One gene can generate products that are involved in multiple distinct processes/pathways. Examples of this are plentiful. I was wondering if someone with experties on the area can direct me to literature source where I can find

 

1. the first example of a single gene/protein with multiple function

 

2. How such phenomenon complicate how we use genetics to decipher function of a gene.

 

Thanks!!

 

Muchado

This sounds like a homework question to me. If examples are so plentiful, I think you should be able to research this yourself. Here's a suggestion - even recent articles will usually begin with a paragraph or two of introductory background knowledge of the issue at hand, with references to earlier papers. I don't know if you'll be able to find THE FIRST known gene that effects multiple traits, (if there even is a single example - issues like these often are discovered via several examples, not just one) but it will point you in the right direction.

Oh, the examples are plentiful...like the Ku proteins that have role in DSB and telomere biology.

...But I was looking to read about the subject from a historical prospective....there is plenty of stuff available on Garrod's one gene one enzyme hypothesis but not how it evolved since then. The earliest solid evidence I can find in eukaryote is ilv1 gene which encodes thereonine deaminase (from 1974).

 

Anyways, thanks for your suggestion.