CBER/UGI Joint Seminar - Professor Mar Alba, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute

Abstract: During evolution genes are continuously gained and lost, contributing to the adaptation of the organism to a changing environment. New genes can originate from already existing genes or gene parts, one prime mechanism being gene duplication followed by sequence divergence. But they can also arise de novo from previously non-genic parts of the genome. Recent studies indicate that de novo gene origination is much more prevalent than previously thought, with hundreds or thousands of recently originated de novo genes in each species. The encoded proteins have completely new sequences and show compositional biases related to their non-coding origin. High throughput screening data indicate that, despite their recent origin, many of them are likely to be functional. The talk will address the most recent developments in the field and the challenges ahead.