Skip Navigation



MBE Advance Access published online on February 9, 2005
Molecular Biology and Evolution, doi:10.1093/molbev/msi104
This Article
Right arrow Advance Access manuscript (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
22/5/1193    most recent
msi104v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Evans, B. J.
Right arrow Articles by Cannatella, D. C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Evans, B. J.
Right arrow Articles by Cannatella, D. C.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Molecular Biology and Evolution © The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oupjournals.org.
Accepted January 25, 2005

Research Article

Evolution of RAG-1 in Polyploid Clawed Frogs

Ben J. Evans 1*, Darcy B. Kelley 2, Don J. Melnick 3, and David C. Cannatella 4

1 Department of Biology, McMaster University, Life Sciences Building Room 328 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S 4K1
2 Department of Biological Sciences, 913 Fairchild Building, Columbia University, New York 10027, USA
3 Center for Environmental Research and Conservation and Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, 1200 Amsterdam Ave, Columbia University, New York 10027, USA
4 Section of Integrative Biology and Texas Memorial Museum, C0930, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712-0253, USA

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Ben J. Evans, E-mail: evansb{at}mcmaster.ca


  Abstract

Possible genetic fates of a gene duplicate are silencing, redundancy, sub-functionalization, or novel function. These different fates can be realized at the DNA, RNA, or protein level, and their genetic determinants are poorly understood. We explored molecular evolution of duplicated RAG-1 genes in African clawed frogs (Xenopus and Silurana) to (1) examine the fate of paralogs of this gene at the DNA level in terms of recombination, positive selection, and gene degeneration, and - in the absence of extensive recombination among alleles at different paralogs - to (2) test phylogenetic hypotheses about the origins of polyploid species. We found that recombination between different RAG-1 paralogs is infrequent, that degeneration of some paralogs has occurred via stop codons and frameshift mutations, and that this degeneration occurred non-randomly in paralogs inherited from only one diploid progenitor species. Simulations and phylogenetic analyses of RAG-1 and mitochondrial DNA support one origin of extant tetraploids in Xenopus and at least one origin in Silurana, five allopolyploid origins of extant octoploids, and two allopolyploid origins of extant dodecaploids. In allopolyploid species, gene ancestry could potentially influence gene fate - the genetic fates of sets of genes that form complexes could be linked by a common co-evolutionary history in one of the lower ploidy ancestors.

Keywords: reticulate evolution; genome duplication; polyploidization; Xenopus; Silurana; Pipidae.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
M. Semon and K. H. Wolfe
Preferential subfunctionalization of slow-evolving genes after allopolyploidization in Xenopus laevis
PNAS, June 17, 2008; 105(24): 8333 - 8338.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 GeneticsHome page
B. J. Evans
Ancestry Influences the Fate of Duplicated Genes Millions of Years After Polyploidization of Clawed Frogs (Xenopus)
Genetics, June 1, 2007; 176(2): 1119 - 1130.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Am. J. Bot.Home page
S. Joly, J. R Starr, W. H Lewis, and A. Bruneau
Polyploid and hybrid evolution in roses east of the Rocky Mountains
Am. J. Botany, March 1, 2006; 93(3): 412 - 425.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Mol Biol EvolHome page
L. Baldo, S. Bordenstein, J. J. Wernegreen, and J. H. Werren
Widespread Recombination Throughout Wolbachia Genomes
Mol. Biol. Evol., February 1, 2006; 23(2): 437 - 449.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.