On the Origin of New Genes
Interest in the origin of genetic novelties can be traced back to Darwin,and the origination of new genes is thought to be a fundamental process in the evolution of organisms.Two crucial steps are involved in this process:nascent gene copies originating through various mutational mechanisms,and the evolution of novel functions,which leads to further fixation of the new copies within populations.A theoretical framework for the former step was formulated in 1970s.Ohno proposed that gene duplication is the most important mechanism involved in producing new gene copies.He also argued that the most common fate for new gene copies is to become pseudogenes.Recent genome-wide comparison of young genes in Drosophila has elucidated a comprehensive picture of remarkable roles of various mechanisms in addition to gene duplication that are involved in the origination of new genes.Case surveys have revealed that it is not uncommon for new genes to evolve novel structures and functions that contribute to the adaptive evolution of organisms.In this article we review recent advances in understanding hownew genes originate and evolve on the basis of genome-wide results and experimental examination of particular cases.We also discuss the future directions of this frontier research field in the context of this era of functional genomics.
Origin new genes
Wen Wang
CAS-Max Planck Junior Research Group,State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution,Kunming Institute of Zoology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Kunming,Yunnan 650223,China
国际会议
The Darwin 200 Beijing International Conference (纪念达尔文诞辰200周年国际学术会议)
北京
英文
240-250
2009-10-24（万方平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）