In the current study, four out of the seven immune parameters examined with the 2004 sample pertain to IFN-γ production, which may not be the best parameter, and definitely not the only parameter, for characterizing the highly diversified functions of lymphocytes.
Indeed, highly diversified functions of plant peroxidases including regulation of H2O2 level, oxidation of various substrates, generation of ROS (coupled to oxidation of IAA, amines and SA) have been reported to date.
During the evolution of a gene family, gene duplication plays important roles in generating new members and creating novel gene functions, hence increasing numbers and diversifying functions of genes within a gene family [ 63, 64].
The LOX family has diversified functions in plants during vegetative growth and development, and contributes to formation of flavor and aroma compounds.
Thus, gene conversion provides a mechanism for limiting the divergence of functional regions of protein paralogs, while allowing other domains to evolve diversified functions.
Riparian zones have diversified functions that include preserving bank stability, functioning as habitats for streamside living organisms and also playing a critical role in preserving the water quality of rivers by filtering out pollutants from runoff (Zainudin et al. 2013).
The sum of our results, therefore, argues that cells have evolved distinct mechanisms of internalization, by diversifying the functions of the same (at least in part) molecular machinery.
First, plasticity could serve as a mechanism to diversify the functions of molecules, since a single genotype could yield multiple phenotypes (large thermodynamic ensemble of structures), even sncRNAs can adopt multistable states [ 28].
Members of the MYB family have highly diversified biological functions, and the expressions of most Arabidopsis MYB genes were responsive to one or multiple types of hormone and stress treatments [ 50].
These observations indicate that the functions of the GmNACs are diversified in a similar manner as that of their Arabidopsis counterparts.
