Journal article
Intron-dependent evolution of chicken glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase gene
Nature (London), Vol.313(6002), pp.498-500
02/1985
DOI: 10.1038/313498a0
PMID: 3969156
Abstract
The function of introns in the evolution of genes can be explained in at least two ways: either introns appeared late in evolution and therefore could not have participated in the construction of primordial genes, or RNA splicing and introns existed in the earliest organisms but were lost during the evolution of the modern prokaryotes. The latter alternative allows the possibility of intron participation in the formation of primordial genes before the divergence of modern prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Blake suggested that evidence for intron-facilitated evolution of a gene might be found by comparing the borders of functional protein domains with the placement of introns. We therefore examined glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), a glycolytic enzyme, because it is the first protein for which the following data are available: X-ray crystallographic studies demonstrating structurally independent protein 'domains' which were highly conserved during the divergence of prokaryotes and eukaryotes; and a study of genomic organization which mapped introns in the gene. Sequencing of the chicken GAPDH gene revealed 11 introns. We report here that sites of three of the introns (IV, VI and XI) correspond closely with the borders of the NAD-binding, catalytic and helical tail domains of the enzyme, supporting the hypothesis that introns did have a role in the evolution of primitive genes. In addition, other biochemical and structural data were used to construct a model of the intron-mediated assembly of the GAPDH gene that explains the existence of 10 introns.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Intron-dependent evolution of chicken glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase gene
- Creators
- Edwin M StoneKatrina N RothblumRobert J Schwartz
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Nature (London), Vol.313(6002), pp.498-500
- DOI
- 10.1038/313498a0
- PMID
- 3969156
- ISSN
- 0028-0836
- eISSN
- 1476-4687
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 02/1985
- Academic Unit
- The University of Iowa Institute for Vision Research; Iowa Neuroscience Institute; John and Marcia Carver Nonprofit Genetic Testing Laboratory; Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
- Record Identifier
- 9984070562702771
Metrics
18 Record Views