PUBLICATION

Long Term Evolution of the Cazy Glycosyltransferase 6 (ABO) Gene Family from Fishes to Mammals: A Birth-and-Death Evolution Model

Authors
Turcot-Dubois, A.L., Le Moullac-Vaidye, B., Despiau, S., Roubinet, F., Bovin, N., Le Pendu, J., and Blancher, A.
ID
ZDB-PUB-070303-11
Date
2007
Source
Glycobiology   17(5): 516-528 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Keywords
ABO, birth-and-death, evolution, Glycosyltransferase, histo-blood group
MeSH Terms
  • ABO Blood-Group System/genetics*
  • ABO Blood-Group System/metabolism
  • Animals
  • Evolution, Molecular*
  • Fishes
  • Forssman Antigen/genetics
  • Forssman Antigen/metabolism
  • Galactosyltransferases/genetics*
  • Galactosyltransferases/metabolism
  • Gene Duplication*
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Multigene Family*
  • Phylogeny*
  • Rats
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
PubMed
17298992 Full text @ Glycobiology
Abstract
Functional glycosyltransferase family 6 (GT6) members which catalyse galactose or Nacetylgalactosamine in _1,3 to various substrates, synthesize structures related to the A and B histo-blood group antigens, the Forssman antigen, _Gal epitope and iGb3 glycolipid. In the rat, mouse, dog, and cow genomes, we have identified three new mammalian genes (GT6m5, GT6m6, GT6m7) encoding putative proteins belonging to the GT6 family. Only the GT6m6 protein, does not display major alterations of the GT6 motifs involved in binding of the divalent cation and the substrate. Based on protein sequence comparison, gene structure and syntheny, GT6 homologous sequences were also identified in bird, fish and amphibian genomes. Strikingly, the number and type of GT6 genes varied widely from species to species, even within phylogenetically related groups. In human, excepted the ABOfunctional alleles, all other GT6 genes are either absent or non-functional. Human, mouse, and cow have only one ABOgene, but rat and dog have several. In the chicken the Forsman synthase-like, is the single GT6 family member. Five Forsman synthase-likegenes were found in zebrafish, but are absent from three other fishes (fugu, puffer fish and medaka). Two iGb3 synthase-likegenes were found in medaka that are absent from zebrafish. Fugu, puffer fish and medaka have an additional GT6 gene that we termed GT6m8which is absent from all other species analysed here. These observations indicate that individual GT6 genes have expanded and contracted by recurrent duplications and deletions during vertebrate evolution, following a birth-and-deathevolution type.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping