The fate of tandemly duplicated genes assessed by the expression analysis of a group of Arabidopsis thaliana RING-H2 ubiquitin ligase genes of the ATL family

Plant Mol Biol. 2014 Mar;84(4-5):429-41. doi: 10.1007/s11103-013-0143-z. Epub 2013 Oct 18.

Abstract

Gene duplication events exert key functions on gene innovations during the evolution of the eukaryotic genomes. A large portion of the total gene content in plants arose from tandem duplications events, which often result in paralog genes with high sequence identity. Ubiquitin ligases or E3 enzymes are components of the ubiquitin proteasome system that function during the transfer of the ubiquitin molecule to the substrate. In plants, several E3s have expanded in their genomes as multigene families. To gain insight into the consequences of gene duplications on the expansion and diversification of E3s, we examined the evolutionary basis of a cluster of six genes, duplC-ATLs, which arose from segmental and tandem duplication events in Brassicaceae. The assessment of the expression suggested two patterns that are supported by lineage. While retention of expression domains was observed, an apparent absence or reduction of expression was also inferred. We found that two duplC-ATL genes underwent pseudogenization and that, in one case, gene expression is probably regained. Our findings provide insights into the evolution of gene families in plants, defining key events on the expansion of the Arabidopsis Tóxicos en Levadura family of E3 ligases.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Arabidopsis / enzymology
  • Arabidopsis / genetics*
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / genetics*
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / metabolism
  • Base Sequence
  • Brassicaceae / classification
  • Brassicaceae / enzymology
  • Brassicaceae / genetics
  • Chromosome Mapping
  • Chromosomes, Plant / genetics
  • Evolution, Molecular
  • Gene Duplication*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
  • Glucuronidase / genetics
  • Glucuronidase / metabolism
  • Histocytochemistry
  • Isoenzymes / genetics
  • Isoenzymes / metabolism
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Multigene Family*
  • Phylogeny
  • Plants, Genetically Modified
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
  • Synteny
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / classification
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / genetics*
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / metabolism

Substances

  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • Isoenzymes
  • ATL78 protein, Arabidopsis
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases
  • Glucuronidase