Functional divergence of gene duplicates through ectopic recombination.
Gene duplication stimulates evolutionary innovation as the resulting paralogs acquire mutations that lead to sub- or neofunctionalization. A comprehensive in silico analysis of paralogs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae reveals that duplicates of cell-surface and subtelomeric genes also undergo ectopic recombination, which leads to new chimaeric alleles. Mimicking such intergenic recombination events in the FLO (flocculation) family of cell-surface genes shows that chimaeric FLO alleles confer different adhesion phenotypes than the parental genes. Our results indicate that intergenic recombination between paralogs can generate a large set of new alleles, thereby providing the raw material for evolutionary adaptation and innovation.
Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems, Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics (CMPG), KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 22, B-3001 Leuven (Heverlee), Belgium.
Joaquin F
JF
Christiaens
Sebastiaan E
SE
Van Mulders
Jorge
J
Duitama
Chris A
CA
Brown
Maarten G
MG
Ghequire
Luc
L
De Meester
Jan
J
Michiels
Tom
T
Wenseleers
Karin
K
Voordeckers
Kevin J
KJ
Verstrepen
D000483:Alleles; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D020440:Gene Duplication / Q000235:genetics*; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D014644:Genetic Variation; D037241:Mannose-Binding Lectins / Q000235:genetics*; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
C087578:FLO1 protein, S cerevisiae; D037241:Mannose-Binding Lectins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins