Long M, Rosenberg C, Gilbert W
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1995 Dec 19;92(26):12495-9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.92.26.12495.
Two issues in the evolution of the intron/exon structure of genes are the role of exon shuffling and the origin of introns. Using a large data base of eukaryotic intron-containing genes, we have found that there are correlations between intron phases leading to an excess of symmetric exons and symmetric exon sets. We interpret these excesses as manifestations of exon shuffling and make a conservative estimate that at least 19% of the exons in the data base were involved in exon shuffling, suggesting an important role for exon shuffling in evolution. Furthermore, these excesses of symmetric exons appear also in those regions of eukaryotic genes that are homologous to prokaryotic genes: the ancient conserved regions. This last fact cannot be explained in terms of the insertional theory of introns but rather supports the concept that some of the introns were ancient, the exon theory of genes.
基因内含子/外显子结构进化中的两个问题是外显子重排的作用和内含子的起源。利用一个包含真核生物内含子基因的大型数据库,我们发现内含子相位之间存在相关性,导致对称外显子和对称外显子集过多。我们将这些过多现象解释为外显子重排的表现,并做出保守估计,即数据库中至少19%的外显子参与了外显子重排,这表明外显子重排在进化中起着重要作用。此外,这些对称外显子的过多现象也出现在真核生物基因中与原核生物基因同源的区域:古老的保守区域。最后这一事实无法用内含子的插入理论来解释,而是支持了一些内含子是古老的这一概念,即基因的外显子理论。