Opinion piece: Exploring the early origins of the synapse by comparative genomics

Abstract

One set of evolutionary features that has received less attention than the evolution of genes or species is the evolution of cellular machines, the self-contained structures in cells with dedicated functions. Here I suggest that domain expansion through shuffling, duplication, and changes in protein expression level are critical drivers in the evolution of cellular machines. Once established, evolutionary change in these cellular machines tends to occur by paralogy or expansion and modification of the existing core genes. A comparative genomics approach to one cellular machine - the postsynaptic complex - provided preliminary validation of these views. A comparative genomics approach to the entire cellulome may reveal the diversity of cellular machines and their inter-relationships. © 2008 The Royal Society.