Slip-sliding away: Serial changes and homoplasy in repeat number in the Drosophila yakuba homolog of human cancer susceptibility gene BRCA2

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2010

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Abstract

Several recent studies have examined the function and evolution of a Drosophila homolog to the human breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA2, named dmbrca2. We previously identified what appeared to be a recent expansion in the RAD51-binding BRC-repeat array in the ancestor of Drosophila yakuba. In this study, we examine patterns of variation and evolution of the dmbrca2 BRC-repeat array within D. yakuba and its close relatives. We develop a model of how unequal crossing over may have produced the expanded form, but we also observe short repeat forms, typical of other species in the D. melanogaster group, segregating within D. yakuba and D. santomea. These short forms do not appear to be identical-by-descent, suggesting that the history of dmbrca2 in the D. melanogaster subgroup has involved repeat unit contractions resulting in homoplasious forms. We conclude that the evolutionary history of dmbrca2 in D. yakuba and perhaps in other Drosophila species may be more complicated than can be inferred from examination of the published single genome sequences per species. © 2010 Bennett et al.

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10.1371/journal.pone.0011006

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Bennett, Sarah M, John M Mercer and Mohamed AF Noor (2010). Slip-sliding away: Serial changes and homoplasy in repeat number in the Drosophila yakuba homolog of human cancer susceptibility gene BRCA2. PLoS ONE, 5(6). p. e11006. 10.1371/journal.pone.0011006 Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/4545.

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Scholars@Duke

Mercer

John M. Mercer

Professor of the Practice of Biology
Noor

Mohamed A. F. Noor

Professor of Biology

Research in my laboratory strives to understand what genetic changes contribute to the formation of new species, what maintains fitness-related variation in natural populations, and how the process of genetic recombination affects both species formation and molecular evolution. Our approaches combine classical genetic, molecular genetic, and genomic/ bioinformatic analyses, along with occasional forays into areas like animal behavior (in relation to speciation). I am also very interested in helping develop educational activities (K-12 or college) in genetics and evolution.  See my lab webpage for more detailed information: https://sites.google.com/view/noor-lab 


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