Exon-phase symmetry and intrinsic structural disorder promote modular evolution in the human genome.

ABSTRACT: A key signature of module exchange in the genome is phase symmetry of exons, suggestive of exon shuffling events that occurred without disrupting translation reading frame. At the protein level, intrinsic structural disorder may be another key element because disordered regions often serve as functional elements that can be effectively integrated into a protein structure. Therefore, we asked whether exon-phase symmetry in the human genome and structural disorder in the human proteome are connected, signalling such evolutionary mechanisms in the assembly of multi-exon genes. We found an elevated level of structural disorder of regions encoded by symmetric exons and a preferred symmetry of exons encoding for mostly disordered regions (>70% predicted disorder). Alternatively spliced symmetric

SUBMITTER: Schad E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3632108 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature