Rapidly evolving zona pellucida domain proteins are a major component of the vitelline envelope of abalone eggs.

ABSTRACT: Proteins harboring a zona pellucida (ZP) domain are prominent components of vertebrate egg coats. Although less well characterized, the egg coat of the non-vertebrate marine gastropod abalone (Haliotis spp.) is also known to contain a ZP domain protein, raising the possibility of a common molecular basis of metazoan egg coat structures. Egg coat proteins from vertebrate as well as non-vertebrate taxa have been shown to evolve under positive selection. Studied most extensively in the abalone system, coevolution between adaptively diverging egg coat and sperm proteins may contribute to the rapid development of reproductive isolation. Thus, identifying the pattern of evolution among egg coat proteins is important in understanding the role these genes may play in the speciation process. The pu

SUBMITTER: Aagaard JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1859926 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature