The multimeric beta-thymosin found in nematodes and arthropods is not a synapomorphy of the Ecdysozoa

The Ecdysozoa hypothesis proposes a clade of animals including arthropods and nematodes that share the characteristic of periodic molting or ecdysis. The original evidence supporting this hypothesis came from molecular phylogenies based on ribosomal RNA gene sequences. Contrary evidence has come from studies of multiple protein coding genes. One of the most convincing bits of supporting evidence for this theory has been the observation of an unusual multimeric form of the beta-thymosin gene in the genomes of Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans where, in other metazoans that had been studied, a monomeric form has been found. Here I show that recently deposited sequence data reveal that the multimeric form is in fact a characteristic of all major subdivisions of the Metazoa. The multimeric form is present in a deuterostome, Ciona intestinalis, a lophotrochozoan, Hermissenda crassicornis, and in the ecdysozoans and also exists outside the Metazoa in a fungus. The presence of the multimeric form in nematodes and arthropods, therefore, although not contradicting the Ecdysozoa hypothesis, gives it no support. The absence of the monomeric form in the completely sequenced flies and nematodes may suggest they are linked but, lacking the complete genomes of other ecdysozoans, proving its total absence from the Ecdysozoa is not possible. Furthermore, the absence of the monomeric form from the genome of the deuterostome Ciona suggests that the absence of this character is an unreliable indicator of relationships.