Abstract
The evolutionary transition from invertebrates to vertebrates involved extensive gene duplication, but understanding precisely how such duplications contributed to this transition requires more detailed knowledge of specific cases of genes and gene families. MyoD (Myogenic differentiation) has long been recognized as a master developmental control gene and member of the MyoD family of bHLH transcription factors (Myogenic regulatory factors, MRFs) that drive myogenesis across the bilaterians. Phylogenetic reconstructions within this gene family are complicated by multiple instances of gene duplication and loss in several lineages. Following two rounds of whole genome duplication (2R WGD) at the origin of the vertebrates the ancestral function of MRFs is thought to have become partitioned amongst the daughter genes, so that MyoD and Myf5 act early in myogenic determination while Myog and Myf6 are expressed later, in differentiating myoblasts. Comparing chordate MRFs, we find an independent expansion of MRFs in the invertebrate chordate amphioxus, with evidence for a parallel instance of subfunctionalisation relative to that of vertebrates. Conserved synteny between chordate MRF loci supports the 2R WGD events as a major force in shaping the evolution of vertebrate MRFs. We also resolve vertebrate MRF complements and organization, finding a new type of vertebrate MRF gene in the process, which allowed us to infer an ancestral two-gene state in the vertebrates corresponding to the early- and late-acting types of MRFs. This necessitates a revision of previous conclusions about the simple one-to-four origin of vertebrate MRFs.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 2966-2982 |
Number of pages | 17 |
Journal | Molecular Biology and Evolution |
Volume | 37 |
Issue number | 10 |
Early online date | 10 Jun 2020 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Oct 2020 |
Keywords
- Myogenesis
- Chordate evolution
- Gene duplication
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David Ellard Keith Ferrier
- School of Biology - Professor
- Centre for Biophotonics
- Scottish Oceans Institute
- St Andrews Bioinformatics Unit
- Marine Alliance for Science & Technology Scotland
Person: Academic, Academic - Research