scholarly journals Adaptive protein divergence of BMP ligands takes place under developmental and evolutionary constraints

Development ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 143 (20) ◽  
pp. 3742-3750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra M. Tauscher ◽  
Jinghua Gui ◽  
Osamu Shimmi
2019 ◽  
Vol 158 (4) ◽  
pp. 213-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natália M. Travenzoli ◽  
Bárbara A. Lima ◽  
Danon C. Cardoso ◽  
Jorge A. Dergam ◽  
Tânia M. Fernandes-Salomão ◽  
...  

Stingless bees of the genus Melipona are subdivided into 4 subgenera called Eomelipona, Melikerria, Melipona sensu stricto, and Michmelia according to species morphology. Cytogenetically, the species of the genus Melipona show variation in the amount and distribution of heterochromatin along their chromosomes and can be separated into 2 groups: the first with low content of heterochromatin and the second with high content of heterochromatin. These heterochromatin patterns and the number of chromosomes are characteristics exclusive to Melipona karyotypes that distinguish them from the other genera of the Meliponini. To better understand the karyotype organization in Melipona and the relationship among the subgenera, we mapped repetitive sequences and analyzed previously reported cytogenetic data with the aim to identify cytogenetic markers to be used for investigating the phylogenetic relationships and chromosome evolution in the genus. In general, Melipona species have 2n = 18 chromosomes, and the species of each subgenus share the same characteristics in relation to heterochromatin regions, DAPI/CMA3 fluorophores, and the number and distribution of 18S rDNA sites. Microsatellites were observed only in euchromatin regions, whereas the (TTAGG)6 repeats were found at telomeric sites in both groups. Our data indicate that in addition to the chromosome number, the karyotypes in Melipona could be separated into 2 groups that are characterized by conserved cytogenetic features and patterns that generally are shared by species within each subgenus, which may reflect evolutionary constraints. Our results agree with the morphological separation of the Melipona into 4 subgenera, suggesting that they must be independent evolutionary lineages.


2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (14) ◽  
pp. 6713-6724 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sibah Alkatib ◽  
Tobias T. Fleischmann ◽  
Lars B. Scharff ◽  
Ralph Bock

BioEssays ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 25 (11) ◽  
pp. 1035-1039 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frietson Galis ◽  
Johan A.J. Metz

2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (24) ◽  
pp. 13613-13626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignacio G. Bravo ◽  
Ángel Alonso

ABSTRACT We performed a phylogenetic study of the E2-L2 region of human mucosal papillomaviruses (PVs) and of the proteins therein encoded. Hitherto, proteins codified in this region were known as E5 proteins. We show that many of these proteins could be spurious translations, according to phylogenetic and chemical coherence criteria between similar protein sequences. We show that there are four separate families of E5 proteins, with different characteristics of phylogeny, chemistry, and rate of evolution. For the sake of clarity, we propose a change in the present nomenclature. E5α is present in groups A5, A6, A7, A9, and A11, PVs highly associated with malignant carcinomas of the cervix and penis. E5β is present in groups A2, A3, A4, and A12, i.e., viruses associated with certain warts. E5γ is present in group A10, and E5δ is encoded in groups A1, A8, and A10, which are associated with benign transformations. The phylogenetic relationships between mucosal human PVs are the same when considering the oncoproteins E6 and E7 and the E5 proteins and differ from the phylogeny estimated for the structural proteins L1 and L2. Besides, the protein divergence rate is higher in early proteins than in late proteins, increasing in the order L1 < L2 < E6 ≈ E7 < E5. Moreover, the same proteins have diverged more rapidly in viruses associated with malignant transformations than in viruses associated with benign transformations. The E5 proteins display, therefore, evolutionary characteristics similar to those of the E6 and E7 oncoproteins. This could reflect a differential involvement of the E5 types in the transformation processes.


Paleobiology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Samantha S. B. Hopkins ◽  
Samantha A. Price ◽  
Alec J. Chiono

Abstract Because teeth are the most easily preserved part of the vertebrate skeleton and are particularly morphologically variable in mammals, studies of fossil mammals rely heavily on dental morphology. Dental morphology is used both for systematics and phylogeny as well as for inferences about paleoecology, diet in particular. We analyze the influence of evolutionary history on our ability to reconstruct diet from dental morphology in the mammalian order Carnivora, and we find that much of our understanding of diet in carnivorans is dependent on the phylogenetic constraints on diet in this clade. Substantial error in estimating diet from dental morphology is present regardless of the morphological data used to make the inference, although more extensive morphological datasets are more accurate in predicting diet than more limited character sets. Unfortunately, including phylogeny in making dietary inferences actually decreases the accuracy of these predictions, showing that dietary predictions from morphology are substantially dependent on the evolutionary constraints on carnivore diet and tooth shape. The “evolutionary ratchet” that drives lineages of carnivorans to evolve greater degrees of hypercarnivory through time actually plays a role in allowing dietary inference from tooth shape, but consequently requires caution in interpreting dietary inference from the teeth fossil carnivores. These difficulties are another reminder of the differences in evolutionary tempo and mode between morphology and ecology.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (27) ◽  
pp. eabb9153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaojun Li ◽  
Elena E. Giorgi ◽  
Manukumar Honnayakanahalli Marichannegowda ◽  
Brian Foley ◽  
Chuan Xiao ◽  
...  

COVID-19 has become a global pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Understanding the origins of SARS-CoV-2 is critical for deterring future zoonosis, discovering new drugs, and developing a vaccine. We show evidence of strong purifying selection around the receptor binding motif (RBM) in the spike and other genes among bat, pangolin, and human coronaviruses, suggesting similar evolutionary constraints in different host species. We also demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2’s entire RBM was introduced through recombination with coronaviruses from pangolins, possibly a critical step in the evolution of SARS-CoV-2’s ability to infect humans. Similar purifying selection in different host species, together with frequent recombination among coronaviruses, suggests a common evolutionary mechanism that could lead to new emerging human coronaviruses.


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