BMC Evolutionary Biology - Latest articlesThe latest articles from BMC Evolutionary Biology (ISSN 1471-2148) published by BioMed CentralThe medaka novel immune-type receptor (NITR) gene clusters reveal an extraordinary degree of divergence in variable domains- June 19, 2008 Background: Novel immune-type receptor (NITR) genes are members of diversified multigene families that are found in bony fish and encode type I transmembrane proteins containing one or two extracellular immunoglobulin (Ig) domains. The majority of NITRs can be classified as inhibitory receptors that possess cytoplasmic immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motifs (ITIMs). A much smaller number of NITRs can be classified as activating receptors by the lack of cytoplasmic ITIMs and presence...http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/8/177 Evolution of C2H2-zinc finger genes and subfamilies in mammals: Species-specific duplication and loss of clusters, genes and effector domains.- June 18, 2008 Background: C2H2 zinc finger genes (C2H2-ZNF) constitute the largest class of transcription factors in humans and one of the largest gene families in mammals. Often arranged in clusters in the genome, these genes are thought to have undergone a massive expansion in vertebrates, primarily by tandem duplication. However, this view is based on limited datasets restricted to a single chromosome or a specific subset of genes belonging to the large KRAB domain-containing C2H2-ZNF...http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/8/176 The tiny Hairless protein from Apis mellifera: a potent antagonist of Notch signaling in Drosophila melanogaster- June 17, 2008 Background: The Notch signaling pathway is fundamental to the regulation of many cell fate decisions in eumetazoans. Not surprisingly, members of this pathway are highly conserved even between vertebrates and invertebrates. There is one notable exception, Hairless, which acts as a general Notch antagonist in Drosophila. Hairless silences Notch target genes by assembling a repressor complex together with Suppressor of Hairless Su(H) and the co-repressors Groucho (Gro) and C-terminal binding...http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/8/175 Genetic evidence from Indian red jungle fowl corroborates multiple domestication of modern day chicken- June 10, 2008 Background: Domestication of chicken is believed to have occurred in Southeast Asia, especially in Indus valley. However, non-inclusion of Indian red jungle fowl (RJF), Gallus gallus murghi in previous studies has left a big gap in understanding the relationship of this major group of birds. In the present study, we addressed this issue by analyzing 76 Indian birds that included 56 G. g. murghi (RJF), 16 G. g. domesticus (domestic chicken) and 4 G. sonneratii (Grey JF) using both microsatellite.http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/8/174 Dopamine receptor genetic polymorphisms and body composition in undernourished pastoralists: An exploration of nutrition indices among nomadic and rec- June 10, 2008 Background: Minor alleles of the human dopamine receptor polymorphisms, DRD2TaqI A and DRD448bp, are related to decreased functioning andor numbers of their respective receptors and have been shown to be correlated with body mass, height and food craving. In addition, the 7R minor allele of the DRD4 gene is at a higher frequency in nomadic compared to sedentary populations. Here we examine polymorphisms in the DRD2 and DRD4 genes with respect to body mass index (BMI) and height among men in two.http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/8/173 atonal- and achaete-scute-related genes in the annelid Platynereis dumerilii: insights into the evolution of neural basic-Helix-Loop-Helix genes- June 9, 2008 Background: Functional studies in model organisms, such as vertebrates and Drosophila, have shown that basic Helix-loop-Helix (bHLH) proteins have important roles in different steps of neurogenesis, from the acquisition of neural fate to the differentiation into specific neural cell types. However, these studies highlighted many differences in the expression and function of orthologous bHLH proteins during neural development between vertebrates and Drosophila. To understand how the functions of.http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/8/170 Comparative genomics of Lbx loci reveals conservation of identical Lbx ohnologs in bony vertebrates- June 9, 2008 Background: Lbxladybird genes originated as part of the metazoan cluster of Nk homeobox genes. In all animals investigated so far, both the protostome genes and the vertebrate Lbx1 genes were found to play crucial roles in neural and muscle development. Recently however, additional Lbx genes with divergent expression patterns were discovered in amniotes. Early in the evolution of vertebrates, two rounds of whole genome duplication are thought to have occurred, during which 4 Lbx genes were...http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/8/171 Dating the Time of Viral Subtype Divergence- June 9, 2008 Background: Precise dating of viral subtype divergence enables researchers to correlate divergence with geographic and demographic occurrences. When historical data are absent (that is, the overwhelming majority), viral sequence sampling on a time scale commensurate with the rate of substitution permits the inference of the times of subtype divergence. Currently, researchers use two strategies to approach this task, both requiring strong conditions on the molecular clock assumption of...http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/8/172 Phylogenetic studies of the genus Cebus (Cebidae-Primates) using chromosome painting and G-banding- June 5, 2008 Background: Chromosomal painting, using whole chromosome probes from humans and Saguinus oedipus, was used to establish karyotypic divergence among species of the genus Cebus, including C. olivaceus, C. albifrons, C. apella robustus and C. apella paraguayanus. Cytogenetic studies suggested that the species of this genus have conservative karyotypes, with diploid numbers ranging from 2n = 52 to 2n = 54. Results: Banding studies revealed morphological divergence among some chromosomes, owing to..http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/8/169 Unique motifs identify PIG-A proteins from glycosyltransferases of the GT4 family- June 4, 2008 Background: The first step of GPI anchor biosynthesis is catalyzed by PIG-A, an enzyme that transfers N-acetylglucosamine from UDP-N-acetylglucosamine to phosphatidylinositol. This protein is present in all eukaryotic organisms ranging from protozoa to higher mammals, as part of a larger complex of five to six 'accessory' proteins whose individual roles in the glycosyltransferase reaction are as yet unclear. The PIG-A gene has been shown to be an essential gene in various eukaryotes. In...http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/8/168 |