Purifying selection against gene conversions between the polyamine transport (TPO) genes of Saccharomyces species.

Saccharomyces species have five TPO genes, TPO1 through TPO5, coding for proteins that are involved in up taking or excreting intracellular spermine, putrescine or spermidine. Here, we investigate the evolutionary fate and functional impacts of gene conversions between these genes. Our results show that gene conversions occurred only between the TPO2 and TPO3 genes of the six Saccharomyces species we studied. They also show that these gene conversions occurred independently in all six species. The facts that they only occur between closely related genes having similar function, and that they are limited to the transmembrane domain of these proteins, suggest that they have little functional impact. These gene conversions therefore likely represent neutral mutations which are not subject to purifying selection.