Subfunctionalization of Duplicate mitf Genes Associated With Differential Degeneration of Alternative Exons in Fish

The microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) exists in at least four isoforms. These are generated in higher vertebrates using alternative 5' exons and promoters from a single gene. Two separate genes (mitf-m and mitf-b), however, are present in different teleost fish species inclu...

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Published inGenetics (Austin) Vol. 161; no. 1; pp. 259 - 267
Main Authors Altschmied, Joachim, Delfgaauw, Jacqueline, Wilde, Brigitta, Duschl, Jutta, Bouneau, Laurence, Volff, Jean-Nicolas, Schartl, Manfred
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Genetics Soc America 01.05.2002
Genetics Society of America
Subjects
Alternative Splicing
Amino Acid Sequence
Animals
Cyprinodontiformes - genetics
Danio rerio
DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics
Evolution, Molecular
Exons
Fish
Fugu rubripes
Gene Duplication
Genes
Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor
mitf gene
mitf-a gene
mitf-b gene
Molecular Sequence Data
Phylogeny
Proteins
Sequence Alignment
Teleostei
Tetraodon nigroviridis
Tetraodontiformes - genetics
Transcription Factors - genetics
Xiphophorus
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Summary:The microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) exists in at least four isoforms. These are generated in higher vertebrates using alternative 5' exons and promoters from a single gene. Two separate genes (mitf-m and mitf-b), however, are present in different teleost fish species including the poeciliid Xiphophorus, the pufferfishes Fugu rubripes and Tetraodon nigroviridis, and the zebrafish Danio rerio. Fish proteins MITF-m and MITF-b correspond at both the structural and the expression levels to one particular bird/mammalian MITF isoform. In the teleost lineage subfunctionalization of mitf genes after duplication at least 100 million years ago is associated with the degeneration of alternative exons and, probably, regulatory elements and promoters. For example, a remnant of the first exon specific for MITF-m is detected within the pufferfish gene encoding MITF-b. Retracing the evolutionary history of mitf genes in vertebrates uncovered the differential recruitment of new introns specific for either the teleost or the bird/mammalian lineage.
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ISSN:0016-6731
1943-2631
1943-2631
DOI:10.1093/genetics/161.1.259