Functional Duplication of the Short-Wavelength-Sensitive Opsin in Sea Snakes: Evidence for Reexpanded Color Sensitivity Following Ancestral Regression.

ABSTRACT: Color vision is mediated by ancient and spectrally distinct cone opsins. Yet, while there have been multiple losses of opsin genes during the evolution of tetrapods, evidence for opsin gains via functional duplication is extremely scarce. Previous studies have shown that some secondarily marine elapid snakes have acquired expanded "UV-blue" sensitivity via changes at key spectral tuning amino acid sites of the Short-Wavelength Opsin 1 (SWS1) gene. Here, we use elapid reference genomes to show that the molecular origin of this adaptation involved repeated, proximal duplications of the SWS1 gene in the fully marine Hydrophis cyanocinctus. This species possesses four intact SWS1 genes; two of these genes have the ancestral UV sensitivity, and two have a derived sensitivity to the longer wavel

SUBMITTER: Rossetto IH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10336297 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature