Lineage-Specific Class-A GPCR Dynamics Reflect Diverse Chemosensory Adaptations in Lophotrochozoa.

ABSTRACT: Sensing external chemosensory cues via Class-A G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is crucial for a multitude of behavioral and biological functions, influencing animal evolution and ecological adaptations. While extensively studied in vertebrates and echinoderms, the role of GPCR-mediated chemoreception in major protostome clades like Lophotrochozoa remains obscure despite their remarkable ecological adaptations across diverse aquatic and terrestrial environments. Utilizing 238 lophotrochozoan genomes across eight phyla, we conducted a large-scale comparative genomics analysis to identify lineage-specific expansions of Class-A GPCR subsets that are likely adapted for chemoreception. Using phylogeny and orthology-inference-based clustering, we distinguished these expansions from conserved

SUBMITTER: Nath R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11886862 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature