Gene duplication
- Pronunciation
- /jeen doo-plih-KAY-shun/
- Category
- Evolutionary Biology
- Singular
- gene duplication
- Plural
- gene duplications
Definition
An evolutionary process producing two or more copies of a segment containing a gene, creating redundant genetic material that can diverge in sequence, regulation, or function. Duplication occurs through replication errors (slippage, unequal crossing-over), retrotransposition, chromosomal aberrations (aneuploidy, ), or activity. The resulting paralogs may undergo neofunctionalization (acquiring novel roles), subfunctionalization (partitioning ancestral functions), or nonfunctionalization (becoming pseudogenes). In , gene duplication is the primary engine expanding chemosensory receptor repertoires, detoxification , and protein diversity, enabling to specialized diets, , and chemical environments.
Etymology
Example
In Drosophila melanogaster, tandem duplications of P450 genes have generated expanded that metabolize plant , allowing to colonize plants toxic to ancestral . Similarly, massive duplication and divergence of odorant receptor genes in and underlie the sophisticated chemical communication systems characteristic of social insects.
Synonyms
- duplication event
- chromosomal duplication
- DNA duplication
Related Terms
- paralog
- pseudogene
- neofunctionalization
- subfunctionalization
- tandem duplication
- segmental duplication
- whole-genome duplication
- gene family expansion
- copy number variation
- molecular evolution
Usage Notes
Distinguish gene duplication from whole- duplication (), which duplicates all genes simultaneously. In literature, 'gene duplication' typically refers to localized events producing tandem arrays or dispersed paralogs, whereas polyploidy is rare in insects and arachnids due to and constraints. reserve 'duplication' for heritable copy-number increases; transient amplifications during development or stress responses are usually termed '' instead.