生物谷报道:生物进化的重要特征就是新适应性功能的不断出现。这一过程的遗传基础一直是生物学研究的重要方向。新基因的出现、选择性剪切和基因表达调控的改变是已经报道的3种重要机制。最近,中科院昆明动物所王文研究员领导的马普进化基因组学小组发现,基因中新外显子的出现也是增加蛋白多样性和新功能起源的一种重要方式。他们发现在哺乳动物的一个重要转录抑制因子CDYL基因中,新外显子反复在不同哺乳动物谱系中发生,而且这些新外显子能给该基因带来很大的功能改变。
让科研人员感到特别有意思的是,在包括人在内的大猿进化过程中,从大猩猩开始,到黑猩猩和人,CDYL基因也进化出了新的外显子,对人类的进化做出了贡献。该工作发表于2007年8月国际著名遗传学刊物Trends in Genetics上。审稿人评价该工作是研究基因组进化和外显子进化的一个重大进步。( 昆明动物研究所)
原始出处:
Trends in Genetics
Volume 23, Issue 9, September 2007, Pages 427-431
doi:10.1016/j.tig.2007.06.001
Genome Analysis
Functional consequences of new exon acquisition in mammalian chromodomain Y-like (CDYL) genes
Xin Li1, 5, *, Jing Liang2, *, Haijing Yu3, Bing Su1, 4, Chunjie Xiao3, Yongfeng Shang2, and Wen Wang1, 4,
1CAS-Max Planck Junior Research Group, Key Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
2Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100083, China
3Key Laboratory of Bioresources Conservation and Utilization and Human Genetics Center of Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China
4Kunming Primate Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
5Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
Available online 18 June 2007.
The origin of new exons is an important mechanism for proteome diversity. Here, we report the recurrent origination of new exons in mammalian chromodomain Y-like (CDYL) genes and the functional consequences associated with the acquisition of the new exons. Driven by positive selection, the newly evolved longer peptide exhibits weaker transcription repression activity and attenuates the repression activity of the old form, suggesting that the acquisition of the new exons is functionally significant.
* These authors contributed equally to this work.