Factors that contribute to variation in evolutionary rate among Arabidopsis genes

Surprisingly, few studies have described evolutionary rate variation among plant nuclear genes, with little investigation of the causes of rate variation. Here, we describe evolutionary rates for 11,492 ortholog pairs between Arabidopsis thaliana and A. lyrata and investigate possible contributors to rate variation among these genes. Rates of evolution at synonymous sites vary along chromosomes, suggesting that mutation rates vary on genomic scales, perhaps as a function of recombination rate. Rates of evolution at nonsynonymous sites correlate most strongly with expression patterns, but they also vary as to whether a gene is duplicated and retained after a whole-genome duplication (WGD) event. WGD genes evolve more slowly, on average, than nonduplicated genes and non-WGD duplicates. We hypothesize that levels and patterns of expression are not only the major determinants that explain nonsynonymous rate variation among genes but also a critical determinant of gene retention after duplication.