Article
A survey of well conserved families of C2H2 zinc-finger genes in Daphnia
BMC Genomics
(2010)
Abstract
Background: A recent comparative genomic analysis tentatively identified roughly 40 orthologous groups of C2H2 Zinc-finger proteins that are well conserved in "bilaterians" (i.e. worms, flies, and humans). Here we extend that analysis to include a second arthropod genome from the crustacean, Daphnia pulex.
Results: Most of the 40 orthologous groups of C2H2 zinc-finger proteins are represented by just one or two proteins within each of the previously surveyed species. Likewise, Daphnia were found to possess a similar number of orthologs for all of these small orthology groups. In contrast, the number of Sp/KLF homologs tends to be greater and to vary between species. Like the corresponding mammalian Sp/KLF proteins, most of the Drosophila and Daphnia homologs can be placed into one of three sub-groups: Class I-III. Daphnia were found to have three Class I proteins that roughly correspond to their Drosophila counterparts, dSP1, btd, CG5669, and three Class II proteins that roughly correspond to Luna, CG12029, CG9895. However, Daphnia have four additional KLF-Class II proteins that are most similar to the vertebrate KLF1/2/4 proteins, a subset not found in Drosophila. Two of these four proteins are encoded by genes linked in tandem. Daphnia also have three KLF-Class III members, one more than Drosophila. One of these is a likely Bteb2 homolog, while the other two correspond to Cabot and KLF13, a vertebrate homolog of Cabot.
Conclusion: Consistent with their likely roles as fundamental determinants of bilaterian form and function, most of the 40 groups of C2H2 zinc-finger proteins are conserved in kind and number in Daphnia. Â However, the KLF family includes several additional genes that are most similar to genes present in vertebrates but missing in Drosophila.
Disciplines
- Biology,
- Biotechnology and
- Genetics
Publication Date
2010
DOI
10.1186/1471-2164-11-276
Publisher Statement
Copyright 2010 Seetharam et al. Posted with permission.
Citation Information
Arun S. Seetharam, Yang Bai and Gary Stuart. "A survey of well conserved families of C2H2 zinc-finger genes in Daphnia" BMC Genomics Vol. 11 (2010) p. 276 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/arun-seetharam/1/
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