Definition of Gene Duplication



Gene duplication is an increase in the number of copies of a gene. It is a type of mutation in which either one or more copies of a gene or the regions of a chromosome are produced. Gene duplication leads the gene families to evolution in a way that one copy of gene continues to perform the original function whereas the other copy tends to produce a new function.

 


This phenomenon occurs in all organisms and most significant in plants. Several species of fish and plants have their genome fully duplicated. The genes also form their copies during diseased conditions. The cancer is caused when additional copies of the gene are produced.

 

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