Table 1.
Examples of new genes with documented phenotypes and functions in Drosophila spp., mammals and plants
| New genes | Age (million years) | Origination mechanism | Expression | Phenotype | Function | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drosophila spp. | ||||||
| Sdic family | 0–3 | DNA duplication | Testis | Sperm competition | Cytoskeleton | 69–71 |
| sphinx | 0–3 | Retrotransposition | Neuronal and reproductive tissue | Male courtship | ncRNA | 77,111 |
| jingwei | 0–3 | Retrotransposition | Testis | Recruitment pheromone and hormone | Alcohol metabolism | 7,17 |
| p24-2 | 0–3 | DNA duplication | Multiple stages and tissues | Development, male reproduction | Protein trafficking | 46,47 |
| Xcbp1 | 3–6 | Retrotransposition | Neuronal tissue | Foraging behaviour | Chaperone | 76 |
| Zeus | 3–6 | Retrotransposition | Male reproductive tissues | Male reproduction | Gene regulation | 74,122 |
| nsr | 3–6 | DNA duplication | Imaginal discs, sperm | Sperm maturation | Post-transcriptional regulation | 10 |
| Sflc | 6–11 | DNA duplication | Wide range of tissues | Male and female fecundity | Protease | 127 |
| ms(3)K81 | 6–11 | DNA duplication | Sperm | Zygote development | Paternal chromosome telomere capping | 73 |
| Umbrea | 6–11 | DNA duplication | Multiple stages and tissues | Development | Chromatin binding | 46, 118 |
| Pros28.1A | 6–11 | Retrotransposition | Multiple stages and tissues | Development | Signalling, protein regulation | 46 |
| Desr | 11–25 | Retrotransposition | Neuronal | Foraging behaviour | Transcription regulator | 76 |
| MstProx (also known as Toll3) | 11–25 | DNA duplication | Larva and pupa | Development | Immune response | 46 |
| bicoid | ~150 | Unclear | Early anterior embryo | Embryonic development | Maternal-effect morphogen | 59 |
| Mammals | ||||||
| FGF4 | ~0.01 | Retrotransposition | Distal humerus | Humerus development | FGF signalling | 66 |
| SRGAP2C | 1.0–3.4 | Partial DNA duplication | Brain | Predicted to affect cortex development in a mouse model | Unknown | 109, 110 |
| CDC14C | 7–12 | Retrotransposition | Brain and testis | Unknown | Cell cycle | 21 |
| CYPA | <10 | Retrotransposition | Unknown | Viral infection | HIV-1 resistance | 29 |
| POLDI | 2.5–3.5 | De novo origination | Testis | Knockout reduced testis weight and sperm motility | Unknown | 44 |
| TBC1D3 | <35 | Segmental duplication | Prostate | Insulin modulation | IGF signalling | 128 |
| KRAB–ZNF family | 35–40 | Tandem duplication | Several tissues | Transcriptional suppression | Unknown | 129 |
| INSL4 | 100–160 | Gene duplication | Placental tissue | Fetal development | Regulatory pseudogene | 62 |
| XIST | 100–160 | Pseudogenization | Placental tissue | X-chromosome- inactivation transcript | X-chromosome inactivation | 130 |
| Syncytin (also known as ERVW1) | 100–160 | Recruited viral gene | Placental tissue | Unknown | Mediates placental cytotrophoblast fusion | 131 |
| Primate opsin genes | <60 | Gene duplication | Primates | Trichromatic vision | Trichromatic vision | 132 |
| Olfactory receptor genes | 15–90 | Gene duplication | Mammals, especially mice | Unknown | Odour discrimination | 133 |
| Plants | ||||||
| CYP98A8 | <28 | Retrotransposition | Vascular tissue, pistilis, root tip, etc. | Pollen development | Phenolic synthesis | 19 |
| CYP84A4 | <8 | Gene duplication | Stem and seedling | Unknown | Arabiodopyrone biosynthesis | 20 |
| CYP98A9 | <28 | Retrotransposition | Vascular tissue, | Pollen development | Phenolic synthesis | 19 |
CYP, Cytochrome P450; CYPA, cyclophilin A; Desr, Drosophila Elm2-Sant retrogene; FGF4, fibroblast growth factor 4; IGF, insulin-like growth factor; INSL4, insulin-like 4; KRAB–ZNF, Krüppel-associated box zinc-finger proteins; ms(3)K81, male sterile (3) K81 gene; ncRNA, non-coding RNA; nsr, novel spermatogenesis regulator; Sdic, Sperm-specific dynein intermediate chain; Sflc, Short-lived and few children; SRGAP2C, SLIT–ROBO RHO GTPase-activating protein 2C; TBC1D3, TBC1 domain family member 3; Xcbp1, X-linked calcium binding protein 1 gene; XIST, X-inactive specific transcript gene.