Origin and Diversification of Meprin Proteases.
1Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, (IBV-CSIC), Valencia, Spain.
Meprins, unique metalloproteases, originated before the urochordate/vertebrate split, not just in vertebrates. Evolutionary and genomic analyses reveal their ancient origins and diverse gene families across species.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Genomics
- Protease research
Background:
- Meprins are astacin metalloproteases characterized by MAM and MATH domains and a transmembrane region.
- They were previously considered vertebrate-specific.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolutionary origins of meprins.
- To determine if meprins existed before the urochordate/vertebrate split.
Main Methods:
- Evolutionary analyses
- Genomic analyses
- Phylogenetic analyses
Main Results:
- Three meprin genes were identified in the urochordate Ciona intestinalis, indicating an origin predating the urochordate/vertebrate split.
- Phylogenetic analysis confirmed sequence similarity between Ciona and vertebrate meprin domains, supporting a common origin.
- Gene duplication and divergence led to diverse meprin families, including meprin-F in bony fish, with some species possessing multiple meprin genes.
Conclusions:
- Meprins are not vertebrate-specific but originated earlier in evolution.
- The combination of protease and TRAF E3-encoding sequences likely contributed to meprin evolution.
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