29/01/2014

Animation on orphan genes

Jose Luis Villanueva and Mar Albà, members of the Evolutionary Genomics Group of GRIB (IMIM - UPF) have participated in the production of a video on orphan genes. The video explains the origin of genes, which are the main functional units in genomes. Whereas many genes are formed by duplication of preexisting genes others arise directly from genomic regions by still poorly understood mechanisms. The latter genes are called orphan genes and represent radically new inventions. The animation was produced during the 2013 edition of the Workshop Inform.animation at University of Alghero (Italy), funded by the EU Erasmus Lifelong Learning Programme. It was inspired in the work developed at the Evolutionary Genomics Group of GRIB, and in other groups around the world, on the birth of new genes.