Structure of the human hemopexin gene and evidence for intron-mediated evolution.
Article Details
- CitationCopy to clipboard
Altruda F, Poli V, Restagno G, Silengo L
Structure of the human hemopexin gene and evidence for intron-mediated evolution.
J Mol Evol. 1988;27(2):102-8.
- PubMed ID
- 2842511 [ View in PubMed]
- Abstract
The human hemopexin gene was isolated and its structure determined. The gene spans approximately 12 kb and is interrupted by nine introns. When the intron/exon pattern was examined with respect to the polypeptide segments they encode, a direct correspondence between exons and the 10 repeating units in the protein was observed. The introns are not randomly placed; they fall in the middle of the region of amino acid sequence homology in strikingly similar locations in 6 of the 10 units and in a symmetrical position in the two halves of the coding sequence. These features strongly support the hypothesis that the gene evolved through intron-mediated duplications of a primordial sequence to a five-exon cluster. A more recent gene duplication led to the present-day gene organization.