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Diversification and Independent Evolution of Troponin C Genes in Insects

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Abstract

Troponin C (TpnC), the calcium-binding subunit of the troponin regulatory complex in the muscle thin filament, is encoded by multiple genes in insects. To understand how TpnC genes have evolved, we characterized the gene number and structure in a number of insect species. The TpnC gene complement is five genes in Drosophilidae as previously reported for D. melanogaster. Gene structures are almost identical in D. pseudoobscura, D. suboboscura, and D. virilis. Developmental patterns of expression are also conserved in Drosophila subobscura and D. virilis. Similar, but not completely equivalent, TpnC gene repertoires have been identified in the Anopheles gambiae and Apis mellifera genomes. Insect TpnC sequences can be divided into three groups, allowing a systematic classification of newly identified genes. The pattern of expression of the Apis mellifera genes essentially agrees with the pattern in Drosophilidae, providing further functional support to the classification. A model for the evolution of the TpnC genes is proposed including the most likely pathway of insect TpnC diversification. Our results suggest that the rapid increase in number and sequence specialization of the adult Type III isoforms can be correlated with the evolution of the holometabolous mode of development and the acquisition of asynchronous indirect flight muscle function in insects. This evolutionarily specialization has probably been achieved independently in different insect orders.

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Acknowledgments

We want to express our thanks to the continuous and acknowledged efforts of consortia, especially as those currently in progress involving Apis mellifera, Aedes aegipty, and, of course, Drosophila pseudoobscura genome sequencing. We are especially grateful to Drs. M. Cervera, R. Cripps, M. Manzanares, and J. Sparrow for critical revisions as well as the anonymous referees of the journal for many improving suggestions, Ms. Aida Villa for her technical support, and Mr. Eulalio Castells Criado (Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid) and Mr. José Vicente Alonso (Industrias Alonso) for their help in providing the honey bee samples. This research was supported by grants from the Spanish Government PB96-0069, ESP1999-0379-C02, and PNE-008/2001-C. R. Herranz was supported during this work by a FPI fellowship from the Spanish Ministery of Science and Technology.

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  1. Jesus Mateos

    Present address: Molecular Biology Program, Sloan–Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10021, USA

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  1. Departamento de Bioquímica UAM e Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas “Alberto Sols” UAM-CSIC, Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad Autónoma, c/ Arzobispo Morcillo 4, Madrid, 28029, Spain

    Raul Herranz, Jesus Mateos & Roberto Marco

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  1. Raul Herranz
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Correspondence to Roberto Marco.

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Reviewing Editor: Dr. Rüdiger Cerff

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Herranz, R., Mateos, J. & Marco, R. Diversification and Independent Evolution of Troponin C Genes in Insects. J Mol Evol 60, 31–44 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00239-004-0031-x

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