An Evolutionary Perspective of Dopachrome Tautomerase Enzymes in Metazoans.

ABSTRACT: Melanin plays a pivotal role in the cellular processes of several metazoans. The final step of the enzymically-regulated melanin biogenesis is the conversion of dopachrome into dihydroxyindoles, a reaction catalyzed by a class of enzymes called dopachrome tautomerases. We traced dopachrometautomerase (DCT) and dopachrome converting enzyme (DCE) genes throughout metazoans and we could show that only one class is present in most of the phyla. While DCTs are typically found in deuterostomes, DCEs are present in several protostome phyla, including arthropods and mollusks. The respective DCEs belong to the yellow gene family, previously reported to be taxonomically restricted to insects, bacteria and fungi. Mining genomic and transcriptomic data of metazoans,

SUBMITTER: Rosani U 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6678240 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature