Article
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Orthologs at the Base of the Olfactores Clade
Version 1
: Received: 16 April 2024 / Approved: 17 April 2024 / Online: 17 April 2024 (11:45:01 CEST)
A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.
Stein, W.D. Orthologs at the Base of the Olfactores Clade. Genes 2024, 15, 657. Stein, W.D. Orthologs at the Base of the Olfactores Clade. Genes 2024, 15, 657.
Abstract
Tunicate orthologs in the human genome comprise just 84 genes of the 19,872 protein-coding genes, yet they stand at the base of the Olfactores clade - which radiated to generate thousands of tunicate and vertebrate species. What were the powerful drivers among the 84 that enabled this process? Many of these orthologs are present in gene families. We discuss the biological role of each family and the orthologs’ quantitative contribution to the family. Most important was the evolution of a second type of cadherin. This, a Type II cadherin, had the property of detaching the cell containing that cadherin from cells that expressed the Type I class. The set of such Type II cadherins could now detach and move away from their Type I neighbours, a process which would eventually evolve into the formation of the neural crest, “ the fourth germ layer”, providing a wide range of possibilities for further evolutionary invention. A second important contribution were key additions to the broad development of the muscle and nerve protein and visual perception tool-kits. These developments in mobility and vision provided the basis for the development of the efficient predatory capabilities of the Vertebrata.
Keywords
evolution; orthologs; tunicates; olfactores; neural crest; type II cadherins; crystalline; connexins
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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