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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Molecular evolution of HoxA13 and the multiple origins of limbless morphologies in amphibians and reptiles

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Author(s):
Singarete, Marina E. [1] ; Grizante, Mariana B. [2, 3] ; Milograna, Sarah R. [3] ; Nery, Mariana F. [3, 4] ; Kin, Koryu [5] ; Wagner, Guenter P. [5, 6] ; Kohlsdorf, Tiana [3]
Total Authors: 7
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Programa Posgrad Biol Celular & Mol, Dept Biol Celular & Mol & Bioagentes Patogen, Fac Med Ribeirao Preto, BR-14049900 Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil
[2] Arizona State Univ, Sch Life Sci, Tempe, AZ - USA
[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Biol, Fac Filosofia Ciencias & Letras Ribeirao Preto, BR-14049900 Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil
[4] Univ Estadual Campinas, Dept Genet Evolucao & Bioagentes, Campinas, SP - Brazil
[5] Yale Univ, Dept Ecol & Evolutionary Biol, New Haven, CT - USA
[6] Yale Univ, Dept Obstet Gynecol & Reprod Sci, Yale Syst Biol Inst, West Haven, CT - USA
Total Affiliations: 6
Document type: Journal article
Source: GENETICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY; v. 38, n. 3, p. 255-262, 2015.
Web of Science Citations: 2
Abstract

Developmental processes and their results, morphological characters, are inherited through transmission of genes regulating development. While there is ample evidence that cis-regulatory elements tend to be modular, with sequence segments dedicated to different roles, the situation for proteins is less clear, being particularly complex for transcription factors with multiple functions. Some motifs mediating protein-protein interactions may be exclusive to particular developmental roles, but it is also possible that motifs are mostly shared among different processes. Here we focus on HoxA13, a protein essential for limb development. We asked whether the HoxA13 amino acid sequence evolved similarly in three limbless clades: Gymnophiona, Amphisbaenia and Serpentes. We explored variation in omega (dN/dS) using a maximum-likelihood framework and HoxA13 sequences from 47 species. Comparisons of evolutionary models provided low omega global values and no evidence that HoxA13 experienced relaxed selection in limbless clades. Branch-site models failed to detect evidence for positive selection acting on any site along branches of Amphisbaena and Gymnophiona, while three sites were identified in Serpentes. Examination of alignments did not reveal consistent sequence differences between limbed and limbless species. We conclude that HoxA13 has no modules exclusive to limb development, which may be explained by its involvement in multiple developmental processes. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 11/18868-1 - Evolution of meristic and morphometric diversity in the Autopodium of Squamata: patterns, processes and mechanisms
Grantee:Tiana Kohlsdorf
Support type: Regular Research Grants
FAPESP's process: 12/13165-5 - Associations between HOX genes molecular evolution and the evolution of morphological diversity in Squamata and Marsupialia
Grantee:Sarah Ribeiro Milograna
Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
FAPESP's process: 10/00447-7 - Convergent morphological evolution in Squamata: developmental modularity and body elongation patterns
Grantee:Mariana Bortoletto Grizante
Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate