Patchy Distribution of GTPases of Immunity-Associated Proteins (GIMAP) within Cnidarians and Dinoflagellates Suggests a Complex Evolutionary History.

ABSTRACT: GTPases of Immunity-Associated Proteins (GIMAP) are a group of small GTP-binding proteins found in a variety of organisms, including vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants. These proteins are characterized by the highly conserved AIG1 domain, and in vertebrates, have been implicated in regulation of the immune system as well as apoptosis and autophagy, though their exact mechanism of action remains unclear. Recent work on cnidarian GIMAPs suggests a conserved role in immunity, apoptosis, and autophagy-three processes involved in coral bleaching, or the breakdown of cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis. Therefore, to further understand the evolution of GIMAPs in this group of organisms, the purpose of this study was to characterize GIMAP or GIMAP-like sequences utilizing publicly available ge

SUBMITTER: Coelho JC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8857920 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature