Proteins can acquire new functions via
A) retrotransposons.
B) gene duplication.
C) bioprospecting.
D) biased gene conversion.
E) concerted evolution.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Gene duplication is a common mechanism for the evolution of new functions in proteins. When a gene undergoes duplication, the duplicate gene is free to accumulate mutations without affecting the function of the original gene. These mutations can result in changes to the protein sequence that lead to new functions or changes to the regulation of the gene that alter when and where the protein is produced. Other mechanisms, such as retrotransposons, biased gene conversion, and concerted evolution, can also involve changes to gene sequences, but they do not always result in the acquisition of new functions for proteins. Bioprospecting involves the search for new natural resources, including potential new protein functions, but it is not a mechanism for the evolution of proteins.

Proteins Can Acquire New Functions Via