Origin of metazoan adhesion molecules and adhesion receptors as deduced from cDNA analyses in the marine sponge Geodia cydonium: a review.
The phylogenetic relationships of the kingdom Animalia (Metazoa) have long been questioned. Whether the lowest eukaryotic multicellular organisms, the metazoan phylum Porifera (sponges), independently evolved multicellularity from a separate protist lineage (polyphyly of animals) or whether they were derived from the same protist group as the other animal phyla (monophyly) remains unclear. Analyses of the genes that are typical for multicellularity, e.g. those coding for adhesion molecules (galectin) and adhesion receptors (receptor tyrosine kinase, integrin receptor, receptors featuring scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domains) or elements involved in signal transduction pathways (G-proteins, Ser/Thr protein kinases), especially from the marine sponge Geodia cydonium, indicate that all animals, including sponges, are of monophyletic origin.
Müller
W E
WE
Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Abteilung Angewandte Molekularbiologie, Universität, Duesbergweg 6, D-55099 Mainz, Germany. Wmueller@Goofy.ZDV.UNI-Mainz.DE
D000818:Animals; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000235:genetics*; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000032:analysis; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D019038:Platelet Glycoprotein GPIb-IX Complex; D011161:Porifera / Q000737:chemistry*
D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D019038:Platelet Glycoprotein GPIb-IX Complex; C094990:adhesion receptor