title: Myostatin rapid sequence evolution in ruminants predates domestication.
abstract: Myostatin (GDF-8) is a negative regulator of skeletal muscle development. This gene has previously been implicated in the double muscling phenotype in mice and cattle. A systematic analysis of myostatin sequence evolution in ruminants was performed in a phylogenetic context. The myostatin coding sequence was determined from duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia caffra), eland (Taurotragus derbianus), gaur (Bos gaurus), ibex (Capra ibex), impala (Aepyceros melampus rednilis), pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), and tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus). Analysis of nonsynonymous to synonymous nucleotide substitution rate ratios (Ka/Ks) indicates that positive selection may have been operating on this gene during the time of divergence of Bovinae and Antilopinae, starting from approximately 23 million years ago, a period that appears to account for most of the sequence difference between myostatin in these groups. These periods of positive selective pressure on myostatin may correlate with changes in skeletal muscle mass during the same period.
authors.affiliation: Computational Biology Unit, Bergen Centre for Computational Science, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Asa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tellgren
authors.forename: Ann-Charlotte
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Berglund
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Savolainen
authors.forename: Christine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Janis
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Liberles
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D002417:Cattle; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005091:Exons; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D024510:Muscle Development; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology; D009154:Mutation; D055435:Myostatin; D010641:Phenotype; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012418:Ruminants; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013997:Time Factors; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; C525912:Mstn protein, mouse; D055435:Myostatin; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D004247:DNA