Orphan genes are not a distinct biological entity.

Abstract

The genome sequencing revolution has revealed that all species possess a large number of unique genes critical for trait variation, adaptation, and evolutionary innovation. One widely used approach to identify such genes consists of detecting protein-coding sequences with no homology in other genomes, termed orphan genes. These genes have been extensively studied, under the assumption that they represent valid proxies for species-specific genes. Here, we critically evaluate taxonomic, phylogenetic, and sequence evolution evidence showing that orphan genes belong to a range of evolutionary ages and thus cannot be assigned to a single lineage. Furthermore, we show that the processes generating orphan genes are substantially more diverse than generally thought and include horizontal gene transfer, transposable element domestication, and overprinting. Thus, orphan genes represent a heterogeneous collection of genes rather than a single biological entity, making them unsuitable as a subject for meaningful investigation of gene evolution and phenotypic innovation.