The Developmental Gene Hypothesis for Punctuated Equilibrium: Combined Roles of Developmental Regulatory Genes and Transposable Elements

Theories of the genetics underlying punctuated equilibrium (PE) have been vague to date. Here the developmental gene hypothesis is proposed, which states that: 1) developmental regulatory (DevReg) genes are responsible for the orchestration of metazoan morphogenesis and their extreme conservation an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BioEssays 2020-02, Vol.42 (2), p.e1900173-n/a
Main Authors: Casanova, Emily L., Konkel, Miriam K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
conserved noncoding elements
developmental regulatory genes
Divergence
DNA Transposable Elements - genetics
Equilibrium
Evolution, Molecular
Fossils
Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental - genetics
Genes
Genes, Developmental - genetics
Genetic Speciation
Genetics
Humans
Hypotheses
Intolerance
macroevolution
Models, Genetic
Morphogenesis
Mutation
punctuated equilibrium
Recombination
Regulatory sequences
regulome
Speciation
transposable elements
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Summary:Theories of the genetics underlying punctuated equilibrium (PE) have been vague to date. Here the developmental gene hypothesis is proposed, which states that: 1) developmental regulatory (DevReg) genes are responsible for the orchestration of metazoan morphogenesis and their extreme conservation and mutation intolerance generates the equilibrium or stasis present throughout much of the fossil record and 2) the accumulation of regulatory elements and recombination within these same genes—often derived from transposable elements—drives punctuated bursts of morphological divergence and speciation across metazoa. This two‐part hypothesis helps to explain the features that characterize PE, providing a theoretical genetic basis for the once‐controversial theory. Also see the video here https://youtu.be/C-fu-ks5yDs The theory of punctuated equilibrium states physical changes across species tend to occur in punctuated events book‐ended by evolutionary stasis. The developmental gene hypothesis for punctuated equilibrium accounts for these patterns by proposing developmental regulatory genes maintain stasis via strong conservation and mutation sensitivity. When changes do occur (e.g., transposon insertion), they may be co‐opted resulting in morphological change.
ISSN:0265-9247
1521-1878
1521-1878
DOI:10.1002/bies.201900173