Question

How does the rearrangement of genes and/or genomes allow for the evolution of genomes?

Answer 1

Genome rearrangement which occurs due to the the rearrangement occurring in chromosome leads to genome evolution. Rearrangement causes the genes either to come closer to each other or to move far from each other. Not only this, gene can also be deleted or duplicated or inserted or even show translocation and transposition.

If a certain segment of chromosome is deleted, and the remaining fragment is joined, genome rearrangement occurs due to deletion of chromosome segment. This leads to the loss of certain genes and coming together of genes which get associated with each other after joining of fragments.

Another process is duplication. Duplication give rise to to a very high copy number of the same gene. Duplication followed by mutation give rise to a new gene with similar structure and function. For example the origin of globin Super family of gene which includes haemoglobin and myoglobin and immuno globin.

Genome rearrangement can also occur due to trans location. This is the exchange of fragments between two chromosomes or within the same chromosome.

Transposition is another cause of genomic rearrangement. It is caused when non coding region enter into the coding regions of DNA and interrupt the structure of gene. This leads to the destruction of the function of gene and evolution of a gene with new function.

Insertion of a new fragment of a chromosome from some other location into a gene also causes genome rearrangement.

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