  • Vertebrate ATG gene duplication occurred primarily through ancient whole-genome duplications.
  • Paralogs exhibit diverse evolutionary trajectories, impacting autophagy pathway function.
  • Functional divergence and evolutionary fates provide insights into the adaptation of autophagy across vertebrates.