Novel genes are so called because their functions differ from their parental genes. While several theories have been explored to explain the diversification of gene functions, including duplication and retrotransposition, the origin of novel genes remains a longstanding debate in evolutionary biology, and understanding this process can help scientists to better understand how humans evolved.
One intriguing case for study is the TRIM5 gene, a species-specific antiretroviral resection factor that is involved in immune signaling. Many different animal species contain versions of this gene, and certain innovative, species-specific variations of this gene have been shown to inhibit certain strains of HIV. However, questions regarding previously identified organizational clusters of this gene in a potentially tree shrews have been left unanswered, as identified by Dr.’s Mu Dan, Shi Peng, Yong-tang Zheng, and their team. Some of these questions include: how many functional copies of the TRIM5 gene are in the tree shrew genome, and how were they duplicated?
To this end, Dr.’s Mu Dan, Shi Peng, Yong-tang Zheng, and their team examined 36 mammalian TRIM5 genes to verify that a novel TRIM5 pattern in tree shrews. First, they found 4 copy TRIM5 genes and 1 TRIMCyp gene fusion in the tree shrew genome. Additionally, their research suggests that gene duplication and retrotransposition drove the cluster of TRIM5/TRIMCyp genes to develop in the tree shrew genome, which is highly unusual, as usually only one of the mechanisms drives evolution. Moreover, their research also shows that TRIPCyp may help limit the replication of HIV-1.
The research was a joint effort between KIZ, The Kunming Primate Research Center, Kunming College of Life Sciences, and the Chinese University of Science and Technology. The study is published in the prestigious journal: “Molecular Biology and Evolution”, available online here: http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2014/08/18/molbev.msu238.long
The study was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the National Natural Science Foundation and Chinese academy of sciences.
(By Andrew Willden)
