A novel gene family controls species-specific morphological traits in Hydra
| Autor: | Sylvia Sassmann, Jörg Wittlieb, Konstantin Khalturin, Friederike Anton-Erxleben, Thomas C. G. Bosch, Georg Hemmrich |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2008 |
| Předmět: |
Hydra
QH301-705.5 Molecular Sequence Data Gene Expression Morphology (biology) Biology General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology Evolution Molecular Transcriptome Species Specificity Phylogenetics Gene expression Animals Amino Acid Sequence Gene Silencing Biology (General) Gene In Situ Hybridization Phylogeny Genetics Evolutionary Biology General Immunology and Microbiology Human evolutionary genetics General Neuroscience Gene Expression Regulation Developmental Phenotype Lernaean Hydra General Agricultural and Biological Sciences Sequence Alignment Transcription Factors Research Article Developmental Biology |
| Zdroj: | PLoS Biology, Vol 6, Iss 11, p e278 (2008) PLoS Biology |
| ISSN: | 1545-7885 1544-9173 |
| Popis: | Understanding the molecular events that underlie the evolution of morphological diversity is a major challenge in biology. Here, to identify genes whose expression correlates with species-specific morphologies, we compared transcriptomes of two closely related Hydra species. We find that species-specific differences in tentacle formation correlate with expression of a taxonomically restricted gene encoding a small secreted protein. We show that gain of function induces changes in morphology that mirror the phenotypic differences observed between species. These results suggest that “novel” genes may be involved in the generation of species-specific morphological traits. Author Summary Closely related animal species share most of their genes, and only minor morphological differences allow us to tell them apart. The genetic basis for these differences may involve minor changes in the spatial and temporal activity of transcription factors—“regulator” genes—which are surprisingly conserved throughout the animal kingdom. However, every group of animals also has a small proportion of genes that are extremely variable among closely related species or even unique. Such genes are referred to as “novel,” “orphan,” or “taxonomically restricted.” Their functions and origins are often obscure. We have found that a family of novel genes is responsible for morphological differences between two closely related species of fresh water polyps called Hydra. A secreted protein encoded by a novel gene regulates the way in which tentacles develop. Our data indicate that novel genes may play a role in the creation of novel morphological features, thus representing one way how evolution works at the genus level. Appearance of novel genes may reflect evolutionary processes that allow animals to adapt in the best way to changing environmental conditions and new habitats. "Novel" genes are involved in the evolution of morphological diversity in the basal metazoanHydra. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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