Genomic signatures of G-protein-coupled receptor expansions reveal functional transitions in the evolution of cephalopod signal transduction.

ABSTRACT: Coleoid cephalopods show unique morphological and neural novelties, such as arms with tactile and chemosensory suckers and a large complex nervous system. The evolution of such cephalopod novelties has been attributed at a genomic level to independent gene family expansions, yet the exact association and the evolutionary timing remain unclear. In the octopus genome, one such expansion occurred in the G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) repertoire, a superfamily of proteins that mediate signal transduction. Here, we assessed the evolutionary history of this expansion and its relationship with cephalopod novelties. Using phylogenetic analyses, at least two cephalopod- and two octopus-specific GPCR expansions were identified. Signatures of positive selection were analysed within the four grou

SUBMITTER: Ritschard EA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6408891 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature