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Recent amplification of the human FRG1 gene during primate evolution
P K Grewal1, M van Geel, R R Frants
1School of Biological Sciences, The University of Manchester, 3.239 Stopford Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK.
Gene
|February 5, 1999
Summary
The FSHD Region Candidate Gene 1 (FRG1) amplified in great apes, not Old World monkeys. This gene amplification likely occurred after the divergence from Macaca mulatta, over 33 million years ago.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Primate Evolution
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- The FSHD Region Candidate Gene 1 (FRG1) exists in multiple copies in humans, with many non-processed pseudogenes.
- Understanding the evolutionary history of FRG1 gene amplification is crucial for deciphering its role and potential impact.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolutionary timeline of FRG1 gene amplification.
- To identify the presence and distribution of FRG1 sequences across different primate species.
Main Methods:
- Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-based approach.
- Analysis of FRG1 sequences in great apes (chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan) and an Old World monkey (Macaca mulatta).
Main Results:
- Multiple FRG1 copies were found in humans and great apes, but only two loci in Macaca mulatta.
- The distribution pattern of FRG1 mirrors that of the dispersed 3.3-kb repeat family, including D4Z4, near 4q subtelomere.
- An ancestral duplication of distal 4q, including FRG1, is present in Macaca mulatta, predating hominoid divergence.
Conclusions:
- FRG1 amplification and dispersion occurred in the great ape lineage after divergence from Macaca mulatta (at least 33 million years ago).
- These events likely involved further amplification and localization of FRG1 copies and 3.3-kb repeats within heterochromatic regions.