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Gap Junctions01:27

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The cytoplasm of adjacent animal cells can exchange small molecules, ions, and secondary messengers via the communication channels which form the gap junctions. These junctions comprise a few hundred to thousands of molecular channels, each made of two halves, called the connexon hemichannel. A connexon is a hexamer of six transmembrane connexin proteins, which assemble radially, thus forming a pore or channel in the center. One connexon hemichannel docks with a corresponding connexon on the...
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Multicellular organisms employ a variety of ways for cells to communicate with each other. Gap junctions are specialized proteins that form pores between neighboring cells in animals, connecting the cytoplasm between the two, and allowing for the exchange of molecules and ions. They are found in a wide range of invertebrate and vertebrate species, mediate numerous functions including cell differentiation and development, and are associated with numerous human diseases, including cardiac and...
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The evolution of new genes is critical for speciation. Exon recombination, also known as exon shuffling or domain shuffling, is an important means of new gene formation. It is observed across vertebrates, invertebrates, and in some plants such as potatoes and sunflowers. During exon recombination, exons from the same or different genes recombine and produce new exon-intron combinations, which might evolve into new genes. 
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Mechanically-gated ion channels are proteins found in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell membranes that open in response to mechanical stress. Tension, compression, swelling, and shear stress can alter the conformation of the protein, opening a transmembrane channel that allows the passage of ions for signal transmission. In eukaryotes, mechanically-gated channels are distributed in several regions like the neurons, lungs, skin, bladder, and heart, where they play critical roles in numerous...
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Evolutionary diversification of insect innexins.

Austin L Hughes1

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA austin@biol.sc.edu.

Journal of Insect Science (Online)
|December 16, 2014
PubMed
Summary

Insect innexin gene evolution shows six major clades predating endopterygote insects. Gene duplication in Drosophila led to functional differentiation of innexin genes, subdividing ancestral functions.

Keywords:
gap-junction channelgene duplicationinnexinmultigene family

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Molecular Genetics
  • Insect Phylogenetics

Background:

  • Insect innexins form gap junctions, crucial for cellular communication.
  • Previous studies suggested gene duplication events shaped insect innexin diversity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the evolutionary history of insect innexin genes.
  • To understand the functional diversification of innexin genes following duplication events in Drosophila.

Main Methods:

  • Phylogenetic analysis of insect innexin gene sequences.
  • Analysis of gene expression data from FlyAtlas.
  • Comparative genomics of innexin genes across different insect species.

Main Results:

  • Identified six major clades of insect innexins, originating before endopterygote insects.
  • Inferred two independent gene duplication events in the Drosophila lineage within the Zpg clade.
  • Observed functional differentiation in Drosophila innexin genes (Zpg, Inx5, Inx6) post-duplication, with specific expression in ovary and testis.
  • Compared Drosophila expression patterns to unduplicated genes in Bombyx mori and Anopheles gambiae, revealing subdivided ancestral functions.

Conclusions:

  • Insect innexin evolution involved significant gene duplication events.
  • Gene duplication in Drosophila's Zpg clade led to specialized expression patterns and functional subdivision.
  • The study provides evidence for the subdivision of ancestral gene functions after duplication events in insect evolution.