title: The evolution of monomeric and oligomeric betagamma-type crystallins. Facts and hypotheses.
abstract: The case of homologous monomeric gamma-type and oligomeric beta-type crystallins has been described and analyzed in evolutionary terms. Data and hypotheses from molecular genetics and structural investigations converge and suggest a novel three-phase model for the evolutionary history of crystallin-type proteins. In the divergent cascades of monomeric and oligomeric crystallins, a pivotal role was played by alterations in the gene segments encoding the C-terminal extensions and the intermotif or interdomain linker peptides. These were genomic hot spots where evolution experimented to produce the modern variety of betagamma-crystallin-type quaternary structures.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica Biologica, Università di Napoli Federico II, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy. dalessio@unina.it
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: D'Alessio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003459:Crystallins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics*; D019281:Dimerization; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D007438:Introns; D008954:Models, Biological; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011487:Protein Conformation
chemical_list: D003459:Crystallins