The DOI matches its Crossref record; 12 of the 12 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Origin and diversification of the basic helix-loop-helix gene family in metazoans: insights from comparative genomics
Open accessAbstract
Background: Molecular and genetic analyses conducted in model organisms such as Drosophila and vertebrates, have provided a wealth of information about how networks of transcription factors control the proper development of these species. Much less is known, however, about the evolutionary origin of these elaborated networks and their large-scale evolution. Here we report the first evolutionary analysis of a whole superfamily of transcription factors, the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins, at the scale of the whole metazoan kingdom. Results: We identified in silico the putative full complement of bHLH genes in the sequenced genomes of 12 different species representative of the main metazoan lineages, including three non-bilaterian metazoans, the cnidarians Nematostella vectensis and Hydra magnipapillata and the demosponge Amphimedon queenslandica. We have performed extensive phylogenetic analyses of the 695 identified bHLHs, which has allowed us to allocate most of these bHLHs to defined evolutionary conserved groups of orthology. Conclusion: Three main features in the history of the bHLH gene superfamily can be inferred from these analyses: (i) an initial diversification of the bHLHs has occurred in the pre-Cambrian, prior to metazoan cladogenesis; (ii) a second expansion of the bHLH superfamily occurred early in metazoan evolution before bilaterians and cnidarians diverged; and (iii) the bHLH complement during the evolution of the bilaterians has been remarkably stable. We suggest that these features may be extended to other developmental gene families and reflect a general trend in the evolution of the developmental gene repertoires of metazoans.
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Cites
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“Since this ancestor which is estimated to have lived some 600–700 millions years ago [24,25], the bHLH complement in bilaterians is remarkably stable.”
BackgroundUnexpected complexity of the Wnt gene family in a sea anemone
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“The tree is based on the current view of the phylogeny of the metazoans [73,74].”
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Evolution of Key Cell Signaling and Adhesion Protein Families Predates Animal Origins
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Sponge paraphyly and the origin of Metazoa
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Minimal ProtoHox cluster inferred from bilaterian and cnidarian Hox complements
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Cited by
The Amphimedon queenslandica genome and the evolution of animal complexity
Srivastava, M., Simakov, O., Chapman, J., Fahey, B., Gauthier, M. E. A., Mitros, T., Richards, G. S., Conaco, C., Dacre, M., Hellsten, U., et al. (2010) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature09201 · Cited by 1,049
Self-citationThe deep evolution of metazoan microRNAs
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Self-citationOsborne, T. F., & Espenshade, P. J. (2009) · Genes & Development · doi:10.1101/gad.1854309 · Cited by 238
Metadata
- Authors
- Simionato, E., Ledent, V., Richards, G., Thomas-Chollier, M., Kerner, P., Coornaert, D., Degnan, B. M., & Vervoort, M.
- Venue
- BMC Evolutionary Biology
- Published
- 2007-03-02
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 33-33
- ISSN
- 1471-2148 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1988011675
- Cited by
- 288
- References
- 12
- FWCI
- 9.22
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
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- Simionato, E., Ledent, V., Richards, G., Thomas-Chollier, M., Kerner, P., Coornaert, D., Degnan, B. M., & Vervoort, M. (2007). Origin and diversification of the basic helix-loop-helix gene family in metazoans: insights from comparative genomics. BMC Evolutionary Biology. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2148-7-33
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