title: Sequences and evolution of human and squirrel monkey blue opsin genes.
abstract: The sequences of the entire blue opsin gene in the squirrel monkey (Saimiri boliviensis) and the five introns of the human blue opsin gene were obtained. Intron 3 of these genes contains an Alu sequence and intron 4 contains a partial mer13 sequence. A comparison of the squirrel monkey opsin sequence with published mammalian opsin sequences shows that features believed to be functionally critical are all conserved. However, the blue opsin has evolved twice as fast as rhodopsin and is only as conservative as the beta globin, which has evolved at the average rate of mammalian proteins. Interestingly, the interhelical loops are, on average, actually more conservative than the transmembrane alpha helical regions. The introns of the blue opsin gene have evolved at the average rate of introns in primate genes.
authors.affiliation: Human Genetics Center, SPH, University of Texas Houston Health Science Center, P.O. Box 20334, Houston, TX 77225, USA. maddog@utsph.sph.uth.tmc.edu
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Shimmin
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mai
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002417:Cattle; D017931:DNA Primers; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D000882:Haplorhini; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017299:Rod Opsins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D012453:Saimiri / Q000235:genetics*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D017299:Rod Opsins; C095853:short-wavelength opsin