Cartilaginous fishes offer unique insights into the evolution of the nuclear receptor gene repertoire in gnathostomes

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2020

Authors

Fonseca, E (Author) Other; Machado, AM (Author) Other; Vilas Arrondo, N (Author) Other; Gomes dos Santos, A (Author) Other; Verissimo, A (Author) FCUP; Esteves, PJ (Author) FCUP; Almeida, T (Author) Other; Themudo, G (Author) Other; Ruivo, R (Author) Other; Perez, M (Author) Other; da Fonseca, R (Author) Other; Santos, MM (Author) FCUP; Froufe, E (Author) Other; Roman Marcote, E (Author) Other; Venkatesh, B (Author) Other; Filipe F C Castro (Author) FCUP

Journal

Title: General and Comparative Endocrinology

Vol. 295

ISSN: 0016-6480

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 14 Citations

Scopus - 17 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00S-BD9

DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2020.113527

Abstract (EN): Nuclear receptors (NRs) are key transcription factors that originated in the common ancestor of metazoans. The vast majority of NRs are triggered by binding to either endogenous (e.g. retinoic acid) or exogenous (e.g. xenobiotics) ligands, and their evolution and expansion is tightly linked to the function of endocrine systems. Importantly, they represent classic targets of physiological exploitation by endocrine disrupting chemicals. The NR gene repertoire in different lineages has been shaped by gene loss, duplication and mutation, denoting a dynamic evolutionary route. As the earliest diverging class of gnathostomes (jawed vertebrates), cartilaginous fishes offer an exceptional opportunity to address the early diversification of NR gene families and the evolution of the endocrine system in jawed vertebrates. Here we provide an exhaustive analysis into the NR gene composition in five elasmobranch (sharks and rays) and two holocephalan (chimaeras) species. For this purpose, we generated also a low coverage draft genome assembly of the chimaera small-eyed rabbitfish, Hydrolagus affinis. We show that cartilaginous fish retain an archetypal NR gene repertoire, similar to that of mammals and coincident with the two rounds of whole genome duplication that occurred in the gnathostome ancestor. Furthermore, novel gene members of the non-canonical NR0B receptors were found in the genomes of this lineage. Our findings provide an essential view into the early diversification of NRs in gnathostomes, paving the way for functional studies.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 10