Titre
A test of the null model for 5' UTR evolution based on GC content.
Type
article
Institution
Externe
Périodique
Auteur(s)
Reuter, M.
Auteure/Auteur
Engelstädter, J.
Auteure/Auteur
Fontanillas, P.
Auteure/Auteur
Hurst, L.D.
Auteure/Auteur
Liens vers les personnes
ISSN
1537-1719
Statut éditorial
Publié
Date de publication
2008-05
Volume
25
Numéro
5
Première page
801
Dernière page/numéro d’article
804
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Langue
anglais
Notes
Publication types: Letter ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Publication Status: ppublish
Publication Status: ppublish
Résumé
Eukaryotic mRNAs are headed by a stretch of noncoding sequence, the 5' untranslated region (UTR). It has been proposed that the length of 5' UTRs is selectively neutral and evolves under a process of stochastic destruction and recruitment of core promoter elements, combined with selection against the premature initiation of translation. We test this null model by investigating whether 5' UTR length varies with genomic GC content, an implicit prediction of the model. Using simulations, we show that the null model predicts a positive relationship between GC content and UTR length for genes regulated by a TATA box. Although this prediction is borne out qualitatively in genomic data from yeast, fruit flies, and humans, we find marked quantitative discrepancies. We conclude that UTR length may be shaped to some degree by the forces considered in the null model but that the model fails to provide a complete explanation for UTR length evolution.
PID Serval
serval:BIB_15A9F8727845
PMID
Date de création
2009-02-23T13:30:48.587Z
Date de création dans IRIS
2025-05-20T16:11:38Z