Neofunctionalization of tandem duplicate genes encoding putative β-L-arabinofuranosidases in Arabidopsis.

Tandem duplication, one of the major types of duplication, provides the raw material for the evolution of divergent functions. In this study, we identified one pair of tandem duplicate genes (AT5G12950 and AT5G12960) in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) that originated within the last 16 million years after the split of Arabidopsis from the Capsella-Boechera ancestor. We systematically used bioinformatic tools to redefine their putative biochemical function as β-L-arabinofuranosidases that release L-Arabinose from the β-L-Araf-containing molecules in Arabidopsis. Comprehensive transcriptomic and proteomic analyses using various datasets showed divergent expression patterns among tissues between the two duplicate genes. We further collected phenotypic data from two types of measurements to indicate that AT5G12950 and AT5G12960 have different roles resulting in divergent phenotypic effects. Overall, AT5G12950 and AT5G12960 represent putative β-L-arabinofuranosidase encoding genes in Arabidopsis. After duplication, one duplicate copy developed diverged biological functions and contributed to a different phenotypic evolution in Arabidopsis.