Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-6353
Authors: Schäfer, Gabriela Giannina
Pedrini-Martha, Veronika
Jackson, Daniel John
Dallinger, Reinhard
Lieb, Bernhard
Title: The evolution of hemocyanin genes in Tectipleura : a multitude of conserved introns in highly diverse gastropods
Online publication date: 20-Sep-2021
Year of first publication: 2021
Language: english
Abstract: BACKGROUND Hemocyanin is the oxygen transporter of most molluscs. Since the oxygen affinity of hemocyanin is strongly temperature-dependent, this essential protein needs to be well-adapted to the environment. In Tectipleura, a very diverse group of gastropods with > 27,000 species living in all kinds of habitats, several hemocyanin genes have already been analyzed. Multiple independent duplications of this gene have been identified and may represent potential adaptations to different environments and lifestyles. The aim of this study is to further explore the evolution of these genes by analyzing their exon–intron architectures. RESULTS We have reconstructed the gene architectures of ten hemocyanin genes from four Tectipleura species: Aplysia californica, Lymnaea stagnalis, Cornu aspersum and Helix pomatia. Their hemocyanin genes each contain 53 introns, significantly more than in the hemocyanin genes of Cephalopoda (9–11), Vetigastropoda (15) and Caenogastropoda (28–33). The gene structures of Tectipleura hemocyanins are identical in terms of intron number and location, with the exception of one out of two hemocyanin genes of L. stagnalis that comprises one additional intron. We found that gene structures that differ between molluscan lineages most probably evolved more recently through independent intron gains. CONCLUSIONS The strict conservation of the large number of introns in Tectipleura hemocyanin genes over 200 million years suggests the influence of a selective pressure on this gene structure. While we could not identify conserved sequence motifs within these introns, it may be simply the great number of introns that offers increased possibilities of gene regulation relative to hemocyanin genes with less introns and thus may have facilitated habitat shifts and speciation events. This hypothesis is supported by the relatively high number of introns within the hemocyanin genes of Pomacea canaliculata that has evolved independently of the Tectipleura. Pomacea canaliculata belongs to the Caenogastropoda, the sister group of Heterobranchia (that encompass Tectipleura) which is also very diverse and comprises species living in different habitats. Our findings provide a hint to some of the molecular mechanisms that may have supported the spectacular radiation of one of Metazoa’s most species rich groups.
DDC: 570 Biowissenschaften
570 Life sciences
Institution: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
Department: FB 10 Biologie
Place: Mainz
ROR: https://ror.org/023b0x485
DOI: http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-6353
Version: Published version
Publication type: Zeitschriftenaufsatz
License: CC BY
Information on rights of use: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Journal: BMC ecology and evolution
21
Pages or article number: 36
Publisher: BioMed Central
Publisher place: London
Issue date: 2021
ISSN: 2730-7182
Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-021-01763-3
Publisher DOI: 10.1186/s12862-021-01763-3
Appears in collections:JGU-Publikationen

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