Birth of 'human-specific' genes during primate evolution.
Humans and other Anthropoids share very similar chromosome structure and genomic sequence as seen in the 98.5% homology at the DNA level between us and Great Apes. However, anatomical and behavioral traits distinguish Homo sapiens from his closest relatives. I review here several recent studies that address the issue by using different approaches: large-scale sequence comparison (first release) between human and chimpanzee, characterization of recent segmental duplications in the human genome and analysis of exemplary gene families. As a major breakthrough in the field, the heretical concept of 'human-specific' genes has recently received some supporting data. In addition, specific chromosomal regions have been mapped that display all the features of 'gene nurseries' and could have played a major role in gene innovation and speciation during primate evolution. A model is proposed that integrates all known molecular mechanisms that can create new genes in the human lineage.
Nahon
Jean-Louis
JL
Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS UMR 6097, 660 route des Lucioles, Sophia-Antipolis, 06560 Valbonne, France. nahonjl@ipmc.cnrs.fr
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence / Q000235:genetics; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D020440:Gene Duplication; D006801:Humans; D010802:Phylogeny; D011323:Primates / Q000235:genetics*; D018626:Retroelements / Q000235:genetics
D018626:Retroelements