The road less travelled? Exploring the nuanced evolutionary consequences of duplicated genes

Duplicated genes have long been appreciated as both substrates and catalysts of evolu-tionary processes. From even the simplest cell to complex multicellular animals and plants, duplicated genes have made immeasurable contributions to the phenotypic evolution of all life on Earth. Not merely drivers of morphological innovation and speciation events, how-ever, gene duplications sculpt the evolution of genetic architecture in ways we are only just coming to understand now we have the experimental tools to do so. As such, the present article revisits our understanding of the ways in which duplicated genes evolve, examin-ing closely the various fates they can adopt in light of recent work that yields insights from studies of paralogues from across the tree of life that challenge the classical framework.

Automated summary

Duplicated genes play a crucial role in evolutionary processes as both substrates and catalysts, contributing to the phenotypic evolution of all life on Earth. Recent research on paralogues from across the tree of life challenges the classical framework and provides insights into the ways in which duplicated genes shape genetic architecture.