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Yamaguchi K, Uno Y, Kadota M, Nishimura O, Nozu R, Murakumo K, Matsumoto R, Sato K, Kuraku S. Elasmobranch genome sequencing reveals evolutionary trends of vertebrate karyotype organization. Genome Res 2023; 33:1527-1540. [PMID: 37591668 PMCID: PMC10620051 DOI: 10.1101/gr.276840.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
Genomic studies of vertebrate chromosome evolution have long been hindered by the scarcity of chromosome-scale DNA sequences of some key taxa. One of those limiting taxa has been the elasmobranchs (sharks and rays), which harbor species often with numerous chromosomes and enlarged genomes. Here, we report the chromosome-scale genome assembly for the zebra shark Stegostoma tigrinum, an endangered species that has a relatively small genome among sharks (3.71 Gb), as well as for the whale shark Rhincodon typus Our analysis using a male-female comparison identified an X Chromosome, the first genomically characterized shark sex chromosome. The X Chromosome harbors the Hox C cluster whose intact linkage has not been shown for an elasmobranch fish. The sequenced shark genomes show a gradualism of chromosome length with remarkable length-dependent characteristics-shorter chromosomes tend to have higher GC content, gene density, synonymous substitution rate, and simple tandem repeat content as well as smaller gene length and lower interspersed repeat content. We challenge the traditional binary classification of karyotypes as with and without so-called microchromosomes. Even without microchromosomes, the length-dependent characteristics persist widely in nonmammalian vertebrates. Our investigation of elasmobranch karyotypes underpins their unique characteristics and provides clues for understanding how vertebrate karyotypes accommodate intragenomic heterogeneity to realize a complex readout. It also paves the way to dissecting more genomes with variable sizes to be sequenced at high quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuaki Yamaguchi
- Laboratory for Phyloinformatics, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), 650-0047, Kobe, Japan
| | - Yoshinobu Uno
- Laboratory for Phyloinformatics, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), 650-0047, Kobe, Japan
| | - Mitsutaka Kadota
- Laboratory for Phyloinformatics, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), 650-0047, Kobe, Japan
| | - Osamu Nishimura
- Laboratory for Phyloinformatics, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), 650-0047, Kobe, Japan
| | - Ryo Nozu
- Okinawa Churashima Research Center, Okinawa Churashima Foundation, 905-0206, Okinawa, Japan
| | | | | | - Keiichi Sato
- Okinawa Churashima Research Center, Okinawa Churashima Foundation, 905-0206, Okinawa, Japan
- Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, 905-0206, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Shigehiro Kuraku
- Laboratory for Phyloinformatics, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), 650-0047, Kobe, Japan;
- Molecular Life History Laboratory, Department of Genomics and Evolutionary Biology, National Institute of Genetics, 411-8540, Mishima, Japan
- Department of Genetics, Sokendai (Graduate University for Advanced Studies), 411-8540, Mishima, Japan
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Yoo D, Park J, Lee C, Song I, Lee YH, Yun T, Lee H, Heguy A, Han JY, Dasen JS, Kim H, Baek M. Little skate genome provides insights into genetic programs essential for limb-based locomotion. eLife 2022; 11:e78345. [PMID: 36288084 PMCID: PMC9605692 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The little skate Leucoraja erinacea, a cartilaginous fish, displays pelvic fin driven walking-like behavior using genetic programs and neuronal subtypes similar to those of land vertebrates. However, mechanistic studies on little skate motor circuit development have been limited, due to a lack of high-quality reference genome. Here, we generated an assembly of the little skate genome, with precise gene annotation and structures, which allowed post-genome analysis of spinal motor neurons (MNs) essential for locomotion. Through interspecies comparison of mouse, skate and chicken MN transcriptomes, shared and divergent gene expression profiles were identified. Comparison of accessible chromatin regions between mouse and skate MNs predicted shared transcription factor (TF) motifs with divergent ones, which could be used for achieving differential regulation of MN-expressed genes. A greater number of TF motif predictions were observed in MN-expressed genes in mouse than in little skate. These findings suggest conserved and divergent molecular mechanisms controlling MN development of vertebrates during evolution, which might contribute to intricate gene regulatory networks in the emergence of a more sophisticated motor system in tetrapods.
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Affiliation(s)
- DongAhn Yoo
- Interdisciplinary Program in Bioinformatics, Seoul National UniversitySeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Junhee Park
- Department of Brain Sciences, DGISTDaeguRepublic of Korea
| | - Chul Lee
- Interdisciplinary Program in Bioinformatics, Seoul National UniversitySeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Injun Song
- Department of Brain Sciences, DGISTDaeguRepublic of Korea
| | - Young Ho Lee
- Interdisciplinary Program in Bioinformatics, Seoul National UniversitySeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Tery Yun
- Department of Brain Sciences, DGISTDaeguRepublic of Korea
| | - Hyemin Lee
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Arts and Science, NYUNew YorkUnited States
| | - Adriana Heguy
- Genome Technology Center, Division for Advanced Research Technologies, and Department of Pathology, NYU School of MedicineNew YorkUnited States
| | - Jae Yong Han
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National UniversitySeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Jeremy S Dasen
- Neuroscience Institute, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of MedicineNew YorkUnited States
| | - Heebal Kim
- Interdisciplinary Program in Bioinformatics, Seoul National UniversitySeoulRepublic of Korea
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National UniversitySeoulRepublic of Korea
- eGnome, IncSeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Myungin Baek
- Department of Brain Sciences, DGISTDaeguRepublic of Korea
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3
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Parreira B, Cardoso JCR, Costa R, Couto AR, Bruges-Armas J, Power DM. Persistence of the ABCC6 genes and the emergence of the bony skeleton in vertebrates. Sci Rep 2018; 8:6027. [PMID: 29662086 PMCID: PMC5902450 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-24370-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The ATP-binding cassette transporter 6 (ABCC6) gene encodes a cellular transmembrane protein transporter (MRP6) that is involved in the regulation of tissue calcification in mammals. Mutations in ABCC6 are associated with human ectopic calcification disorders. To gain insight into its evolution and involvement in tissue calcification we conducted a comparative analysis of the ABCC6 gene and the related gene ABCC1 from invertebrates to vertebrates where a bony endoskeleton first evolved. Taking into consideration the role of ABCC6 in ectopic calcification of human skin we analysed the involvement of both genes in the regeneration of scales, mineralized structures that develop in fish skin. The ABCC6 gene was only found in bony vertebrate genomes and was absent from Elasmobranchs, Agnatha and from invertebrates. In teleost fish the abcc6 gene duplicated but the two genes persisted only in some teleost genomes. Six disease causing amino acid mutations in human MRP6 are a normal feature of abcc6 in fish, suggesting they do not have a deleterious effect on the protein. After scale removal the abcc6 (5 and 10 days) and abcc1 (10 days) gene expression was up-regulated relative to the intact control skin and this coincided with a time of intense scale mineralization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruna Parreira
- Serviço Especializado de Epidemiologia e Biologia Molecular (SEEBMO), Hospital de Santo Espírito da Ilha Terceira, Azores, Portugal
| | - João C R Cardoso
- Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal
| | - Rita Costa
- Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal
| | - Ana Rita Couto
- Serviço Especializado de Epidemiologia e Biologia Molecular (SEEBMO), Hospital de Santo Espírito da Ilha Terceira, Azores, Portugal
| | - Jácome Bruges-Armas
- Serviço Especializado de Epidemiologia e Biologia Molecular (SEEBMO), Hospital de Santo Espírito da Ilha Terceira, Azores, Portugal.,CEDOC - Chronic Diseases Research Center, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Deborah M Power
- Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal. .,Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China.
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Jung H, Baek M, D'Elia KP, Boisvert C, Currie PD, Tay BH, Venkatesh B, Brown SM, Heguy A, Schoppik D, Dasen JS. The Ancient Origins of Neural Substrates for Land Walking. Cell 2018; 172:667-682.e15. [PMID: 29425489 PMCID: PMC5808577 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2017] [Revised: 10/18/2017] [Accepted: 01/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Walking is the predominant locomotor behavior expressed by land-dwelling vertebrates, but it is unknown when the neural circuits that are essential for limb control first appeared. Certain fish species display walking-like behaviors, raising the possibility that the underlying circuitry originated in primitive marine vertebrates. We show that the neural substrates of bipedalism are present in the little skate Leucoraja erinacea, whose common ancestor with tetrapods existed ∼420 million years ago. Leucoraja exhibits core features of tetrapod locomotor gaits, including left-right alternation and reciprocal extension-flexion of the pelvic fins. Leucoraja also deploys a remarkably conserved Hox transcription factor-dependent program that is essential for selective innervation of fin/limb muscle. This network encodes peripheral connectivity modules that are distinct from those used in axial muscle-based swimming and has apparently been diminished in most modern fish. These findings indicate that the circuits that are essential for walking evolved through adaptation of a genetic regulatory network shared by all vertebrates with paired appendages. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heekyung Jung
- Neuroscience Institute, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Myungin Baek
- Neuroscience Institute, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Kristen P D'Elia
- Neuroscience Institute, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Catherine Boisvert
- Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia; Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI), Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Peter D Currie
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI), Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia; EMBL Australia, Melbourne Node, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Boon-Hui Tay
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Biopolis, Singapore 138673, Singapore
| | - Byrappa Venkatesh
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Biopolis, Singapore 138673, Singapore; Department of Pediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore
| | - Stuart M Brown
- Applied Bioinformatics Laboratory, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Adriana Heguy
- Genome Technology Center, Division for Advanced Research Technologies, and Department of Pathology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - David Schoppik
- Neuroscience Institute, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Jeremy S Dasen
- Neuroscience Institute, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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Wyffels J, King BL, Vincent J, Chen C, Wu CH, Polson SW. SkateBase, an elasmobranch genome project and collection of molecular resources for chondrichthyan fishes. F1000Res 2014; 3:191. [PMID: 25309735 PMCID: PMC4184313 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.4996.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/12/2014] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Chondrichthyan fishes are a diverse class of gnathostomes that provide a valuable perspective on fundamental characteristics shared by all jawed and limbed vertebrates. Studies of phylogeny, species diversity, population structure, conservation, and physiology are accelerated by genomic, transcriptomic and protein sequence data. These data are widely available for many sarcopterygii (coelacanth, lungfish and tetrapods) and actinoptergii (ray-finned fish including teleosts) taxa, but limited for chondrichthyan fishes. In this study, we summarize available data for chondrichthyes and describe resources for one of the largest projects to characterize one of these fish,
Leucoraja erinacea, the little skate. SkateBase (
http://skatebase.org) serves as the skate genome project portal linking data, research tools, and teaching resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Wyffels
- Department of Computer and Information Sciences, Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19711, USA
| | - Benjamin L King
- Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, Salisbury Cove, ME, 04672, USA
| | - James Vincent
- Vermont Genetics Network, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA
| | - Chuming Chen
- Department of Computer and Information Sciences, Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19711, USA
| | - Cathy H Wu
- Department of Computer and Information Sciences, Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19711, USA
| | - Shawn W Polson
- Department of Computer and Information Sciences, Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19711, USA
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Abstract
Corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) is the pivotal neuroendocrine peptide hormone associated with the regulation of the stress response in vertebrates. However, CRH-like peptides are also found in a number of invertebrate species. The origin of this peptide can be traced to a common ancestor of lineages leading to chordates and to arthropods, postulated to occur some 500 million years ago. Evidence indicates the presence of a single CRH-like receptor and a soluble binding protein system that acted to transduce and regulate the actions of the early CRH peptide. In vertebrates, genome duplications led to the divergence of CRH receptors into CRH1 and CRH2 forms in tandem with the development of four paralogous ligand lineages that included CRH; urotensin I/urocortin (Ucn), Ucn2 and Ucn3. In addition, taxon-specific genome duplications led to further local divergences in CRH ligands and receptors. Functionally, the CRH ligand-receptor system evolved initially as a molecular system to integrate early diuresis and nutrient acquisition. As multicellular organisms evolved into more complex forms, this ligand-receptor system became integrated with the organismal stress response to coordinate homoeostatic challenges with internal energy usage. In vertebrates, CRH and the CRH1 receptor became associated with the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal/interrenal axis and the initial stress response, whereas the CRH2 receptor was selected to play a greater role in diuresis, nutrient acquisition and the latter aspects of the stress response.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Lovejoy
- Department of Cell and Systems BiologyUniversity of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada L4A IK6Department of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaDepartment of Life SciencesUniversity of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Belinda S W Chang
- Department of Cell and Systems BiologyUniversity of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada L4A IK6Department of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaDepartment of Life SciencesUniversity of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaDepartment of Cell and Systems BiologyUniversity of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada L4A IK6Department of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaDepartment of Life SciencesUniversity of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nathan R Lovejoy
- Department of Cell and Systems BiologyUniversity of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada L4A IK6Department of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaDepartment of Life SciencesUniversity of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jon del Castillo
- Department of Cell and Systems BiologyUniversity of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada L4A IK6Department of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaDepartment of Life SciencesUniversity of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Renz AJ, Meyer A, Kuraku S. Revealing less derived nature of cartilaginous fish genomes with their evolutionary time scale inferred with nuclear genes. PLoS One 2013; 8:e66400. [PMID: 23825540 PMCID: PMC3692497 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2013] [Accepted: 05/06/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cartilaginous fishes, divided into Holocephali (chimaeras) and Elasmoblanchii (sharks, rays and skates), occupy a key phylogenetic position among extant vertebrates in reconstructing their evolutionary processes. Their accurate evolutionary time scale is indispensable for better understanding of the relationship between phenotypic and molecular evolution of cartilaginous fishes. However, our current knowledge on the time scale of cartilaginous fish evolution largely relies on estimates using mitochondrial DNA sequences. In this study, making the best use of the still partial, but large-scale sequencing data of cartilaginous fish species, we estimate the divergence times between the major cartilaginous fish lineages employing nuclear genes. By rigorous orthology assessment based on available genomic and transcriptomic sequence resources for cartilaginous fishes, we selected 20 protein-coding genes in the nuclear genome, spanning 2973 amino acid residues. Our analysis based on the Bayesian inference resulted in the mean divergence time of 421 Ma, the late Silurian, for the Holocephali-Elasmobranchii split, and 306 Ma, the late Carboniferous, for the split between sharks and rays/skates. By applying these results and other documented divergence times, we measured the relative evolutionary rate of the Hox A cluster sequences in the cartilaginous fish lineages, which resulted in a lower substitution rate with a factor of at least 2.4 in comparison to tetrapod lineages. The obtained time scale enables mapping phenotypic and molecular changes in a quantitative framework. It is of great interest to corroborate the less derived nature of cartilaginous fish at the molecular level as a genome-wide phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adina J. Renz
- Chair in Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Axel Meyer
- Chair in Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Shigehiro Kuraku
- Chair in Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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Compagnucci C, Debiais-Thibaud M, Coolen M, Fish J, Griffin JN, Bertocchini F, Minoux M, Rijli FM, Borday-Birraux V, Casane D, Mazan S, Depew MJ. Pattern and polarity in the development and evolution of the gnathostome jaw: both conservation and heterotopy in the branchial arches of the shark, Scyliorhinus canicula. Dev Biol 2013; 377:428-48. [PMID: 23473983 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2013.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2012] [Revised: 01/26/2013] [Accepted: 02/18/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The acquisition of jaws constitutes a landmark event in vertebrate evolution, one that in large part potentiated their success and diversification. Jaw development and patterning involves an intricate spatiotemporal series of reciprocal inductive and responsive interactions between the cephalic epithelia and the cranial neural crest (CNC) and cephalic mesodermal mesenchyme. The coordinated regulation of these interactions is critical for both the ontogenetic registration of the jaws and the evolutionary elaboration of variable jaw morphologies and designs. Current models of jaw development and evolution have been built on molecular and cellular evidence gathered mostly in amniotes such as mice, chicks and humans, and augmented by a much smaller body of work on the zebrafish. These have been partnered by essential work attempting to understand the origins of jaws that has focused on the jawless lamprey. Chondrichthyans (cartilaginous fish) are the most distant group to amniotes within extant gnathostomes, and comprise the crucial clade uniting amniotes and agnathans; yet despite their critical phylogenetic position, evidence of the molecular and cellular underpinnings of jaw development in chondrichthyans is still lacking. Recent advances in genome and molecular developmental biology of the lesser spotted dogfish shark, Scyliorhinus canicula, make it ideal for the molecular study of chondrichthyan jaw development. Here, following the 'Hinge and Caps' model of jaw development, we have investigated evidence of heterotopic (relative changes in position) and heterochronic (relative changes in timing) shifts in gene expression, relative to amniotes, in the jaw primordia of S. canicula embryos. We demonstrate the presence of clear proximo-distal polarity in gene expression patterns in the shark embryo, thus establishing a baseline molecular baüplan for branchial arch-derived jaw development and further validating the utility of the 'Hinge and Caps' model in comparative studies of jaw development and evolution. Moreover, we correlate gene expression patterns with the absence of a lambdoidal junction (formed where the maxillary first arch meets the frontonasal processes) in chondrichthyans, further highlighting the importance of this region for the development and evolution of jaw structure in advanced gnathostomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Compagnucci
- Department of Craniofacial Development, King's College London, Floor 27, Guy's Hospital, London Bridge, London SE1 9RT, UK
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Kuraku S. Hox gene clusters of early vertebrates: do they serve as reliable markers for genome evolution? GENOMICS PROTEOMICS & BIOINFORMATICS 2012; 9:97-103. [PMID: 21802046 PMCID: PMC5054437 DOI: 10.1016/s1672-0229(11)60012-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2011] [Accepted: 03/21/2011] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Hox genes, responsible for regional specification along the anteroposterior axis in embryogenesis, are found as clusters in most eumetazoan genomes sequenced to date. Invertebrates possess a single Hox gene cluster with some exceptions of secondary cluster breakages, while osteichthyans (bony vertebrates) have multiple Hox clusters. In tetrapods, four Hox clusters, derived from the so-called two-round whole genome duplications (2R-WGDs), are observed. Overall, the number of Hox gene clusters has been regarded as a reliable marker of ploidy levels in animal genomes. In fact, this scheme also fits the situations in teleost fishes that experienced an additional WGD. In this review, I focus on cyclostomes and cartilaginous fishes as lineages that would fill the gap between invertebrates and osteichthyans. A recent study highlighted a possible loss of the HoxC cluster in the galeomorph shark lineage, while other aspects of cartilaginous fish Hox clusters usually mark their conserved nature. In contrast, existing resources suggest that the cyclostomes exhibit a different mode of Hox cluster organization. For this group of species, whose genomes could have differently responded to the 2R-WGDs from jawed vertebrates, therefore the number of Hox clusters may not serve as a good indicator of their ploidy level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigehiro Kuraku
- Laboratory for Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Germany.
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Nock TG, Chand D, Lovejoy DA. Identification of members of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) families in the genome of the holocephalan, Callorhinchus milii (elephant shark). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2011; 171:237-44. [PMID: 21310155 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2011.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2010] [Revised: 01/25/2011] [Accepted: 02/02/2011] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and corticotropin-releasing family (CRF) are two neuropeptides families that are strongly conserved throughout evolution. Recently, the genome of the holocephalan, Callorhinchus milii (elephant shark) has been sequenced. The phylogenetic position of C. milii, along with the relatively slow evolution of the cartilaginous fish suggests that neuropeptides in this species may resemble the earliest gnathostome forms. The genome of the elephant shark was screened, in silico, using the various conserved motifs of both the vertebrate CRF paralogs and the insect diuretic hormone sequences to identify the structure of the C. milii CRF/DH-like peptides. A similar approach was taken to identify the GnRH peptides using conserved motifs in both vertebrate and invertebrate forms. Two CRF peptides, a urotensin-1 peptide and a urocortin 3 peptide were found in the genome. There was only about 50% sequence identity between the two CRF peptides suggesting an early divergence. In addition, the urocortin 2 peptide seems to have been lost and was identified as a pseudogene in C. milii. In contrast to the number of CRF family peptides, only a GnRH-II preprohormone with the conserved mature decapeptide was found. This confirms early studies about the identity of GnRH in the Holocephali, and suggests that the Holocephali and Elasmobranchii differ with respect to GnRH structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya G Nock
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 3G5
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Oulion S, Debiais-Thibaud M, d'Aubenton-Carafa Y, Thermes C, Da Silva C, Bernard-Samain S, Gavory F, Wincker P, Mazan S, Casane D. Evolution of Hox gene clusters in gnathostomes: insights from a survey of a shark (Scyliorhinus canicula) transcriptome. Mol Biol Evol 2010; 27:2829-38. [PMID: 20616144 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msq172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
It is now well established that there were four Hox gene clusters in the genome of the last common ancestor of extant gnathostomes. To better understand the evolution of the organization and expression of these genomic regions, we have studied the Hox gene clusters of a shark (Scyliorhinus canicula). We sequenced 225,580 expressed sequence tags from several embryonic cDNA libraries. Blast searches identified corresponding transcripts to almost all the HoxA, HoxB, and HoxD cluster genes. No HoxC transcript was identified, suggesting that this cluster is absent or highly degenerate. Using Hox gene sequences as probes, we selected and sequenced seven clones from a bacterial artificial chromosome library covering the complete region of the three gene clusters. Mapping of cDNAs to these genomic sequences showed extensive alternative splicing and untranslated exon sharing between neighboring Hox genes. Homologous noncoding exons could not be identified in transcripts from other species using sequence similarity. However, by comparing conserved noncoding sequences upstream of these exons in different species, we were able to identify homology between some exons. Some alternative splicing variants are probably very ancient and were already coded for by the ancestral Hox gene cluster. We also identified several transcripts that do not code for Hox proteins, are probably not translated, and all but one are in the reverse orientation to the Hox genes. This survey of the transcriptome of the Hox gene clusters of a shark shows that the high complexity observed in mammals is a gnathostome ancestral feature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvan Oulion
- Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes et Spéciation, UPR 9034 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Université Paris Diderot-Paris 7, 91198 Gif sur Yvette, France
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