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Updated: Aug 29, 2025

G2-seq: A High Throughput Sequencing-based Technique for Identifying Late Replicating Regions of the Genome
Published on: March 22, 2018
auts2 Features and Expression Are Highly Conserved during Evolution Despite Different Evolutionary Fates Following
Constance Merdrignac1, Antoine Emile Clément1, Jérôme Montfort1
1INRAE, LPGP UR1037, Fish Physiology and Genomics, Campus de Beaulieu, F-35000 Rennes, France.
Abstract:
The AUTS2 gene plays major roles during brain development and is associated with various neuropathologies including autism. Data in non-mammalian species are scarce, and the aim of our study was to provide a comprehensive analysis of auts2 evolution in teleost fish, which are widely used for in vivo functional analysis and biomedical purposes. Comparative genomics in 78 species showed that auts2a and auts2b originate from the teleost-specific whole genome duplication (TGD). auts2a, which is highly similar to human AUTS2, was almost systematically retained following TGD. In contrast, auts2b, which encodes for a shorter protein similar to a short human AUTS2 isoform, was lost more frequently and independently during evolution. RNA-seq analysis in 10 species revealed a highly conserved profile with predominant expression of both genes in the embryo, brain, and gonads. Based on protein length, conserved domains, and expression profiles, we speculate that the long human isoform functions were retained by auts2a, while the short isoform functions were retained by auts2a and/or auts2b, depending on the lineage/species. auts2a showed a burst in expression during medaka brain formation, where it was expressed in areas of the brain associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. Together, our data suggest a strong conservation of auts2 functions in vertebrates despite different evolutionary scenarios in teleosts.
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