Back to Search
Start Over
Testing hypotheses on the rate of molecular evolution in relation to gene expression using microRNAs
- Source :
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 108(38)
- Publication Year :
- 2011
-
Abstract
- There exists an inverse relationship between the rate of molecular evolution and the level of gene expression. Among the many explanations, the “toxic-error” hypothesis is a most general one, which posits that processing errors may often be toxic to the cells. However, toxic errors that constrain the evolution of highly expressed genes are often difficult to measure. In this study, we test the toxic-error hypothesis by using microRNA (miRNA) genes because their processing errors can be directly measured by deep sequencing. A miRNA gene consists of a small mature product (≈22 nt long) and a “backbone.” Our analysis shows that ( i ) like the mature miRNA, the backbone is highly conserved; ( ii ) the rate of sequence evolution in the backbone is negatively correlated with expression; and ( iii ) although conserved between distantly related species, the error rate in miRNA processing is also negatively correlated with the expression level. The observations suggest that, as a miRNA gene becomes more highly (or more ubiquitously) expressed, its sequence evolves toward a structure that minimizes processing errors.
- Subjects :
- Gene Expression
Deep sequencing
Evolution, Molecular
Species Specificity
Molecular evolution
Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
microRNA
Gene expression
Genetic variation
Animals
Computer Simulation
Gene
Sequence (medicine)
Genetics
Multidisciplinary
biology
Base Sequence
Models, Genetic
Genetic Variation
Biological Sciences
biology.organism_classification
MicroRNAs
Drosophila melanogaster
Drosophila
Algorithms
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 10916490
- Volume :
- 108
- Issue :
- 38
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....a51eb1d78c58d1ac5b2cfca8175d3f38