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Article
Evolution of Alternative Splicing after Gene Duplication
Genome Research
  • Zhixi Su, Zhejiang University
  • Jianmin Wang, Zhejiang University
  • Xiaoqiu Huang, Iowa State University
  • Xun Gu, Zhejiang University
Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Published Version
Publication Date
1-1-2006
DOI
10.1101/gr.4197006
Abstract
Alternative splicing and gene duplication are two major sources of proteomic function diversity. Here, we study the evolutionary trend of alternative splicing after gene duplication by analyzing the alternative splicing differences between duplicate genes. We observed that duplicate genes have fewer alternative splice (AS) forms than single-copy genes, and that a negative correlation exists between the mean number of AS forms and the gene family size. Interestingly, we found that the loss of alternative splicing in duplicate genes may occur shortly after the gene duplication. These results support the subfunctionization model of alternative splicing in the early stage after gene duplication. Further analysis of the alternative splicing distribution in human duplicate pairs showed the asymmetric evolution of alternative splicing after gene duplications; i.e., the AS forms between duplicates may differ dramatically. We therefore conclude that alternative splicing and gene duplication may not evolve independently. In the early stage after gene duplication, young duplicates may take over a certain amount of protein function diversity that previously was carried out by the alternative splicing mechanism. In the late stage, the gain and loss of alternative splicing seem to be independent between duplicates.
Comments

This article is from Genome Research 182 (2006): 182, doi: 10.1101/gr.4197006. Posted with permission.

Copyright Owner
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Citation Information
Zhixi Su, Jianmin Wang, Xiaoqiu Huang and Xun Gu. "Evolution of Alternative Splicing after Gene Duplication" Genome Research Vol. 16 (2006) p. 182 - 189
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/xiaoqiu-huang/8/