PUBLICATION

Divergent evolution of the myosin heavy chain gene family in fish and tetrapods: evidence from comparative genomic analysis

Authors
Ikeda, D., Ono, Y., Snell, P., Edwards, Y.J., Elgar, G., and Watabe, S.
ID
ZDB-PUB-071023-18
Date
2007
Source
Physiological Genomics   32(1): 1-15 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Elgar, Greg, Snell, Philip
Keywords
Takifugu rubripes, syntenic analysis, gene cluster, whole gene duplication
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Conserved Sequence
  • Evolution, Molecular*
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Genetic Variation
  • Humans
  • Mammals/genetics
  • Multigene Family*
  • Myosin Heavy Chains/genetics*
  • Phylogeny
  • Takifugu/classification
  • Takifugu/genetics*
PubMed
17940200 Full text @ Physiol. Genomics
Abstract
Myosin heavy chain genes (MYHs) are the most important functional domains of myosins, which are highly conserved throughout the evolution. The human genome contains 15 MYHs, whereas the corresponding number in teleost appears to be much higher. Although teleosts comprise more than half of all vertebrate species, our knowledge of MYHs in teleost is rather limited. A comprehensive analysis of torafugu (Takifugu rubripes) genome database enabled us to detect at least 28 MYHs, almost twice as many as in human. RT-PCR revealed that at least 15 torafugu MYH representatives (5 fast skeletal, 3 cardiac, 2 slow skeletal, 1 superfast, 2 smooth and 3 nonmuscle types) are actually transcribed. Among these, MYHM743-2 and MYHM5 of fast and slow skeletal types, respectively, are expressed during development of torafugu embryos. Syntenic analysis reveals that torafugu fast skeletal MYHs are distributed across 5 genomic regions, three of which form clusters. Interestingly, while human fast skeletal MYHs form one cluster, its syntenic region in torafugu is duplicated, although each locus contains just a single MYH in torafugu. The results of the syntenic analysis were further confirmed by corresponding analysis of MYHs based on databases from Tetraodon, zebrafish and medaka genomes. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that fast skeletal MYHs evolved independently in teleosts and tetrapods after fast skeletal MYHs had diverged from four ancestral MYHs. Key words: myosin heavy chain, Takifugu rubripes, syntenic analysis, gene cluster, evolutionary lineage.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping