435 research outputs found
Corrigendum to âA novel salmonid myoD gene is distinctly regulated during development and probably arose by duplication after the genome tetraploidizationâ [FEBS Lett. 580 (2006) 4996â5002]
Radial Velocity Observations and Light Curve Noise Modeling Confirm That Kepler-91b is a Giant Planet Orbiting a Giant Star
Kepler-91b is a rare example of a transiting hot Jupiter around a red giant
star, providing the possibility to study the formation and composition of hot
Jupiters under different conditions compared to main-sequence stars. However,
the planetary nature of Kepler-91b, which was confirmed using phase-curve
variations by Lillo-Box et al., was recently called into question based on a
re-analysis of Kepler data. We have obtained ground-based radial velocity
observations from the Hobby-Eberly Telescope and unambiguously confirm the
planetary nature of Kepler-91b by simultaneously modeling the Kepler and radial
velocity data. The star exhibits temporally correlated noise due to stellar
granulation which we model as a Gaussian Process. We hypothesize that it is
this noise component that led previous studies to suspect Kepler-91b to be a
false positive. Our work confirms the conclusions presented by Lillo-Box et al.
that Kepler-91b is a 0.73+/-0.13 Mjup planet orbiting a red giant star.Comment: Published in Ap
Phylogenetic reclassification of vertebrate melatonin receptors to include Mel1d
The circadian and seasonal actions of melatonin are mediated by high affinity G-protein coupled receptors (melatonin receptors, MTRs), classified into phylogenetically distinct subtypes based on sequence divergence and pharmacological characteristics. Three vertebrate MTR subtypes are currently described: MT1 (MTNR1A), MT2 (MTNR1B), and Mel1c (MTNR1C / GPR50), which exhibit distinct affinities, tissue distributions and signaling properties. We present phylogenetic and comparative genomic analyses supporting a revised classification of the vertebrate MTR family. We demonstrate four ancestral vertebrate MTRs, including a novel molecule hereafter named Mel1d. We reconstructed the evolution of each vertebrate MTR, detailing genetic losses in addition to gains resulting from whole genome duplication events in teleost fishes. We show that Mel1d was lost separately in mammals and birds and has been previously mistaken for an MT1 paralogue. The genetic and functional diversity of vertebrate MTRs is more complex than appreciated, with implications for our understanding of melatonin actions in different taxa. The significance of our findings, including the existence of Mel1d, are discussed in an evolutionary and functional context accommodating a robust phylogenetic assignment of MTR gene family structure
Genomic, evolutionary, and expression analyses of cee, an ancient gene involved in normal growth and development
AbstractThe cee (conserved edge expressed protein) gene was recently identified in a genome-wide screen to discover genes associated with myotube formation in fast muscle of pufferfish. Comparative genomic analyses indicate that cee arose some 1.6â1.8Â billion years ago and is found as a single-copy gene in most eukaryotic genomes examined. The complexity of its structure varies from an intronless gene in yeast and tunicates to nine exons and eight introns in vertebrates. cee is particularly conserved among vertebrates and is located in a syntenic region within tetrapods and between teleosts and invertebrates. Low dN/dS ratios in the cee coding region (0.02â0.09) indicate that the Cee protein is under strong purifying selection. In Atlantic salmon, cee is expressed in the superficial layers of developing organs and tissues. These data, together with functional screens in yeast and Caenorhabditis elegans, indicate that cee has a hitherto uncharacterized role in normal growth and development
Independent rediploidization masks shared whole genome duplication in the sturgeon-paddlefish ancestor
Evolution and Expression of Tissue Globins in Ray-Finned Fishes
We thank Professor Ian A. Johnston FRSE and Dr Daniel Garcia de la Serrana (School of Biology, University of St. Andrews) for providing tissues samples for African butterflyfish and spotted gar. We are grateful to Professor Peter W.H. Holland FRS (Department of Zoology, University of Oxford) for sharing sequence databases for Osteoglossiformes. We thank Professor Christopher J. Secombes (Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen) for gifting rainbow trout used in the study. Mr Ronald McKay contributed towards Pantodon molecular work during his undergraduate research. MDG is a PhD student funded by the BBSRC EASTBIO Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) (BB/J01446X/1). The study received support from institutional funds within the University of Aberdeen and from an undergraduate Research Experience Placement scheme granted by the BBSRC EASTBIO DTP scheme.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Genome Sequencing of SAV3 Reveals Repeated Seeding Events of Viral Strains in Norwegian Aquaculture
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