Amplification

Amplification (gene duplication) doesn't necessarily constitute a lasting change in a species' genome. In fact, such changes often don't last past the initial host organism. From the perspective of molecular genetics, amplification is one of many ways in which a gene can be overexpressed. Genetic amplification can occur artificially, as with the use of the polymerase chain reaction technique to amplify short strands of DNA in vitro using enzymes, or it can occur naturally, as described above. If it's a natural duplication, it can still take place in a somatic cell, rather than a germline cell (which would be necessary for a lasting evolutionary change). Also, in either event, duplications can be and often are marginally or severely detrimental. For instance, duplications of oncogenes are a common cause of many types of cancer, as is the case with P70-S6 Kinase 1 amplification and breast cancer. In such cases the genetic duplication occurs in a somatic cell and affects only the genome of the cancer cells themselves, not the entire organism, much less any subsequent offspring.

Further information:

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4. Zhang J (2003). "Evolution by gene duplication: an update". Trends in Ecology & Evolution 18 (6): 292–8.
5. Taylor JS, Raes J (2004). "Duplication and divergence: the evolution of new genes and old ideas". Annu. Rev. Genet. 38: 615–43.
6. Mao R, Pevsner J (2005). "The use of genomic microarrays to study chromosomal abnormalities in mental retardation". Ment Retard Dev Disabil Res Rev 11 (4): 279–85.
7. Статья Amplification из Wikipedia, свободной энциклопедии. Доступно под лицензией Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike.

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