PJB-2025-3
Role of tandem repeat-containing genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Abdul Basit, Doha A. Albalawi, Izhar Ahmad, Asad Razzaq, Asma Massad Alenzi, Sondos A. Alhajouj, Rasha M. Alzayed, Siham M.Al-Balawi, Mohamed M. Zayed, Abdulaziz R. Alqahtani, Albatul Alharbi, Saurabh Pandey, Khalid F. Almutairi and Kifah Gharzeddin
DOI:10.30848/PJB2025-5(40)
Abstract
Genetic variation is essential for species to evolve and adapt to dynamic environments. Mutations are a primary source of variation, but they typically occur slowly, limiting immediate adaptation. Organisms, therefore, require faster mechanisms to cope with environmental changes. Sexual reproduction facilitates rapid adaptation through genetic recombination, generating diverse and robust individuals. However, asexual organisms lack this mechanism and must rely on other strategies for adaptation. It has been proposed that genes containing tandem repeats (TR-ORFs) may undergo mutations faster than non-repetitive DNA, which could help organisms adapt more quickly to environmental shifts. These TR-ORFs might contribute to both short- and long-term adaptation. Saccharomyces cerevisiae S288C, a predominantly asexual organism, was chosen as a model to investigate this. A wide range of S. cerevisiae strains, isolated from various niches, have been sequenced, and their genomic data is publicly available. The reference strain S288c, with manually annotated genes, was used as a baseline for analysis. Tandem repeats were identified in this reference strain using the Tandem Repeat Finder (TRF) tool, revealing 48 mega-satellite-TR in 35 genes, many associated with cell surface proteins. These genes were then compared to the genomes of 20 other S. cerevisiae strains from different ecological niches using BLAST searches. The results showed no significant correlation between the repeat patterns and the strains' ecological niches or genetic backgrounds. Additionally, most BLAST hits were missed, and no matches were found in other strains. This suggests that these TRs may be specific to certain environments or that gaps in genome assemblies, which often occur in repetitive regions, hindered detection. Further sequencing of selected TR-ORFs across multiple strains could provide valuable insights into their potential role in adaptive evolution
To Cite this article:
Basit, A., D.A. Albalawi, I. Ahmad, A. Razzaq, A.M. Alenzi, S.A. Alhajouj, R.M. Alzayed, S.M. Al-Balawi, M.M. Zayed, A.R. Alqahtani, A. Alharbi, S. Pandey, K.F. Almutairi and K. Gharzeddin. 2025. Role of tandem repeat-containing genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Pak. J. Bot., 57(5): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2025-5(40)
Download