Understanding the Early Evolution of the Spliceosome
Author Information
Author(s): Stella Veretnik, Christopher Wills, Philippe Youkharibache, Ruben E. Valas, Philip E. Bourne
Primary Institution: University of California San Diego
Hypothesis
Can we discern the steps in the evolution of the spliceosome?
Conclusion
The study reveals that the Sm/Lsm family of proteins underwent two rapid waves of duplication, leading to a more complex spliceosome.
Supporting Evidence
- The eukaryotic Sm/Lsm family underwent two rapid waves of duplication.
- Each wave resulted in a more sophisticated spliceosome.
- An unusually high degree of conservation in intron positions was observed within individual orthologous Sm/Lsm genes.
Takeaway
Scientists studied how a group of proteins called Sm and Lsm evolved to help cells remove unnecessary parts from their genes, showing that this process got more complex over time.
Methodology
The study involved phylogenetic analysis of 335 Sm and Sm-like genes from 80 species across all three kingdoms of life.
Limitations
The study may not account for all variations in spliceosomal evolution across different eukaryotic lineages.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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