Moving genes.
We have seen that an essentially linear genome can amplify its genetic information by permitting the shuffling of widely separated genetic sequences. This shuffling can occur not only by the covalent joining of DNA, but also by alternative splicing of messenger RNA transcripts. While the mechanism is a required step in the development of an immunoglobulin producing cell, it is probably but one example of its action in the organism. It is difficult to imagine that an organism as complex as man can be created from an essentially linear array of nine billion nucleotides. The example provided by the immunoglobulin genes offers a mechanism for amplifying this genetic information. Our challenge is to find additional genetic systems that take advantage of these powerful mechanisms.
D000818:Animals; D000916:Antibody Diversity; D005784:Gene Amplification; D005796:Genes; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D012326:RNA Splicing; D011995:Recombination, Genetic
D007136:Immunoglobulins