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At least 973 records · Page 54Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

The human somatic cytochrome c gene: two classes of processed pseudogenes demarcate a period of rapid molecular evolution.

We have isolated and determined the DNA sequences of the human somatic cytochrome c gene (HCS) and 11 processed pseudogenes. HCS is the functional homologue to the previously characterized rat somatic gene because it correctly encodes the human heart protein, is present in single copy in the human genome, is nearly identical in both size and intron/exon structure to rodent somatic genes, and shares a high degree of sequence homology with its rat counterpart including a well-conserved promoter region (77% over 250 nucleotides). In contrast to the rodent system, however, where the known pseudogenes all originated from a locus encoding the present day cytochrome c, the human pseudogenes are of two types. A predominant class of older pseudogenes came from a progenitor of HCS that encoded an ancestral form of the protein, while a second group of only a few young pseudogenes originated from a recent parent of HCS that encoded the current cytochrome c polypeptide. These two distinct classes of human pseudogenes provide a molecular record of the history of cytochrome c evolution in primates and demarcate a short period of rapid evolution of the functional gene.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Molecular evolution of inversions in Drosophila pseudoobscura: the amylase gene region.

The amylase region of the third chromosome of Drosophila pseudoobscura has been cloned and localized to cytological band 73A. It is contained within a series of highly polymorphic inversions and serves as a convenient tool for a molecular evolutionary analysis of the inverted gene arrangements. Amylase in D. pseudoobscura is a family of three genes, and some chromosomes have deletions for one or two of them. Two overlapping clones covering 26 kilobases were isolated and used as probes to survey DNA restriction map polymorphism among 28 lines, representing five of the major inversion types found in natural populations, as well as single chromosomes from the closely related species Drosophila persimilis and Drosophila miranda. Restriction-site differences are considerably greater among the various gene arrangements than among chromosomes with the same gene arrangement. Clustering the restriction map haplotypes yielded a dendrogram concordant with the phylogeny generated independently from cytogenetic considerations. The inversion polymorphism is estimated to be about 2 million years old.

Amylases↗
PubMed1995

Molecular evolution of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 functional stability.

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is a member of the serine protease inhibitor (serpin) supergene family and a central regulatory protein in the blood coagulation system. PAI-1 is unique among serpins in exhibiting distinct active and inactive (latent) conformations in vivo. Though the structure of latent PAI-1 was recently solved, the structure of the short-lived, active form of PAI-1 is not known. In order to probe the structural basis for this unique conformational change, a randomly mutated recombinant PAI-1 expression library was constructed in bacteriophage and screened for increased functional stability. Fourteen unique clones were selected, and shown to exhibit functional half-lives (T1/2S) exceeding that of wild-type PAI-1 by up to 72-fold. The most stable variant (T1/2 = 145 h) contained four mutations. Detailed analysis of these four mutations, individually and in combination, demonstrated that the markedly enhanced functional stability of the parent compound mutant required contributions from all four substitutions, with no individual T1/2 exceeding 6.6 h. The functional stability of at least eight of the remaining 13 compound mutants also required interactions between two or more amino acid substitutions, with no single variant increasing the T1/2 by > 10-fold. The nature of the identified mutations implies that the unique instability of the PAI-1 active conformation evolved through global changes in protein packing and suggest a selective advantage for transient inhibitor function.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Spectral tuning and molecular evolution of rod visual pigments in the species flock of cottoid fish in Lake Baikal.

Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia is the deepest and one of the largest and most ancient lakes in the world. However, even in the deepest regions, oxygenation levels do not fall below 75-80% of the surface levels. This has enabled a remarkable flock of largely endemic teleost fish of the sub-order Cottoidei to colonize all depth habitats. We have previously shown that species that occupy progressively deeper habitats show a blue shift in the peak wavelength of absorbance (lambda max) of both their rod and cone visual pigments; for the rod pigments, a number of stepwise shifts occur from about 516 nm in littoral species to about 484 nm in abyssal species. By sequencing the rod opsin gene from 11 species of Baikal cottoids that include representatives from all depth habitats, we have been able to identify four amino acid substitutions that would account for these shifts. The effect of each substitution on lambda max is approximately additive and each corresponds to a particular lineage of evolution.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Molecular evolution of centromere-associated nucleotide sequences in two species of canids.

The major centromeric satellite nt sequences present in the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) and in the grey fox (Urocyon cineroargenteus) have been examined. The dog satellite monomer is 737 bp long and contains 51% G + C; the grey fox satellite monomer is 880 b long and contains 54% G + C. The two satellites share three regions of 78, 92 and 314 bp with 70-80% sequence similarity. Sequence data from 16 monomers of dog satellite and 19 monomers of grey fox satellite demonstrate that the substitution spectra are different in the two canid species. For example, substitutions involving G or C residues are much more common in the grey fox satellite than in the domestic dog satellite despite their similar G + C contents.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Molecular evolution of the mouse proline-rich protein multigene family. Insertion of a long interspersed repeated DNA element.

Proline-rich proteins (PRPs) in the salivary glands of mice, rats, and hamsters are encoded by tissue-specific inducible multigene families. Mouse PRP genes are located on chromosome 8, and transcription is dramatically induced (about 70-fold) by isoproterenol treatment. Clones containing two nonallelic PRP genes (MP2 and M14) were isolated from cosmid and phage libraries of CD-1 mouse genomic DNA. The cloned regions comprise a contiguous block of 77 kilobase pairs of the mouse genome. Restriction mapping established the physical lineage of PRP genes MP2 and M14, and they are tandemly arrayed. The DNA sequence analysis presented in this report suggests that genes M14 and MP2 (Ann, D. K., and Carlson, D. M. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 15863-15872) arose via a gene duplication of a common ancestor. Two major differences between M14 and MP2 were observed. PRP gene MP2 has 13 tandemly arrayed 42-nucleotide repeats in exon II, whereas M14 has 17 repeats, and PRP gene M14 has an insertion by transposition of a 2-kilobase pair member of the long interspersed repeated DNA (LINE) family (LIMd) into intron I. The evolution of this PRP multigene family has been dominated by intra-exonic amplification of repeating nucleotide units coding for these and other proline-rich repeated peptides and by gene duplication. The LIMd element gives rise to heterogenous EcoRI, BamHI, and HindIII restriction enzyme patterns, and this insertion is also present in BALB/c, C57BL/6J, and DBA/2J mice.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Characterization of mutants of the vitamin D-binding protein/group-specific component: molecular evolution of GC*1A2 and GC*1A3, common in some Asian populations.

A well defined polymorphism of vitamin D-binding/group-specific component (GC) residues in exon 11. To characterize the molecular basis of GC*1A2 and GC*1A3, common in some Asian populations, we analyzed all coding exons amplified by the polymerase chain reaction. GC*1F was divided into GC*1FC and GC*1FT by a C-T transition in the third nucleotide of the codon (TGC/T) for cysteine283 in exon 8. The sequencing of exons 8 and 11 showed that GC*1A2 and GC*1A3 had occurred on a GC*1FC genetic background. They also shared a substitution of cysteine (TGC) for arginine (CGC) at position 429 in exon 11. GC*1A2 was characterized by having glycine (GGC) instead of serine (AGC) at position 335 in exon 9. GC*1A2 evolved from GC*1FT by three mutational events, i.e. GC*1FT-->GC*1FC-->GC*1A3-->GC*1A2. No evidence was obtained for the existence of the duplicated gene GC*1F.1A2 suggested by isoelectric focusing (IEF) of serum samples. The idea that the characteristic banding pattern of GC*1F.1A2 after IEF results from partial formation of a disulfide bond in the additional cysteine at position 429 is discussed.

Alleles↗
PubMed2026

Phylogeography and molecular evolution of Newcastle disease virus across a century of global surveillance.

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) remains one of the most economically important avian pathogens worldwide, causing recurrent outbreaks in poultry despite decades of vaccination and disease control efforts. Since the first reported outbreak of NDV a hundred years ago, numerous molecular epidemiological studies have been conducted globally across diverse geographic and production settings. Following a century of NDV circulation and evolution, the present study aimed to compile all publicly available NDV sequence data and perform a comprehensive global analysis of the genetic diversity, phylogenetic relationship, and global spatiotemporal distribution of NDV over a 100-year timescale. All publicly available NDV complete genome and full-length fusion (F) gene sequences were retrieved from GenBank up to February 2026. Following rigorous quality control, phylogenetic analyses were performed based on complete genomes and F gene datasets. Phylogenetic analysis identified two genotypes within Class I and 20 genotypes within Class II NDVs, with extensive diversification at the sub-genotype level. Genotype XIII exhibited the greatest sub-genotypic diversity, while genotype VII represented the most globally disseminated genotype, reported across 36 countries. Chronological assessment based on the earliest available reports indicated an increasing number of recognized genotypes from the 1930s to recently described sub-genotypes such as XIII.2.3 and XXII.2.2. Regional diversity analysis revealed the highest genotype diversity in Western Africa, Eastern Asia, and Southern Asia. Comparative residue analysis demonstrated substantial genotype-specific variation within critical functional domains of the fusion protein, including cleavage sites, neutralizing epitopes, and heptad repeat regions. Overall, this study provides the first comprehensive 100-year global overview of NDV evolution and phylogeography. The findings highlight continuous viral diversification, broad geographic dissemination of multiple genotypes, and ongoing molecular variation, emphasizing the need for sustained genomic surveillance and periodic evaluation of vaccine compatibility with emerging NDV genotypes.

100-years of data↗
PubMed1995

Molecular evolution of plant beta-glucan endohydrolases.

The evolutionary relationships of two classes of plant beta-glucan endohydrolases have been examined by comparison of their substrate specificities, their three-dimensional conformations and the structural features of their corresponding genes. These comparative studies provide compelling evidence that the (1-->3)-beta-glucanases and (1-->3,1-->4)-beta-glucanases from higher plants share a common ancestry and, in all likelihood, that the (1-->3,1-->4)-beta-glucanases diverged from the (1-->3)-beta-glucanases during the appearance of the graminaceous monocotyledons. The evolution of (1-->3,1-->4)-beta-glucanases from (1-->3)-beta-glucanases does not appear to have invoked 'modular' mechanisms of change, such as those caused by exon shuffling or recombination. Instead, the shift in specificity has been acquired through a limited number of point mutations that have resulted in amino acid substitutions along the substrate-binding cleft. This is consistent with current theories that the evolution of new enzymic activity is often achieved through duplication of the gene encoding an existing enzyme which is capable of performing the required chemistry, in this case the hydrolysis of a glycosidic linkage, followed by the mutational alteration and fine-tuning of substrate specificity. The evolution of a new specificity has enabled a dramatic shift in the functional capabilities of the enzymes. (1-->3)-beta-Glucanases that play a major role, inter alia, in the protection of the plant against pathogenic microorganisms through their ability to hydrolyse the (1-->3)-beta-glucans of fungal cell walls, appear to have been recruited to generate (1-->3,1-->4)-beta-glucanases, which quite specifically hydrolyse plant cell wall (1-->3,1-->4)-beta-glucans in the graminaceous monocotyledons during normal wall metabolism. Thus, one class of beta-glucan endohydrolase can degrade beta-glucans in fungal walls, while the other hydrolyses structurally distinct beta-glucans of plant cell walls. Detailed information on the three-dimensional structures of the enzymes and the identification of catalytic amino acids now present opportunities to explore the precise molecular and atomic details of substrate-binding, catalytic mechanisms and the sequence of molecular events that resulted in the evolution of the substrate specificities of the two classes of enzyme.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Two distinct ferredoxins from Rhodobacter capsulatus: complete amino acid sequences and molecular evolution.

Two distinct ferredoxins were purified from Rhodobacter capsulatus SB1003. Their complete amino acid sequences were determined by a combination of protease digestion, BrCN cleavage and Edman degradation. Ferredoxins I and II were composed of 64 and 111 amino acids, respectively, with molecular weights of 6,728 and 12,549 excluding iron and sulfur atoms. Both contained two Cys clusters in their amino acid sequences. The first cluster of ferredoxin I and the second cluster of ferredoxin II had a sequence, CxxCxxCxxxCP, in common with the ferredoxins found in Clostridia. The second cluster of ferredoxin I had a sequence, CxxCxxxxxxxxCxxxCM, with extra amino acids between the second and third Cys, which has been reported for other photosynthetic bacterial ferredoxins and putative ferredoxins (nif-gene products) from nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and with a unique occurrence of Met. The first cluster of ferredoxin II had a CxxCxxxxCxxxCP sequence, with two additional amino acids between the second and third Cys, a characteristics feature of Azotobacter-[3Fe-4S] [4Fe-4S]-ferredoxin. Ferredoxin II was also similar to Azotobacter-type ferredoxins with an extended carboxyl (C-) terminal sequence compared to the common Clostridium-type. The evolutionary relationship of the two together with a putative one recently found to be encoded in nifENXQ region in this bacterium [Moreno-Vivian et al. (1989) J. Bacteriol. 171, 2591-2598] is discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Molecular evolution of the staphylococcal and streptococcal pyrogenic toxin gene family.

The pyrogenic toxin (PT) family is composed of the staphylococcal enterotoxins (SE), the toxic shock syndrome toxin, and the streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxins (SPE). Whereas considerable effort has focused on characterization of PTs due to their unique biological properties, our understanding of the evolution of this gene family is incomplete. Phylogenetic relationships for members of the PT family were estimated by examining the previously reported nucleotide sequences of the genes encoding SPEA, SPEC, SEA, SEB, SEC1, SEC2, SEC3, SED, and SEE. Additionally, we present and analyze sequence data on seven previously unreported sec genes. Within the PT family, sequence divergence was partitioned in a hierarchical fashion such that mean sequence divergence ranged from 1.179 among all 16 toxin genes, 0.443 among those restricted to Staphylococcus, and 0.028 among the genes encoding 10 variants of Type C SE. Results of this study are interpreted as suggesting that the PT family consists of two large clades. One clade consists of the staphylococcal toxins SEA, SEE, and SED, being closely related to the streptococcal toxin SPEC, whereas the other clade depicts close relationships of the staphylococcal toxins SEC and SEB with the streptococcal toxin SPEA.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1987

Nucleotide sequence and molecular evolution of mouse retrovirus-like IAP elements.

We determined the nucleotide (nt) sequences of cDNA and genomic clones for murine intracisternal type A particle (IAP) elements, which are retrovirus-like repetitive sequences in rodent genomes. The nucleotide sequence of the cDNA resembled that of retrovirus RNA genomes in its lack of the U5 sequence within the 3' long terminal repeat. By sequence comparison of our clones with reported rodent IAP elements, we located the probable gag, pol and env gene regions. The sequences for the pol, env and the 3' two-thirds of the gag region were conserved among the IAP elements. In the regions, synonymous substitutions occurred more frequently than non-synonymous ones, which suggested that the regions in question were functionally constrained until fairly recently. The rate of nucleotide substitutions in the regions was estimated to be 6-10 X 10(-9) nt per site per year, and significantly higher than that of the cellular genes. These rates may exemplify a characteristic of the nucleotide substitutions for an endogenous retrovirus. The sequence homology between the IAP element and IgE-binding factor gene is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Molecular evolution of infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV; gallid herpesvirus 1): an ancient example of the Alphaherpesviridae?

An analysis of two essential genes of infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV), glycoprotein D (gD) and the immediate early gene, herpes simplex virus homologue ICP27, was performed with the equivalent gene homologues from several alphaherpesviruses. Amino acid (aa) sequence analysis revealed that these ILTV genes shared limited homology to other alphaherpesvirus equivalents and were distinct from the two other avian herpesviruses, Marek's disease virus (MDV) and herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT). Simplex and varicella group viruses are clearly separate from the avian group. The amino acid sequences of these ILTV genes will be presented with comparisons to the homologues from other alphaherpes viruses, contributing further evidence of the evolution of this group of viruses from a common progenitor and that ILTV could be an ancient example of the Alphaherpesvirinae.

Alphaherpesvirinae↗
PubMed1992

Molecular evolution of the human interleukin-8 receptor gene cluster.

Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is the prototype for a family of at least eight neutrophil chemoattractants whose genes map to human chromosome 4q13-q21. Two human IL-8 receptors, IL8RA and IL8RB, are known from cDNA cloning; IL8RA is a promiscuous receptor for at least two other related ligands, GRO alpha and NAP-2. We now report cloning of the genes for IL8RA, IL8RB and a recently inactivated pseudogene of receptor A (IL8RAP). These form a cluster of only three genes in the superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and map to 2q34-q35. The coevolutionary diversity displayed by the IL-8 ligand-receptor complex--ligand promiscuity for IL-8, receptor promiscuity for IL8RA, gene duplication for both ligands and receptors and gene extinction in the case of IL8RAP--is unprecedented for the GPCR superfamily.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Molecular evolution of Drosophila metallothionein genes.

The metallothionein genes of Drosophila melanogaster, Mtn and Mto, may play an important role in heavy metal detoxification. Several different tandem duplications of Mtn have been shown to increase cadmium and copper tolerance, as well as Mtn expression. In order to investigate the possibility of increased selection for duplications of these genes in natural populations exposed to high levels of heavy metals, we compared the frequencies of such duplications among flies collected from metal-contaminated and non-contaminated orchards in Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Georgia. Restriction enzyme analysis was used to screen 1666 wild third chromosomes for Mtn duplications and a subset (327) of these lines for Mto duplications. The frequency of pooled Mtn duplications found ranged from 0% to 20%, and was not significantly higher at the contaminated sites. No Mto duplications were identified. Estimates of sequence diversity at the Mtn locus among a subsample (92) of the duplication survey were obtained using four-cutter analysis. This analysis revealed a low level of polymorphism, consistent with both selection at the Mtn locus, and a fairly recent origin for the duplications. To further examine this hypothesis, we sequenced an Mtn allele of Drosophila simulans and measured the amount of nucleotide sequence divergence between D. simulans and its sibling species D. melanogaster. The levels of silent nucleotide polymorphism and divergence in the Mtn region were compared with those in the Adh region, using the neutrality test of R.R. Hudson, M. Kreitman and M. Aguadé.

Alleles↗
PubMed1993

Molecular evolution of the Escherichia coli chromosome. IV. Sequence comparisons.

DNA sequences have been compared in a 4,400-bp region for Escherichia coli K12 and 36 ECOR strains. Discontinuities in degree of similarity, previously inferred, are confirmed in detail. Three clonal frames are described on the basis of the present local high-resolution data, as well as previous analyses of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and of multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE) covering small regions more widely dispersed on the chromosome. These three approaches show important consistency. The data illustrate the fact that, in the limited context of intraspecific genomic sequence variation, clonality and homology are synonymous. Two estimable quantitative properties are defined: recency of common ancestry (the reciprocal of the log10 of the number of generations since the most recent common ancestor), and the number of nucleotide pairs over which a given recency of common ancestry applies. In principle, these parameters are measures of the degree and physical extent of homology. The small size of apparent recombinational replacements, together with the observation that they occasionally occur in discontinuous series, raises the question of whether they result from the superimposition of replacements of much larger size (as expected from an elementary interpretation of conjugation and transduction in experimental E. coli systems) or via an alternative mechanism. Length polymorphisms of several sorts are described.

Base Sequence↗