摘要
新基因的起源和进化对基因组多样性的产生具有重要的贡献。新基因起源常常通过外显子重排而形成嵌合的基因结构,以产生具有新功能的蛋白质。该文调查了在黒腹果蝇中的14个新起源的嵌合基因在群体中的多态性,发现其中8个在群体中的核苷酸多态性会引起提前终止子,而其他6个在群体中编码框都完整且其中4个受到负选择。研究结果表明,嵌合新基因起源后可能存在两种命运:积累提前终止子突变而假基因化,或者表现出一定功能而受自然选择固定下来。基因表达的数据显示,与RNA介导外显子重排(逆转座)形成的新基因不一样,这些由DNA水平外显子重排产生的新基因没有精巢或者雄性特异性表达模式,而是表现出更为多样性的时空表达模式,这提示尽管通过DNA水平外显子重排产生的新基因可能正在变成假基因或者非蛋白质编码的RNA基因,但它们依然可能具有进化出广泛的生物学功能的潜力。
Origin and evolution of new genes contribute a lot to genome diversity. New genes usually form chimeric gene structures through DNA-based exon shuffling and generate proteins with novel functions. We investigated polymorphism of 14 chimeric new genes in Drosophila melanogaster populations and found that eight have premature stop codons in some individuals while six are intact in the population, four of which are under negative selection, suggesting the two evolutionary fates of new chimeric genes after origination： accumulate premature stop codons and pseudolize, or acquire functions and get fixed by natural selection. Different from new genes originated through RNA-based duplication （retroposition） which are usually testis-specific or male-specific expressed, the expression patterns of these new genes through DNA-based exon shuffling are temporally and spatially diverse, implying that they may have the potential to evolve various biological functions despite that they may become pseudogenes or non-protein-coding RNA genes.
基金
国家自然科学基金重点项目(30930056)
关键词
黒腹果蝇
嵌合新基因
外显子重排
表达模式
Drosophila melanogaster
Chimeric new genes
Exon shuffling
Expression pattern
