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| Essential genes are more evolutionarily conserved than are nonessential genes in bacteria |
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| Author(s): Jordan IK, Rogozin IB, Wolf YI, Koonin EV |
| Source: GENOME RESEARCH Volume: 12 Issue: 6 Pages: 962-968 Published: JUN 2002 |
| Times Cited: 134 References: 30 |
| Abstract: The "knockout-rate" prediction holds that essential genes should be more evolutionarily conserved than are nonessential genes. This is because negative (purifying) selection acting on essential genes is expected to be more stringent than that for nonessential genes, which are more functionally dispensable and/or redundant. However, a recent survey of evolutionary distances between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Caenorhabditis elegans proteins did not reveal any difference between the rates of evolution for essential and nonessential genes. An analysis of mouse and rat orthologous genes also found that essential and nonessential genes evolved at similar rates when genes thought to evolve under directional selection were excluded from the analysis. In the present study, we combine genomic Sequence data with experimental knockout data to compare the rates of evolution and the levels of selection for essential versus nonessential bacterial genes. In contrast to the results obtained for eukaryotic genes, essential bacterial genes appear to be more conserved than are nonessential genes over both relatively short (microevolutionary) and longer (macroevolutionary) time scales. |
| Document Type: Article |
| Language: English |
| Reprint Address: Koonin, EV (reprint author), Natl Lib Med, Natl Ctr Biotechnol Informat, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20894 USA |
Addresses:
1. Natl Lib Med, Natl Ctr Biotechnol Informat, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20894 USA |
| Publisher: COLD SPRING HARBOR LAB PRESS, 1 BUNGTOWN RD, PLAINVIEW, NY 11724 USA |
| Subject Category: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology; Genetics & Heredity |
| IDS Number: 566NC |
| ISSN: 1088-9051 |
| DOI: 10.1101/gr.87702 |
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