Molecular Biology and Evolution, Vol 13, 780-783, Copyright © 1996 by Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution
YH Zhou and WH Li
During higher primate evolution, gene conversion seems to have occurred
often between the red and green photo-pigment genes, which are tandemly
linked on the X chromosome. To understand this phenomenon better, intron 4
sequences of the red and green pigment genes of a male human (an Asian
Indian), a male chimpanzee, and a male baboon were amplified by PCR and
sequenced. The data show that the intron 4 sequences between the two genes
have been strongly or completely homogenized in the three species studied.
Apparently recent gene conversion events have occurred in introns 4 of the
red and green pigment genes in humans and chimpanzees. Two or more
conversion events may have occurred at different times in introns 4 of the
two pigment genes in baboons. The divergence between the two genes is
significantly lower in intron 4 than in exons 4 and 5 in each species,
contrary to the usual situation that introns evolve faster than exons. It
is most likely that strong natural selection for maintaining the distinct
functions of exons 4 and 5 of the red and green pigment genes has acted
against sequence homogenization of these exons.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Gene conversion and natural selection in the evolution of X-linked color vision genes in higher primates
Human Genetics Center, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston 77225, USA. li@hgc.sph.uth.tmc.edu
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  B. C. Verrelli, C. M. Lewis Jr, A. C. Stone, and G. H. Perry Different Selective Pressures Shape the Molecular Evolution of Color Vision in Chimpanzee and Human Populations Mol. Biol. Evol., December 1, 2008; 25(12): 2735 - 2743. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
G. H. Perry, R. D. Martin, and B. C. Verrelli Signatures of Functional Constraint at Aye-aye Opsin Genes: The Potential of Adaptive Color Vision in a Nocturnal Primate Mol. Biol. Evol., September 1, 2007; 24(9): 1963 - 1970. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. Ezawa, S. OOta, and N. Saitou Genome-Wide Search of Gene Conversions in Duplicated Genes of Mouse and Rat Mol. Biol. Evol., May 1, 2006; 23(5): 927 - 940. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 E. J. Vallender and B. T. Lahn Positive selection on the human genome Hum. Mol. Genet., October 1, 2004; 13(suppl_2): R245 - R254. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. Boissinot, Y. Tan, S.-K. Shyue, H. Schneider, I. Sampaio, K. Neiswanger, D. Hewett-Emmett, and W.-H. Li Origins and antiquity of X-linked triallelic color vision systems in New World monkeys PNAS, November 10, 1998; 95(23): 13749 - 13754. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|