In Caenorhabditis tropicalis, three toxin–antidote elements arose via gene duplication from the essential tRNA-synthetase subunit FARS-3. The ancestral antidote probably acquired affinity for FARS-3, enabling presuppression of toxicity and allowing otherwise deleterious mutant alleles to evolve into selfish genes.
- Polina Tikanova
- James Julian Ross
- Alejandro Burga