Extensive lineage-specific gene duplication and evolution of the spiggin multi-gene family in stickleback.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) has a characteristic reproductive mode; mature males build nests using a secreted glue-like protein called spiggin. Although recent studies reported multiple occurrences of genes that encode this glue-like protein spiggin in threespine and ninespine sticklebacks, it is still unclear how many genes compose the spiggin multi-gene family.

Results

Genome sequence analysis of threespine stickleback showed that there are at least five spiggin genes and two pseudogenes, whereas a single spiggin homolog occurs in the genomes of other fishes. Comparative genome sequence analysis demonstrated that Muc19, a single-copy mucous gene in human and mouse, is an ortholog of spiggin. Phylogenetic and molecular evolutionary analyse

SUBMITTER: Kawahara R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2180178 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature