Gene duplication and evolutionary plasticity of lin-12/Notch gene function in Caenorhabditis.

ABSTRACT: Gene duplication is an important substrate for the evolution of new gene functions, but the impacts of gene duplicates on their own activities and on the developmental networks in which they act are poorly understood. Here, we use a natural experiment of lin-12/Notch gene duplication within the nematode genus Caenorhabditis, combined with characterization of loss- and gain-of-function mutations, to uncover functional distinctions between the duplicate genes in 1 species (Caenorhabditis briggsae) and their single-copy ortholog in Caenorhabditis elegans. First, using improved genomic sequence and gene model characterization, we confirm that the C. briggsae genome includes 2 complete lin-12 genes, whereas most other genes encoding proteins that participate in the LIN-12 signaling pathway reta

SUBMITTER: Lyu H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11492284 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature