Identification of new bone morphogenetic protein-related members in invertebrates.
Although believed to be widely distributed among the animal kingdom, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) superfamily members have mainly been characterized in vertebrate and in invertebrate model organisms such as Drosophila and C. elegans. To characterize such new factors in invertebrates, a PCR screen was performed on genomic DNA from different animal phyla, using degenerate primers deduced from consensus sequences of known members of the TGF-beta superfamily. Four new members were identified from a cnidaria, an echinoderm and from two classes of molluscs. These new proteins exhibit a high degree of identity with human bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP2/4). Sequence comparisons suggest an early origin and an evolutionary conservation of the molecular conformation. However, their possible involvement in distinct regulatory pathways is discussed.
Lelong
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Université de Caen, IBBA, Laboratoire de Biologie et Biotechnologies Marines, IFREMER, URM 14, Esplanade de la Paix, 14032 cedex, Caen, France.
Mathieu
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M
Favrel
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P
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D055396:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2; D055415:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D003063:Cnidaria; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000378:metabolism; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D004447:Echinodermata; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D008024:Ligands; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008974:Mollusca; D005810:Multigene Family; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012984:Software; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism
C525718:BMP2 protein, human; C525809:BMP4 protein, human; D055396:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2; D055415:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D008024:Ligands; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D004247:DNA