How Drosophila Keeps Its Duplicated Genes Together
Author Information
Author(s): Carlos Quijano, Pavel Tomancak, Jesus Lopez-Marti, Mikita Suyama, Peer Bork, Marco Milan, David Torrents, Miguel Manzanares
Primary Institution: Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas CSIC-UAM
Hypothesis
Are duplicated genes in Drosophila more likely to be co-expressed when they are arranged in tandem?
Conclusion
Drosophila retains duplicated genes in tandem arrangements due to functional constraints, particularly for developmental and regulatory genes.
Supporting Evidence
- One in five genes in Drosophila is organized as tandem arrays.
- Conserved clusters of duplicated genes are enriched in developmental regulators.
- Tandemly arranged duplicated genes show higher co-expression than dispersed duplicates.
Takeaway
Drosophila has many genes that come in pairs and are kept close together because they work better that way, especially for genes that help with development.
Methodology
The study combined computational and experimental approaches to identify and analyze duplicated genes in Drosophila.
Potential Biases
Potential biases may arise from the selective retention of certain gene pairs and the exclusion of recently duplicated genes.
Limitations
The analysis is limited by the number of cases examined and the reliance on positive evidence for co-expression.
Participant Demographics
The study focused on Drosophila melanogaster and its gene arrangements.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
Not specified
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website