Conserved genomic organisation of Group B Sox genes in insects.
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Sox </it>domain containing genes are important metazoan transcriptional regulators implicated in a wide rage of developmental processes. The vertebrate B subgroup contains the <it>Sox1</it>, <it>Sox2...
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| Format: | Article |
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BMC
2005-05-01
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| Series: | BMC Genetics |
| Online Access: | http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2156/6/26 |
| _version_ | 1818247264982794240 |
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| author | Woerfel Gertrud McKimmie Carol Russell Steven |
| author_facet | Woerfel Gertrud McKimmie Carol Russell Steven |
| author_sort | Woerfel Gertrud |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Sox </it>domain containing genes are important metazoan transcriptional regulators implicated in a wide rage of developmental processes. The vertebrate B subgroup contains the <it>Sox1</it>, <it>Sox2 and Sox3 </it>genes that have early functions in neural development. Previous studies show that <it>Drosophila </it>Group B genes have been functionally conserved since they play essential roles in early neural specification and mutations in the <it>Drosophila Dichaete </it>and <it>SoxN </it>genes can be rescued with mammalian <it>Sox </it>genes. Despite their importance, the extent and organisation of the Group B family in <it>Drosophila </it>has not been fully characterised, an important step in using <it>Drosophila </it>to examine conserved aspects of Group B <it>Sox </it>gene function.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have used the directed cDNA sequencing along with the output from the publicly-available genome sequencing projects to examine the structure of Group B <it>Sox </it>domain genes in <it>Drosophila melanogaster</it>, <it>Drosophila pseudoobscura, Anopheles gambiae </it>and <it>Apis mellifora</it>. All of the insect genomes contain four genes encoding Group B proteins, two of which are intronless, as is the case with vertebrate group B genes. As has been previously reported and unusually for Group B genes, two of the insect group B genes, <it>Sox21a </it>and <it>Sox21b</it>, contain introns within their DNA-binding domains. We find that the highly unusual multi-exon structure of the <it>Sox21b </it>gene is common to the insects. In addition, we find that three of the group B <it>Sox </it>genes are organised in a linked cluster in the insect genomes. By <it>in situ </it>hybridisation we show that the pattern of expression of each of the four group B genes during embryogenesis is conserved between <it>D. melanogaster </it>and <it>D. pseudoobscura</it>.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The DNA-binding domain sequences and genomic organisation of the group B genes have been conserved over 300 My of evolution since the last common ancestor of the Hymenoptera and the Diptera. Our analysis suggests insects have two Group B1 genes, <it>SoxN </it>and <it>Dichaete</it>, and two Group B2 genes. The genomic organisation of <it>Dichaete </it>and another two Group B genes in a cluster, suggests they may be under concerted regulatory control. Our analysis suggests a simple model for the evolution of group B Sox genes in insects that differs from the proposed evolution of vertebrate Group B genes.</p> |
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| language | English |
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| spelling | doaj.art-3953f022dfc2477e9440ef5b603220a72022-12-22T00:20:47ZengBMCBMC Genetics1471-21562005-05-01612610.1186/1471-2156-6-26Conserved genomic organisation of Group B Sox genes in insects.Woerfel GertrudMcKimmie CarolRussell Steven<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Sox </it>domain containing genes are important metazoan transcriptional regulators implicated in a wide rage of developmental processes. The vertebrate B subgroup contains the <it>Sox1</it>, <it>Sox2 and Sox3 </it>genes that have early functions in neural development. Previous studies show that <it>Drosophila </it>Group B genes have been functionally conserved since they play essential roles in early neural specification and mutations in the <it>Drosophila Dichaete </it>and <it>SoxN </it>genes can be rescued with mammalian <it>Sox </it>genes. Despite their importance, the extent and organisation of the Group B family in <it>Drosophila </it>has not been fully characterised, an important step in using <it>Drosophila </it>to examine conserved aspects of Group B <it>Sox </it>gene function.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have used the directed cDNA sequencing along with the output from the publicly-available genome sequencing projects to examine the structure of Group B <it>Sox </it>domain genes in <it>Drosophila melanogaster</it>, <it>Drosophila pseudoobscura, Anopheles gambiae </it>and <it>Apis mellifora</it>. All of the insect genomes contain four genes encoding Group B proteins, two of which are intronless, as is the case with vertebrate group B genes. As has been previously reported and unusually for Group B genes, two of the insect group B genes, <it>Sox21a </it>and <it>Sox21b</it>, contain introns within their DNA-binding domains. We find that the highly unusual multi-exon structure of the <it>Sox21b </it>gene is common to the insects. In addition, we find that three of the group B <it>Sox </it>genes are organised in a linked cluster in the insect genomes. By <it>in situ </it>hybridisation we show that the pattern of expression of each of the four group B genes during embryogenesis is conserved between <it>D. melanogaster </it>and <it>D. pseudoobscura</it>.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The DNA-binding domain sequences and genomic organisation of the group B genes have been conserved over 300 My of evolution since the last common ancestor of the Hymenoptera and the Diptera. Our analysis suggests insects have two Group B1 genes, <it>SoxN </it>and <it>Dichaete</it>, and two Group B2 genes. The genomic organisation of <it>Dichaete </it>and another two Group B genes in a cluster, suggests they may be under concerted regulatory control. Our analysis suggests a simple model for the evolution of group B Sox genes in insects that differs from the proposed evolution of vertebrate Group B genes.</p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2156/6/26 |
| spellingShingle | Woerfel Gertrud McKimmie Carol Russell Steven Conserved genomic organisation of Group B Sox genes in insects. BMC Genetics |
| title | Conserved genomic organisation of Group B Sox genes in insects. |
| title_full | Conserved genomic organisation of Group B Sox genes in insects. |
| title_fullStr | Conserved genomic organisation of Group B Sox genes in insects. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Conserved genomic organisation of Group B Sox genes in insects. |
| title_short | Conserved genomic organisation of Group B Sox genes in insects. |
| title_sort | conserved genomic organisation of group b sox genes in insects |
| url | http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2156/6/26 |
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