Work

Selfish genetic elements, genetic conflict, and evolutionary innovation

Year: 2011

Type: review

Abstract: Genomes are vulnerable to selfish genetic elements (SGEs), which enhance their own transmission relative to the rest of an individual's genome but are neutral or harmful to the individual as a whole. As a result, genetic conflict occurs between SGEs and other genetic elements in the genome. There is growing evidence that SGEs, and the resulting genetic conflict, are an important motor for evolutionary change and innovation. In this review, the kinds of SGEs and their evolutionary consequences are described, including how these elements shape basic biological features, such as genome structure and gene regulation, evolution of new genes, origin of new species, and mechanisms of sex determination and development. The dynamics of SGEs are also considered, including possible "evolutionary functions" of SGEs.

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1102343108

Author: John H. Werren

Institution: University of Rochester

Language: English

Topic: Chromosomal and Genetic Variations

Subfield: Genetics

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Awards: Population Biology of a Lateral Gene Transfer from Wolbachia to Drosophila ananassae, Genetic and genomic tools for the emerging model organsism, Nasonia