Decoupling of evolutionary changes in mRNA and protein levels.

ABSTRACT: Variation in gene expression across lineages is thought to explain much of the observed phenotypic variation and adaptation. The protein is closer to the target of natural selection but gene expression is typically measured as the amount of mRNA. The broad assumption that mRNA levels are good proxies for protein levels has been undermined by a number of studies reporting moderate or weak correlations between the two measures across species. One biological explanation for this discrepancy is that there has been compensatory evolution between the mRNA level and regulation of translation. However, we do not understand the evolutionary conditions necessary for this to occur nor the expected strength of the correlation between mRNA and protein levels. Here we develop a theoretical model for the

SUBMITTER: Jiang D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10104238 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature