Species-specific partial gene duplication in Arabidopsis thaliana evolved novel phenotypic effects on morphological traits under strong positive selection.

ABSTRACT: Gene duplication is increasingly recognized as an important mechanism for the origination of new genes, as revealed by comparative genomic analysis. However, how new duplicate genes contribute to phenotypic evolution remains largely unknown, especially in plants. Here, we identified the new gene EXOV, derived from a partial gene duplication of its parental gene EXOVL in Arabidopsis thaliana. EXOV is a species-specific gene that originated within the last 3.5 million years and shows strong signals of positive selection. Unexpectedly, RNA-sequencing analyses revealed that, despite its young age, EXOV has acquired many novel direct and indirect interactions in which the parental gene does not engage. This observation is consistent with the high, selection-driven substitution rate of its encod

SUBMITTER: Huang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8824575 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature