Question

A researcher studying a member of the Conus genus of cone snails discovers that there are many dozens of slightly different variants of venom proteins coded by closely related genes. What is the most likely explanation for this great variation? [Hint: The compounds likely diversified in a similar way as the multiple globin proteins in mammals did.]a.Multiple gene duplication events have led to the production of a paralogous multigene family.b.Hybridization between two snail species has left the offspring with multiple orthologous genes.c.Duplicated genes underwent incomplete gene conversion, leading to many errors in sequence.d.Concerted evolution resulted in the production of many venom genes, scattered throughout the genome.e.The last common ancestor of all cone snails had a diverse set of venom genes that have been inherited by all cone snails

Answer 1

Answer:

a. Multiple gene duplication events have led to the production of a paralogous multigene family.

Explanation:

A globin gene family consists of several clusters of related genes formed by duplication of an ancestral gene. The different variants of venom proteins coded by closely related genes can reply this ancestral gene, forming this way a globin gene family in Cone snails.