Evolutionary pattern in the OXT-OXTR system in primates: Coevolution and positive selection footprints.

Autor: Vargas-Pinilla, Pedro, Paixão-Côrtes, Vanessa Rodrigues, Paré, Pamela, Tovo-Rodrigues, Luciana, de Alencar Gadelha Vieira, Carlos Meton, Xavier, Agatha, Comas, David, Pissinatti, Alcides, Sinigaglia, Marialva, Menegatti Rigo, Maurício, Vieira, Gustavo Fioravanti, Lucion, Aldo B., Mauro Salzano, Francisco, Bortolini, Maria Cátira
Předmět:
Zdroj: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; 1/6/2015, Vol. 112 Issue 1, p88-93, 6p
Abstrakt: Oxytocin is a nonapeptide involved in a wide range of physiologic and behavioral functions. Until recently, it was believed that an unmodified oxytocin sequence was present in all placental mammals. This study analyzed oxytocin (OXT) in 29 primate species and the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) in 21 of these species. We report here three novel OXT forms in the New World monkeys, as well as a more extensive distribution of a previously described variant (Leu8Pro). In structural terms, these OXTs share the same three low-energy conformations in solution during molecular dynamic simulations, with subtle differences in their side chains. A consistent signal of positive selection was detected in the Cebidae family, and OXT position 8 showed a statistically significant (P = 0.013) correlation with litter size. Several OXTR changes were identified, some of them promoting gain or loss of putative phosphorylation sites, with possible consequences for receptor internalization and desensitization. OXTR amino acid sites are under positive selection, and intramolecular and intermolecular coevolutionary processes with OXT were also detected. We suggest that some New World monkey OXT-OXTR forms can be correlated to male parental care through the increase of cross-reactivity with its correlated vasopressin system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Databáze: Complementary Index