Short-wavelength sensitive opsin (SWS1) as a new marker for vertebrate phylogenetics.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Vertebrate SWS1 visual pigments mediate visual transduction in response to light at short wavelengths. Due to their importance in vision, SWS1 genes have been isolated from a surprisingly wide range of vertebrates, including lampreys, teleosts, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. The SWS1 genes exhibit many of the characteristics of genes typically targeted for phylogenetic analyses. This study investigates both the utility of SWS1 as a marker for inferring vertebrate phylogenetic relationships, and the characteristics of the gene that contribute to its phylogenetic utility.

Results

Phylogenetic analyses of vertebrate SWS1 genes produced topologies that were remarkably congruent with generally accepted hypotheses of vertebrate evolution at both higher and lo

SUBMITTER: van Hazel I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1664589 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature