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The "inverse relationship between evolutionary rate and age of mammalian genes" is an artifact of increased genetic distance with rate of evolution and time of divergence

Elhaik, Eran LU orcid ; Sabath, Niv and Graur, Dan (2006) In Molecular biology and evolution 23(1). p.1-3
Abstract

It has recently been claimed that older genes tend to evolve more slowly than newer ones (Alba and Castresana 2005). By simulation of genes of equal age, we show that the inverse correlation between age and rate is an artifact caused by our inability to detect homology when evolutionary distances are large. Since evolutionary distance increases with time of divergence and rate of evolution, homologs of fast-evolving genes are frequently undetected in distantly related taxa and are, hence, misclassified as "new." This misclassification causes the mean genetic distance of 'new' genes to be overestimated and the mean genetic distance of "old" genes to be underestimated.

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author
; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
keywords
Animals, Computer Simulation, Evolution, Molecular, Genes/genetics, Mammals/genetics, Models, Genetic, Phylogeny, Time Factors
in
Molecular biology and evolution
volume
23
issue
1
pages
1 - 3
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:28944445062
  • pmid:16151190
ISSN
0737-4038
DOI
10.1093/molbev/msj006
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
2128a759-6f61-4535-a95f-c4356738be98
date added to LUP
2019-11-10 17:00:05
date last changed
2024-04-02 19:34:35
@article{2128a759-6f61-4535-a95f-c4356738be98,
  abstract     = {{<p>It has recently been claimed that older genes tend to evolve more slowly than newer ones (Alba and Castresana 2005). By simulation of genes of equal age, we show that the inverse correlation between age and rate is an artifact caused by our inability to detect homology when evolutionary distances are large. Since evolutionary distance increases with time of divergence and rate of evolution, homologs of fast-evolving genes are frequently undetected in distantly related taxa and are, hence, misclassified as "new." This misclassification causes the mean genetic distance of 'new' genes to be overestimated and the mean genetic distance of "old" genes to be underestimated.</p>}},
  author       = {{Elhaik, Eran and Sabath, Niv and Graur, Dan}},
  issn         = {{0737-4038}},
  keywords     = {{Animals; Computer Simulation; Evolution, Molecular; Genes/genetics; Mammals/genetics; Models, Genetic; Phylogeny; Time Factors}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{1--3}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{Molecular biology and evolution}},
  title        = {{The "inverse relationship between evolutionary rate and age of mammalian genes" is an artifact of increased genetic distance with rate of evolution and time of divergence}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msj006}},
  doi          = {{10.1093/molbev/msj006}},
  volume       = {{23}},
  year         = {{2006}},
}