Myriapod Metallothioneins Conserve the Ancestral Architecture of Arthropods While Displaying Lineage-Specific Adaptations in Metal Binding.

ABSTRACT: Metallothioneins (MTs) are central to metal metabolism and contribute to organismal adaptation to variable metal bioavailability across ecosystems. Although well studied in chordates and mollusks, MTs remain poorly investigated in many arthropod lineages, particularly within the Myriapoda subphylum. Myriapods, comprising thousands of millipede (Diplopoda) and centipede (Chilopoda) species, are especially relevant for evolutionary studies because they are the sister group to Pancrustacea (crustaceans and insects), and they are some of the earliest arthropods to colonize land. Their MTs therefore provide critical insights into the origin and evolution of arthropod MTs and into the molecular adaptations underlying the colonization of new environments. In this work, we have identified 48 putat

SUBMITTER: Palacios O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12800444 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature