New genes originated via multiple recombinational pathways in the beta-globin gene family of rodents.

ABSTRACT: Species differences in the size or membership composition of multigene families can be attributed to lineage-specific additions of new genes via duplication, losses of genes via deletion or inactivation, and the creation of chimeric genes via domain shuffling or gene fusion. In principle, it should be possible to infer the recombinational pathways responsible for each of these different types of genomic change by conducting detailed comparative analyses of genomic sequence data. Here, we report an attempt to unravel the complex evolutionary history of the beta-globin gene family in a taxonomically diverse set of rodent species. The main objectives were: 1) to characterize the genomic structure of the beta-globin gene cluster of rodents; 2) to assign orthologous and paralogous relationships

SUBMITTER: Hoffmann FG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2721551 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature