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Positive Selection and Functional Divergence After Melanopsin Gene Duplication

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Abstract

A newly discovered melanopsin gene (Opn4) encodes a member of the opsins, melanopsin. Two melanopsin genes, mammalian-like Opn4m and Xenopus-like Opn4x, have been described in nonmammalian vertebrates, but the underlying evolutionary mechanisms behind the duplication of melanopsin genes remain unclear. We conducted a comprehensive evolutionary analysis within a phylogenetic framework. In our phylogenetic tree, the duplication of Opn4m and Opn4x probably occurred prior to the emergence of vertebrates, and subsequently Opn4x disappeared in the lineages leading to mammalian species. Evolutionary analyses show strong purifying selection during melanopsin evolution. We also provide evidence that Opn4x underwent positive selection after the early gene duplication events. It has been indicated that functional divergence and altered functional constraints occurred between Opn4m and Opn4x duplicates with the identification of positively selected amino acids. Our findings highlight the evolutionary malleability in vertebrate melanopsin genes and provide a genetic basis for comparative studies of functional properties of these two melanopsins.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Huabin Zhao, Dr. Aleksei Chmura and Dr. Dong Dong for their kind comments and manuscript editing. This study was funded by grants under the Key Construction Program of the National “985” Project and “211” Project awarded to SZ.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathophysiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100094, China

    Changgui Dong & Jian Qiao

  2. Institute of Molecular Ecology and Evolution, IAIR, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China

    Junpeng Zhang & Guimei He

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  1. Changgui Dong
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  2. Junpeng Zhang
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  3. Jian Qiao
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  4. Guimei He
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Correspondence to Jian Qiao or Guimei He.

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Dong, C., Zhang, J., Qiao, J. et al. Positive Selection and Functional Divergence After Melanopsin Gene Duplication. Biochem Genet 50, 235–248 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10528-011-9466-0

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