The Origins and Functions of De Novo Genes: Against All Odds?
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Weisman CM
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9233646 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
The Origins and Functions of De Novo Genes: Against All Odds?
Journal of molecular evolution 20220422 3-4
"De novo" genes evolve from previously non-genic DNA. This strikes many of us as remarkable, because it seems extraordinarily unlikely that random sequence would produce a functional gene. How is this possible? In this two-part review, I first summarize what is known about the origins and molecular functions of the small number of de novo genes for which such information is available. I then speculate on what these examples may tell us about how de novo genes manage to emerge despite what seem l ...[more]
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