Evolution of Functional Modules in Eukaryotes
Author Information
Author(s): Fokkens Like, Snel Berend
Primary Institution: Utrecht University
Hypothesis
To what extent do functional modules evolve cohesively in eukaryotes?
Conclusion
Most functional modules in eukaryotes evolve flexibly rather than cohesively.
Supporting Evidence
- More than half of all complexes and pathways are only partially present in a number of species.
- Cohesively evolving modules tend to have a lower rate of sequence evolution.
- Curated datasets evolve more cohesively than those derived from high-throughput data.
Takeaway
This study looked at how groups of proteins work together in different species and found that many of these groups can change a lot over time.
Methodology
The study analyzed datasets of protein complexes and pathways in Saccharomyces cerevisiae across 34 eukaryotic genomes to measure evolutionary cohesiveness.
Potential Biases
Potential biases in module definitions and the use of high-throughput data may affect the results.
Limitations
The study's approach may underestimate the degree of coevolution due to limitations in defining functional modules and orthologous groups.
Participant Demographics
The study focused on 34 eukaryotic species from 6 major divisions.
Statistical Information
P-Value
8e-06
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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