title: Gen(om)e duplications in the evolution of early vertebrates.
abstract: Phylogenetic analyses and sequence surveys of developmental regulator gene families indicate that two large-scale gene duplications, most likely genome duplications, occurred in ancestors of vertebrates. Relaxed constraints allowed duplicated and thus redundant genes to diverge in a two stage mechanism. Neutral changes dominated at first but then positively selected regulatory changes evolved the novel and increasingly complex vertebrate developmental program.
authors.affiliation: Whitehead Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA. arend@genome.wi.mit.edu
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sidow
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005809:Genes, Regulator; D016678:Genome; D006801:Humans; D005810:Multigene Family; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000235:genetics*