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Updated: Jan 20, 2026

Molecular Evolution of the Tre Recombinase
Published on: May 29, 2008
Evolution of proopiomelanocortin
Ana Rocha1, Alejandra Godino-Gimeno1, José Miguel Cerdá-Reverter2
1Department of Fish Physiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Aquaculture from Torre la Sal (IATS-CSIC), Castellon, Spain.
Abstract:
Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) belongs to the opioid/orphanin gene family whose peptide precursors include either opioid (YGGF) or the orphanin/nociceptin core sequences (FGGF). In addition to POMC the family includes the proenkephalin (PENK), prodynorphin (PDYN), and nociceptin/proorphanin (PNOC) precursors. The opioid core sequence in POMC is incorporated by the β-endorphin that occupies the C-terminal region but this propeptide also exhibits at least two "alien" melanocortin core sequences (HFRW). An ACTH/MSH fragment merged into the opioid fragment not earlier than the two tetraploidizations of the vertebrate genome. Therefore, POMC exhibit a complex "evolutionary life" since the gene has coevolved together with two different receptor systems, i.e., opioid and melanocortin following a horse trading system. In this article, we summarize the different evolutionary hypotheses proposed for POMC evolution.
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