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Structural divergence in vertebrate phylogeny of a duplicated prototype galectin
Ramray Bhat1, Mahul Chakraborty2, I S Mian3
1Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California rbhat@lbl.gov.
Genome Biology and Evolution
|September 28, 2014
Summary
The study traces the evolutionary origin of chicken Galectin-1A and Galectin-1B, revealing their divergence within the sauropsid lineage. This genetic split likely drove specialized functions contributing to vertebrate evolution.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Molecular genetics
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Prototype galectins, like Galectin-1 (Gal-1), regulate tissue properties.
- Chicken possesses two Gal-1 homologs: Gal-1A and Gal-1B, with distinct characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the evolutionary origin of Gal-1A/Gal-1B divergence.
- Understand the timing of their developmental functions and contribution to vertebrate evolution.
Main Methods:
- Phylogenetic tree construction and sequence alignment.
- Gene synteny analysis.
- Tertiary structure prediction and residue conservation analysis.
Main Results:
- Gal-1A/Gal-1B divergence originated in the sauropsid lineage, with additional duplications in other lineages.
- Chicken Gal-1A shares structural similarities with non-sauropsid Gal-1s, despite gene translocation.
- Evidence of positive selection on sauropsid gal-1b, but not gal-1a.
Conclusions:
- Duplication and divergence of Gal-1B from Gal-1A facilitated functional specialization in sauropsids.
- This specialization likely contributed to vertebrate phenotypic evolution.
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