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Genetics, Vol. 175, 477-485, February 2007, Copyright © 2007
doi:10.1534/genetics.107.071399
Finely Orchestrated Movements: Evolution of the Ribosomal RNA Genes
Thomas H. Eickbush1 and Danna G. Eickbush
Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627
1 Corresponding author: Department of Biology, Hutchinson Hall, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627-0211.
E-mail: eick{at}mail.rochester.edu
Evolution of the tandemly repeated ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes is intriguing because in each species all units within the array are highly uniform in sequence but that sequence differs between species. In this review we summarize the origins of the current models to explain this process of concerted evolution, emphasizing early studies of recombination in yeast and more recent studies in Drosophila and mammalian systems. These studies suggest that unequal crossover is the major driving force in the evolution of the rRNA genes with sister chromatid exchange occurring more often than exchange between homologs. Gene conversion is also believed to play a role; however, direct evidence for its involvement has not been obtained. Remarkably, concerted evolution is so well orchestrated that even transposable elements that insert into a large fraction of the rRNA genes appear to have little effect on the process. Finally, we summarize data that suggest that recombination in the rDNA locus of higher eukaryotes is sufficiently frequent to monitor changes within a few generations.
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