HOW MANY PROCESSED PSEUDOGENES ARE ACCUMULATED IN A GENE FAMILY?

Genetics ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 110 (2) ◽  
pp. 345-364
Author(s):  
James Bruce Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Transposable Elements ◽  
Gene Family ◽  
Gene Families ◽  
Direct Selection ◽  
Functional Genes ◽  
Nucleotide Mutation ◽  
Simple Kinetic Model ◽  
Processed Pseudogenes ◽  
Selective Forces ◽  
Per Gene

ABSTRACT A simple kinetic model is developed that describes the accumulation of processed pseudogenes in a functional gene family. Insertion of new pseudogenes occurs at rate ν per gene and is countered by spontaneous deletion (at rate δ per DNA segment) of segments containing processed pseudogenes. If there are k functional genes in a gene family, the equilibrium number of processed pseudogenes is k(ν/δ), and the percentage of functional genes in the gene family at equilibrium is 1/[1 + (ν/δ)]. ν/δ values estimated for five gene families ranged from 1.7 to 15. This fairly narrow range suggests that the rates of formation and deletion of processed pseudogenes may be positively correlated for these families. If δ is sufficiently large relative to the per nucleotide mutation rate μ (δ > 20μ), processed pseudogenes will show high homology with each other, even in the absence of gene conversion between pseudogenes. We argue that formation of processed pseudogenes may share common pathways with transposable elements and retroviruses, creating the potential for correlated responses in the evolution of processed pseudogenes due to direct selection for control of transposable elements and/or retroviruses. Finally, we discuss the nature of the selective forces that may act directly or indirectly to influence the evolution of processed pseudogenes.

scholarly journals Isolation and Characterization Of Rice R Genes: Evidence for Distinct Evolutionary Paths in Rice and Maize

Genetics ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 142 (3) ◽  
pp. 1021-1031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianping Hu ◽  
Beth Anderson ◽  
Susan R Wessler
Keyword(s):  
Gene Family ◽  
Gene Families ◽  
Chromosome 1 ◽  
R Gene ◽  
R Genes ◽  
Helix Loop Helix ◽  
Isolation And Characterization ◽  
Undetermined Function ◽  
Evolutionary Paths

Abstract R and B genes and their homologues encode basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcriptional activators that regulate the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway in flowering plants. In maize, R/B genes comprise a very small gene family whose organization reflects the unique evolutionary history and genome architecture of maize. To know whether the organization of the R gene family could provide information about the origins of the distantly related grass rice, we characterized members of the R gene family from rice Oryza sativa. Despite being a true diploid, O. sativa has at least two R genes. An active homologue (Ra) with extensive homology with other R genes is located at a position on chromosome 4 previously shown to be in synteny with regions of maize chromosomes 2 and 10 that contain the B and R loci, respectively. A second rice R gene (Rb) of undetermined function was identified on chromosome 1 and found to be present only in rice species with AA genomes. All non-AA species have but one R gene that is Ra-like. These data suggest that the common ancestor shared by maize and rice had a single R gene and that the small R gene families of grasses have arisen recently and independently.

scholarly journals Expression of a gene duplication encoding conserved sperm tail proteins is translationally regulated in Drosophila melanogaster.

1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1708-1718 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Schäfer ◽  
D Börsch ◽  
A Hülster ◽  
U Schäfer
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Gene Family ◽  
Translational Control ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Gene Families ◽  
Homologous Gene ◽  
Male Sterile ◽  
Sperm Tail ◽  
Repetitive Motif ◽  
Carboxy Terminal

We have analyzed a locus of Drosophila melanogaster located at 98C on chromosome 3, which contains two tandemly arranged genes, named Mst98Ca and Mst98Cb. They are two additional members of the Mst(3)CGP gene family by three criteria. (i) Both genes are exclusively transcribed in the male germ line. (ii) Both transcripts encode a protein with a high proportion of the repetitive motif Cys-Gly-Pro. (iii) Their expression is translationally controlled; while transcripts can be detected in diploid stages of spermatogenesis, association with polysomes can be shown only in haploid stages of sperm development. The genes differ markedly from the other members of the gene family in structure; they do not contain introns, they are of much larger size, and they have the Cys-Gly-Pro motifs clustered at the carboxy-terminal end of the encoded proteins. An antibody generated against the Mst98Ca protein recognizes both Mst98C proteins in D. melanogaster. In a male-sterile mutation in which spermiogenesis is blocked before individualization of sperm, both of these proteins are no longer synthesized. This finding provides proof of late translation for the Mst98C proteins and thereby independent proof of translational control of expression. Northern (RNA) and Western immunoblot analyses indicate the presence of homologous gene families in many other Drosophila species. The Mst98C proteins share sequence homology with proteins of the outer dense fibers in mammalian spermatozoa and can be localized to the sperm tail by immunofluorescence with an anti-Mst98Ca antibody.

scholarly journals Genome-wide search and structural and functional analyses for late embryogenesis-abundant (LEA) gene family in poplar

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zihan Cheng ◽  
Xuemei Zhang ◽  
Wenjing Yao ◽  
Kai Zhao ◽  
Lin Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Family ◽  
Higher Plants ◽  
Abiotic Stress Tolerance ◽  
Gene Families ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Late Embryogenesis Abundant ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Lea Gene ◽  
Late Embryogenesis ◽  
Genome Wide Search

Abstract Background The Late Embryogenesis-Abundant (LEA) gene families, which play significant roles in regulation of tolerance to abiotic stresses, widely exist in higher plants. Poplar is a tree species that has important ecological and economic values. But systematic studies on the gene family have not been reported yet in poplar. Results On the basis of genome-wide search, we identified 88 LEA genes from Populus trichocarpa and renamed them as PtrLEA. The PtrLEA genes have fewer introns, and their promoters contain more cis-regulatory elements related to abiotic stress tolerance. Our results from comparative genomics indicated that the PtrLEA genes are conserved and homologous to related genes in other species, such as Eucalyptus robusta, Solanum lycopersicum and Arabidopsis. Using RNA-Seq data collected from poplar under two conditions (with and without salt treatment), we detected 24, 22 and 19 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in roots, stems and leaves, respectively. Then we performed spatiotemporal expression analysis of the four up-regulated DEGs shared by the tissues, constructed gene co-expression-based networks, and investigated gene function annotations. Conclusion Lines of evidence indicated that the PtrLEA genes play significant roles in poplar growth and development, as well as in responses to salt stress.

scholarly journals Shoot Regeneration Is Not a Single Cell Event

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 58
Author(s):  
Patharajan Subban ◽  
Yaarit Kutsher ◽  
Dalia Evenor ◽  
Eduard Belausov ◽  
Hanita Zemach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Family ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Shoot Regeneration ◽  
Major Gene ◽  
Molecular Genetic ◽  
Plant Biotechnology ◽  
Gene Families ◽  
Regeneration Medium ◽  
Developmental Processes ◽  
Leaf Segments

Shoot regeneration is a key tool of modern plant biotechnology. While many researchers use this process empirically, very little is known about the early molecular genetic factors and signaling events that lead to shoot regeneration. Using tobacco as a model system, we found that the inductive events required for shoot regeneration occur in the first 4–5 days following incubation on regeneration medium. Leaf segments placed on regeneration medium did not produce shoots if removed from the medium before four days indicating this time frame is crucial for the induction of shoot regeneration. Leaf segments placed on regeneration medium for longer than five days maintain the capacity to produce shoots when removed from the regeneration medium. Analysis of gene expression during the early days of incubation on regeneration medium revealed many changes occurring with no single expression pattern evident among major gene families previously implicated in developmental processes. For example, expression of Knotted gene family members increased during the induction period, whereas transcription factors from the Wuschel gene family were unaltered during shoot induction. Expression levels of genes involved in cell cycle regulation increased steadily on regeneration medium while expression of NAC genes varied. No obvious possible candidate genes or developmental processes could be identified as a target for the early events (first few days) in the induction of shoot regeneration. On the other hand, observations during the early stages of regeneration pointed out that regeneration does not occur from a single cell but a group of cells. We observed that while cell division starts just as leaf segments are placed on regeneration medium, only a group of cells could become shoot primordia. Still, these primordia are not identifiable during the first days.

scholarly journals Gene family innovation, conservation and loss on the animal stem lineage

eLife ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J Richter ◽  
Parinaz Fozouni ◽  
Michael B Eisen ◽  
Nicole King
Keyword(s):  
Gene Family ◽  
Gene Families ◽  
Gene Content ◽  
Gene Repertoire ◽  
Toll Like Receptor ◽  
Stem Lineage ◽  
Gains And Losses ◽  
Core Features

Choanoflagellates, the closest living relatives of animals, can provide unique insights into the changes in gene content that preceded the origin of animals. However, only two choanoflagellate genomes are currently available, providing poor coverage of their diversity. We sequenced transcriptomes of 19 additional choanoflagellate species to produce a comprehensive reconstruction of the gains and losses that shaped the ancestral animal gene repertoire. We identified ~1944 gene families that originated on the animal stem lineage, of which only 39 are conserved across all animals in our study. In addition, ~372 gene families previously thought to be animal-specific, including Notch, Delta, and homologs of the animal Toll-like receptor genes, instead evolved prior to the animal-choanoflagellate divergence. Our findings contribute to an increasingly detailed portrait of the gene families that defined the biology of the Urmetazoan and that may underpin core features of extant animals.

scholarly journals Ectopic Expression of Virus Innexins in Heliothis virescens Disrupts Hemocyte-Mediated Encapsulation and Host Viability

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Zhang ◽  
Matthew W Turnbull
Keyword(s):  
Gene Family ◽  
Gap Junction ◽  
Host Range ◽  
Heliothis Virescens ◽  
Genome Structure ◽  
Ectopic Expression ◽  
Recombinant Baculovirus ◽  
Gene Families ◽  
Recombinant Baculoviruses ◽  
Susceptible Host

1.AbstractPolydnaviruses are dsDNA viruses associated with endoparasitoid wasps. Delivery of the virus during parasitization of a caterpillar and subsequent virus gene expression is required for production of an amenable environment for parasitoid offspring development. Consequently, understanding of Polydnavirus gene function provides insight into mechanisms of host susceptibility and parasitoid wasp host range. Polydnavirus genes predominantly are arranged in multimember gene families, one of which is the vinnexins, which are virus homologues of insect gap junction genes, the innexins. Previous studies of Campoletis sonorensis Ichnovirus Vinnexins using various heterologous systems have suggested the four encoded members may provide different functionality in the infected caterpillar host. Here, we expressed two of the members, vnxG and vnxQ2, using recombinant baculoviruses in susceptible host, the caterpillar Heliothis virescens. Following intrahemocoelic injections, we observed >90% of hemocytes (blood cells) were infected, producing recombinant protein. Larvae infected with a vinnexin-recombinant baculovirus exhibited significantly reduced molting rates relative to larvae infected with a control recombinant baculovirus and mock infected larvae. Similarly, larvae infected with vinnexin-recombinant baculoviruses were less likely to molt relative to controls, and showed reduced ability to encapsulate chromatography beads in an immune assay. In most assays, the VnxG protein was associated with more severe pathology than VnxQ2. These results, in light of previous findings, support that Polydnavirus Vinnexin gene family members may provide complementary, rather than redundant, effects. This in turn indicates a need to test gene family member functionality across infected hosts for effects to determine member contribution to host range.2.ImportancePolydnaviruses are obligate mutualistic associates of highly speciose wasp taxa that parasitize caterpillars. Expression of Polydnavirus-encoded genes in hosts parasitized by wasps is necessary for successful parasitization, and an unusual genome structure including multiple-membered gene families is hypothesized to contribute to host manipulation. We have tested this hypothesis by in vivo expression of two members of a family of Polydnavirus homologues of Innexins, or insect gap junction proteins. Previous findings demonstrated that the two Vinnexins induce different physiological alterations in heterologous systems. Here, in host caterpillars, we observed differential alteration by the two proteins of host immune cell (hemocyte) bioelectrical physiology and the immune response of encapsulation. Not only do our data suggest a linkage between cellular bioelectricity and immunity in insects, but they support that gene family expansion has functional consequences to both Polydnavirus and host wasp success.

scholarly journals Genome-Wide Identification and Analysis of the WRKY Gene Family and Cold Stress Response in Acer truncatum

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1867
Author(s):  
Yan Li ◽  
Xiang Li ◽  
Jiatong Wei ◽  
Kewei Cai ◽  
Hongzhi Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
Cold Stress ◽  
Gene Family ◽  
Gene Families ◽  
Regulatory Function ◽  
Wrky Gene ◽  
Wrky Transcription Factors ◽  
Biotic Stresses ◽  
Genome Wide

WRKY transcription factors constitute one of the largest gene families in plants and are involved in many biological processes, including growth and development, physiological metabolism, and the stress response. In earlier studies, the WRKY gene family of proteins has been extensively studied and analyzed in many plant species. However, information on WRKY transcription factors in Acer truncatum has not been reported. In this study, we conducted genome-wide identification and analysis of the WRKY gene family in A. truncatum, 54 WRKY genes were unevenly located on all 13 chromosomes of A. truncatum, the highest number was found in chromosomes 5. Phylogenetic relationships, gene structure, and conserved motif identification were constructed, and the results affirmed 54 AtruWRKY genes were divided into nine subgroup groups. Tissue species analysis of AtruWRKY genes revealed which were differently exhibited upregulation in flower, leaf, root, seed and stem, and the upregulation number were 23, 14, 34, 18, and 8, respectively. In addition, the WRKY genes expression in leaf under cold stress showed that more genes were significantly expressed under 0, 6 and 12 h cold stress. The results of this study provide a new insight the regulatory function of WRKY genes under abiotic and biotic stresses.

scholarly journals Ecological correlates of gene family size: the draft genome of the redheaded pine sawfly Neodiprion lecontei

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Vertacnik ◽  
Danielle Herrig ◽  
R Keating Godfrey ◽  
Tom Hill ◽  
Scott Geib ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Family ◽  
Family Size ◽  
Draft Genome ◽  
Gene Families ◽  
Gene Family Evolution ◽  
Gene Gain ◽  
Ecological Specialization ◽  
Dietary Specialization ◽  
Pine Sawfly ◽  
Neodiprion Lecontei

A central goal in evolutionary biology is to determine the predictability of adaptive genetic changes. Despite many documented cases of convergent evolution at individual loci, little is known about the repeatability of gene family expansions and contractions. To address this void, we examined gene family evolution in the redheaded pine sawfly Neodiprion lecontei, a non-eusocial hymenopteran and exemplar of a pine-specialized lineage evolved from angiosperm-feeding ancestors. After assembling and annotating a draft genome, we manually annotated multiple gene families with chemosensory, detoxification, or immunity functions and characterized their genomic distributions and evolutionary history. Our results suggest that expansions of bitter gustatory receptor (GR), clan 3 cytochrome P450 (CYP3), and antimicrobial peptide (AMP) subfamilies may have contributed to pine adaptation. By contrast, there was no evidence of recent gene family contraction via pseudogenization. Next, we compared the number of genes in these same families across insect taxa that vary in diet, dietary specialization, and social behavior. In Hymenoptera, herbivory was associated with large GR and small olfactory receptor (OR) families, eusociality was associated with large OR and small AMP families, and--unlike investigations among more closely related taxa--ecological specialization was not related to gene family size. Overall, our results suggest that gene families that mediate ecological interactions may expand and contract predictably in response to particular selection pressures, however, the ecological drivers and temporal pace of gene gain and loss likely varies considerably across gene families.

scholarly journals Genome-wide identification and analysis of the CNGC gene family in maize

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lidong Hao ◽  
Xiuli Qiao
Keyword(s):  
Gene Family ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Gene Families ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Signal Pathways ◽  
Cis Acting ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Gramineous Plant ◽  
Gated Channel

As one of the non-selective cation channel gene families, the cyclic nucleotide-gated channel (CNGC) gene family plays a vital role in plant physiological processes that are related to signal pathways, plant development, and environmental stresses. However, genome-wide identification and analysis of the CNGC gene family in maize has not yet been undertaken. In the present study, twelve ZmCNGC genes were identified in the maize genome, which were unevenly distributed on chromosomes 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. They were classified into five major groups: Groups I, II, III, IVa, and IVb. Phylogenetic analysis showed that gramineous plant CNGC genes expanded unequally during evolution. Group IV CNGC genes emerged first, whereas Groups I and II appeared later. Prediction analysis of cis-acting regulatory elements showed that 137 putative cis-elements were related to hormone-response, abiotic stress, and organ development. Furthermore, 120 protein pairs were predicted to interact with the 12 ZmCNGC proteins and other maize proteins. The expression profiles of the ZmCNGC genes were expressed in tissue-specific patterns. These results provide important information that will increase our understanding of the CNGC gene family in maize and other plants.

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