Exon shuffling is a proposal that relates exons in DNA to the repositioning of functional domains in proteins. What evidence exists in support of exon shuffling?

Key Concepts

Exons and Introns

Exons are the coding regions of a gene that are expressed in the final mRNA product, while introns are non-coding regions that are spliced out during RNA processing. Understanding the distinction between exons and introns is crucial for grasping how exon shuffling can lead to the creation of new protein functions by rearranging these coding sequences.

Protein Domains

Protein domains are distinct functional and structural units within a protein, often responsible for specific activities or interactions. The concept of exon shuffling suggests that by rearranging exons, which correspond to these domains, new proteins with novel functions can be generated, highlighting the evolutionary significance of this mechanism.

Evolutionary Evidence

Evidence for exon shuffling comes from comparative genomics and the observation of similar protein domains across different species. Studies have shown that many proteins share common domains, suggesting that these domains have been rearranged through exon shuffling over evolutionary time, leading to increased protein diversity and adaptability.