ACQUISITION

OF
NEW GENES
The formation of new genes is a
primary driving force of evolution in all organisms.


How exactly do these new genes crop up
in an organisms genome &
what must occur in order for them to be passed on?
Gene Duplication

First mechanism of genome evolution

Can be :-
Entire genome
Large segments of a genome,
Individual genes
Individual exons
specific parts of exons

Mechanisms include
A. whole-genome duplications originating through nondisjunction
B. Tandem duplications originating through unequal crossover
C. Retropositions originating through the retrotranscription of an RNA intermediate,
transpositions involving transposable
D. Rearrangements and subsequent repair of staggered breaks



Non- disjunction
Unequal rearrangement
Retro-transposon
TRANSPOSONS
Transposable elements (TEs), also known as "jumping genes,"
Do not require reverse
transcriptase activity
Use protein transposase to
excise and insert in the genome
Presence of ITRs & direct repeats
DNA TRANSPOSONS
Requires Rtase activity
Classified as long terminal
repeats (LTRs)/ Non LTRs
Non LTRs only active form of
transposons
RETROTRANSPOSON
CLASSES OF TRANSPOSONS
Transposable Element Protein Domestication


Acquire new genes is by recruiting transposable element proteins and using
them as cellular proteins. Such events are called domestication of TE
proteins.

Unexpected functions in which TE domesticated proteins
Vertebrate immune system
Light sensing in plants.

Drosophila : co-domestication of PIF/Harbinger transposable element

- Genes encoded a transposase that binds and cuts DNA
- Protein that contains a Myb/SANT domain in transcription, chromatin
remodeling, and protein-protein interactions.

Lateral Gene Transfer

Gene does not have a vertical origin (i.e., direct inheritance from parent tooffspring) but
instead comes from an unrelated genome.

Occurs between bacteria

Genomes of the cellular organelles (mitochondria and chloroplasts) and the nuclear
genomes

Transfer events between organelles and/or endosymbiont bacteria continue to occur

Eg: Intracellular endosymbiont Wolbachia pipentis was integrated into Drosophila
species

Gene Fusion and Fission

Existing genes can

Fuse (i.e., two or more genes can become part of the same transcript)

Fission (i.e., a single transcript can break into two or more separate transcripts),


two copies of the same gene
(alcohol dehydrogenase gene in Drosophila)
Chimeric fusion genes
parallel evolution
shift away from the functions of their parental genes.
De Novo Gene Origination

New genes can additionally originate de novo from noncoding regions of DNA.

Originate in the X chromosome

Young" genes :

Jingwei gene (Long & Langley, 1993)

SETMAR gene (Cordaux et al., 2006; Figure 1).