Paper Info
Title
The role of translocation and selection in the emergence of genetic clusters and modules.
Abstract
Biomolecular studies point increasingly to the importance of modularity in the organization of the genome. Processes such as the maintenance of metabolism are controlled by suites of genes that act as distinct, self-contained units, or modules. One effect is to promote stability of inherited characters. Despite the obvious importance of genetic modules, the mechanisms by which they form and persist are not understood. One clue is that functionally related genes tend to cluster together. Here we show that genetic translocation, recombination, and natural selection play a central role in this process. We distill the question of emerging genetic modularity into three simulation experiments that show: (1) a tendency, under natural selection, for essential genes to co-locate on the same chromosome and to settle in fixed loci; (2) that genes associated with a particular function tend to form functional clusters; and (3) that genes within a functional cluster tend to become arranged in transcription order. The results also imply that high proportions of junk DNA are essential to the process.
Year
DOI
Venue
2007
10.1162/artl.2007.13.3.249
Artificial Life
Keywords
Field
DocType
Genetic modularity,clustering,feedback,self-organization,translocation
Genome,Gene,Chromosome,Chromosomal translocation,Noncoding DNA,Biology,Artificial intelligence,Evolutionary biology,Natural selection,Locus (genetics),Genetics,Machine learning,Modularity
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
13
3
1064-5462
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
1
0.35
0
Authors
2
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
David Newth17722.00
David G. Green215325.63