title: Cloning and characterisation of the GH gene from the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis).
abstract: The sequence of growth hormone (GH) is generally strongly conserved in mammals, but episodes of rapid change occurred during the evolution of primates and artiodactyls, when the rate of GH evolution apparently increased at least 50-fold. As a result, the sequences of human and ruminant GHs differ substantially from those of other non-primate GHs. Recent molecular studies have suggested that cetaceans are closely related to artiodactyls and may be deeply nested within the artiodactyl phylogenetic tree. To extend the knowledge of GH in Cetartiodactyla (Artiodactyla plus Cetacea), we have cloned and characterised a single GH gene from the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), using genomic DNA and a polymerase chain reaction technique. As in other mammals, the dolphin GH gene comprises five exons and four introns. The deduced sequence for the mature dolphin GH differs from that of pig at two residues only, showing that the apparent burst of rapid evolution of GH occurred largely after the separation of cetaceans and ruminants.
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QG, Sussex, UK. z.maniou@sussex.ac.uk
authors.forename: Zoitsa
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Maniou
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Caryl Wallis
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wallis
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001188:Artiodactyla / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D004289:Dolphins / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D013006:Growth Hormone; D004247:DNA