Accelerated Evolution in the Protein-coding Region of Galectin cDNAs, Congerin I and Congerin II, from Skin Mucus of Conger Eel (Conger myriaster)

Abstract Genes that have undergone positive or diversifying selection are likely to be associated with adaptive divergence between species. One indicator of adaptive selection at the molecular level is an excess of amino acid replacement fixed differences per replacement site relative to the number of synonymous fixed differences per synonymous site (ω = Ka/Ks). We used an evolutionary expressed sequence tag (EST) approach to estimate the distribution of ω among 304 orthologous loci between Arabidopsis thaliana and A. lyrata to identify genes potentially involved in the adaptive divergence between these two Brassicaceae species. We find that 14 of 304 genes (∼5%) have an estimated ω > 1 and are candidates for genes with increased selection intensities. Molecular population genetic analyses of 6 of these rapidly evolving protein loci indicate that, despite their high levels of between-species nonsynonymous divergence, these genes do not have elevated levels of intraspecific replacement polymorphisms compared to previously studied genes. A hierarchical Bayesian analysis of protein-coding region evolution within and between species also indicates that the selection intensities of these genes are elevated compared to previously studied A. thaliana nuclear loci.

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Influence of the Leader protein coding region of foot-and-mouth disease virus on virus replication

Journal of General Virology ◽

10.1099/vir.0.052126-0 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 94 (7) ◽

pp. 1486-1495 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Graham J. Belsham

Keyword(s):

Disease Virus ◽

Foot And Mouth Disease ◽

Mouth Disease ◽

Initiation Codon ◽

Coding Region ◽

Protein Coding ◽

Coding Sequence ◽

Bhk Cells ◽

Leader Protein ◽

Mouth Disease Virus

The foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) Leader (L) protein is produced in two forms, Lab and Lb, differing only at their amino-termini, due to the use of separate initiation codons, usually 84 nt apart. It has been shown previously, and confirmed here, that precise deletion of the Lab coding sequence is lethal for the virus, whereas loss of the Lb coding sequence results in a virus that is viable in BHK cells. In addition, it is now shown that deletion of the ‘spacer’ region between these two initiation codons can be tolerated. Growth of the virus precisely lacking just the Lb coding sequence resulted in a previously undetected accumulation of frameshift mutations within the ‘spacer’ region. These mutations block the inappropriate fusion of amino acid sequences to the amino-terminus of the capsid protein precursor. Modification, by site-directed mutagenesis, of the Lab initiation codon, in the context of the virus lacking the Lb coding region, was also tolerated by the virus within BHK cells. However, precise loss of the Lb coding sequence alone blocked FMDV replication in primary bovine thyroid cells. Thus, the requirement for the Leader protein coding sequences is highly dependent on the nature and extent of the residual Leader protein sequences and on the host cell system used. FMDVs precisely lacking Lb and with the Lab initiation codon modified may represent safer seed viruses for vaccine production.

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