Gene duplication, lineage-specific expansion, and subfunctionalization in the MADF-BESS family patterns the Drosophila wing hinge.

ABSTRACT: Gene duplication, expansion, and subsequent diversification are features of the evolutionary process. Duplicated genes can be lost, modified, or altered to generate novel functions over evolutionary timescales. These features make gene duplication a powerful engine of evolutionary change. In this study, we explore these features in the MADF-BESS family of transcriptional regulators. In Drosophila melanogaster, the family contains 16 similar members, each containing an N-terminal, DNA-binding MADF domain and a C-terminal, protein-interacting, BESS domain. Phylogenetic analysis shows that members of the MADF-BESS family are expanded in the Drosophila lineage. Three members, which we name hinge1, hinge2, and hinge3 are required for wing development, with a critical role in the wing hinge. hin

SUBMITTER: Shukla V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3914621 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature