Positive selection of yeast nonhomologous end-joining genes and a retrotransposon conflict hypothesis.

ABSTRACT: Transposable elements have clearly played a major role in shaping both the size and organization of eukaryotic genomes. However, the evolution of essential genes in core biological processes may also have been shaped by coevolution with these elements. This would be predicted to occur in instances where host proteins are either hijacked for use by mobile elements or recruited to defend against them. To detect such cases, we have used the Saccharomyces cerevisiae-Saccharomyces paradoxus sibling species pair to identify genes that have evolved under positive selection. We identify 72 such genes, which participate in a variety of biological processes but are enriched for genes involved in meiosis and DNA repair by nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ). We confirm the signature of positive selectio

SUBMITTER: Sawyer SL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1693795 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature