Functional diversification of Paramecium Ku80 paralogs safeguards genome integrity during precise programmed DNA elimination.

ABSTRACT: Gene duplication and diversification drive the emergence of novel functions during evolution. Because of whole genome duplications, ciliates from the Paramecium aurelia group constitute a remarkable system to study the evolutionary fate of duplicated genes. Paramecium species harbor two types of nuclei: a germline micronucleus (MIC) and a somatic macronucleus (MAC) that forms from the MIC at each sexual cycle. During MAC development, ~45,000 germline Internal Eliminated Sequences (IES) are excised precisely from the genome through a 'cut-and-close' mechanism. Here, we have studied the P. tetraurelia paralogs of KU80, which encode a key DNA double-strand break repair factor involved in non-homologous end joining. The three KU80 genes have different transcription patterns, KU80a and KU80b be

SUBMITTER: Abello A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7161955 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature