Open AccessSilent genes in prokaryotes
Author(s) -
Beacham I.R.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1987.tb02477.x
Subject(s) - gene , biology , gene duplication , genetics , genome , isozyme , concerted evolution , gene family , enzyme , biochemistry
DNA sequence analysis provides excellent evidence for the origin of new genes, encoding new enzyme specificities or isozymes, via gene‐duplication. New genes which arise in this way are likely to have arisen via silent gene intermediates. Such ‘silent’ genes are conceptually distinct from ‘cryptic’ genes which may also be silent; whereas cryptic genes are thought to be retained due to periodic selection, silent genes would be expected to have only a transient existence in the genome. Only very few of the known inactive genes are possibly (and with varying degrees of likelihood) of the ‘silent’ type.