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Fig. 4. | BMC Biology

Fig. 4.

From: A genome-wide survey of copy number variations reveals an asymmetric evolution of duplicated genes in rice

Fig. 4.

The model of asymmetric evolution of duplicated genes. This model is only applicable to cases where the two copies are separated after duplication. The copy that moved to a new genomic position is considered an offspring copy, and the other one is a parent copy. After moving to a new genomic region, the expression of offspring copy is no longer affected by the original regulation network and may be more active. At the same time, because of the functional redundancy, the functional constraint of the offspring copy is weaker than that of the original gene, so it is easier to accumulate more harmful mutations and degenerate into pseudogenes. On the contrary, due to the high expression of the new copy and feedback regulation, the expression level of the parent copy is relatively low. The parent copies are more limited because they were in their original positions, especially when the offspring copies accumulate more deleterious mutations that affect their functions, and the parent copies become more functionally constrained to maintain their original function. Thus, the evolution of two copies of a gene that were separated is asymmetrical in terms of expression and fate

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