Intra-genomic GC heterogeneity in sauropsids: evolutionary insights from cDNA mapping and GC3 profiling in snake

BMC Genomics

Research Article

Shigehiro Kuraku¹  Yoshinori Kumazawa²  Kazumi Matsubara³  Chizuko Nishida⁴  Osamu Nishimura⁵  Hiroshi Tarui⁶  Kiyokazu Agata⁷  Yoichi Matsuda⁸ 

[1]Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitaetsstrasse 10, 78457, Konstanz, Germany

[2]Genome Resource and Analysis Unit, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, 2-2-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, 650–0047, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan

[3]Department of Information and Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Natural Sciences, Nagoya City University, 1 Yamanohata, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, 467-8501, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan

[4]Department of Information and Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Natural Sciences, Nagoya City University, 1 Yamanohata, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, 467-8501, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan

[5]Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, 2601, Canberra, ACT, Australia

[6]Department of Natural History Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Kita 10 Nishi 8, Kita-ku, 060-0810, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

[7]Genome Resource and Analysis Unit, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, 2-2-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, 650–0047, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan

[8]Laboratory for Molecular Developmental Biology, Department of Biophysics, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Kyoto, Japan

[9]Genome Resource and Analysis Unit, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, 2-2-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, 650–0047, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan

[10]Omics Science Center, Yokohama Institute RIKEN, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, 230-0045, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

[11]Laboratory for Molecular Developmental Biology, Department of Biophysics, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Kyoto, Japan

[12]Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Department of Applied Molecular Biosciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, 464-8601, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan

关键词: GC-content;    Lepidosauria;    Snake;    Macrochromosome;    Microchromosome;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2164-13-604

 received in 2012-01-28, accepted in 2012-10-24,  发布年份 2012

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundExtant sauropsids (reptiles and birds) are divided into two major lineages, the lineage of Testudines (turtles) and Archosauria (crocodilians and birds) and the lineage of Lepidosauria (tuatara, lizards, worm lizards and snakes). Karyotypes of these sauropsidan groups generally consist of macrochromosomes and microchromosomes. In chicken, microchromosomes exhibit a higher GC-content than macrochromosomes. To examine the pattern of intra-genomic GC heterogeneity in lepidosaurian genomes, we constructed a cytogenetic map of the Japanese four-striped rat snake (Elaphe quadrivirgata) with 183 cDNA clones by fluorescence in situ hybridization, and examined the correlation between the GC-content of exonic third codon positions (GC3) of the genes and the size of chromosomes on which the genes were localized.ResultsAlthough GC3 distribution of snake genes was relatively homogeneous compared with those of the other amniotes, microchromosomal genes showed significantly higher GC3 than macrochromosomal genes as in chicken. Our snake cytogenetic map also identified several conserved segments between the snake macrochromosomes and the chicken microchromosomes. Cross-species comparisons revealed that GC3 of most snake orthologs in such macrochromosomal segments were GC-poor (GC3 < 50%) whereas those of chicken orthologs in microchromosomes were relatively GC-rich (GC3 ≥ 50%).ConclusionOur results suggest that the chromosome size-dependent GC heterogeneity had already occurred before the lepidosaur-archosaur split, 275 million years ago. This character was probably present in the common ancestor of lepidosaurs and but lost in the lineage leading to Anolis during the diversification of lepidosaurs. We also identified several genes whose GC-content might have been influenced by the size of the chromosomes on which they were harbored over the course of sauropsid evolution.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Matsubara et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2012