Exonic remnants of whole-genome duplication reveal cis-regulatory function of coding exons

Using a comparative genomics approach to reconstruct the fate of genomic regulatory blocks (GRBs) and identify exonic remnants that have survived the disappearance of their host genes after whole-genome duplication (WGD) in teleosts, we discover a set of 38 candidate cis-regulatory coding exons (RCEs) with predicted target genes. These elements demonstrate evolutionary separation of overlapping protein-coding and regulatory information after WGD in teleosts. We present evidence that the corresponding mammalian exons are still under both coding and non-coding selection pressure, are more conserved than other protein coding exons in the host gene and several control sets, and share key characteristics with highly conserved non-coding elements in the same regions. Their dual function is corroborated by existing experimental data. Additionally, we show examples of human exon remnants stemming from the vertebrate 2R WGD. Our findings suggest that long-range cis-regulatory inputs for developmental genes are not limited to non-coding regions, but can also overlap the coding sequence of unrelated genes. Thus, exonic regulatory elements in GRBs might be functionally equivalent to those in non-coding regions, calling for a re-evaluation of the sequence space in which to look for long-range regulatory elements and experimentally test their activity.     

人Daintain 基因5'调控区序列的生物信息学分析

目的：探讨人Daintain 基因5''调控区的序列特征。方法：利用在线软件BLAST、Neural Network Promoter Prediction、Promoter 2.0、Promoter SCAN、EMBOSS、CpG Island Searcher 和TF SEARCH预测人Daintain 基因启动子区域、CpG 岛分布和转录因子结 合位点。结果：人Daintain 基因5''调控区存在1 个CAAT盒。Daintain 基因可能存在6 个启动子位点,CpG岛可能位于216 bp 区 间( 23 ~ 238 bp)。评分85 分以上时,该序列存在251 个可能的转录因子结合位点;评分90 分以上时,该序列存在70 个可能的转 录因子结合位点;评分95 分以上时,该序列存在16个可能的转录因子结合位点;评分100 分以上时,该序列存在7 个可能的转 录因子结合位点;这些结合的转录因子基本是与免疫细胞增殖或性别发生有关。结论：人Daintain 基因5''调控区的生物信息学研 究表明其转录受甲基化和多种转录因子的调控,为研究Daintain 基因启动子的功能提供理论基础。