Hi all
We often hear that resistance to pathogens or antibiotics, for example, can only develop in populations where some members already have these traits. The selection process weeds out the susceptible individuals, the special individuals reproduce and alter the makeup of the population, making theirs the dominant genetic type.
However, were this the only way change occurs, evolution would not take place, since nothing new would come about. There are various ways in which the genome changes from generation to generation. One most often mentioned is mutation, but there are many other changes that take place, including gene duplication.
> Although gene duplication is seen as the main path to evolution of new functions, molecular mechanisms by which selection favours the gain versus loss of newly duplicated genes and minimizes the fixation of pseudo-genes are not well understood. Here, we investigate in detail a duplicate honeybee gene obp11 belonging to a fast evolving insect gene family encoding odorant binding proteins (OBPs).
> We report that obp11 is expressed only in female bees in rare antennal sensilla basiconica in contrast to its tandem partner obp10 that is expressed in the brain in both females and males (drones). Unlike all other obp genes in the honeybee, obp11 is methylated suggesting that functional diversification of obp11 and obp10 may have been driven by an epigenetic mechanism.
Comment:
Increased sensitivity to odors can lead to better hygienic behavior, one of the mechanisms that bees use to control pathogens.
Kucharski, R., Maleszka, J., & Maleszka, R. (2016, June). A possible role of DNA methylation in functional divergence of a fast evolving duplicate gene encoding odorant binding protein 11 in the honeybee. In Proc. R. Soc. B (Vol. 283, No. 1833, p. 20160558). The Royal Society.
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