Subfunctionalization
Subfunctionalization is a model that explains the process by which duplicated genes remain functional in a genome. Duplicated genes are frequently formed in eukaryotic genomes and are thought to be initially redundant in function. One of the extra copies is usually under relaxed selection and therefore acquires degenerative mutations that render it nonfunctional. To explain the high percentage of duplicated genes in eukaryotic genomes several theories have been proposed, such as subfunctionalizationCite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). . Recently the DDC(Duplication-degenaration-complementation) subfunctionalization model was proposed by Force et al.[1] explains how duplicated genes are retained in the genome. The DDC model is derived from the fact that many genes have multiple independent subfunctions. According to the model after duplication the two copies of the gene acquire deleterious mutations that affect different subfunctions of the ancestral gene. Since both copies are needed to perform the function of the ancestral locus the duplicated loci remain preserved through subfunctionalization. Compare to the ancestral locus, sub-function mutations have a low impact on individual relative fitness and therefore are neutral or nearly neutral to selection. Under such near neutrality genetic drift plays a major role in the likelihood of subfunctionalized genes becoming fixed in the population.[2]
See also
References
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Forcewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Victoria E. Prince & F. Bryan Pickett (2006). "Splitting pairs: The diverging fates of duplicated genes". Nature Reviews Genetics. 3 (11): 827–837. doi:10.1038/nrg928. PMID 12415313.
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