title: SRY-related (Sox) genes in the genome of European Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser sturio).
abstract: The Sox-gene family represents an ancient group of transcription factors involved in numerous developmental processes and sex determination in vertebrates. SOX proteins are characterized by a conserved high mobility group (HMG)-box domain, which is responsible for DNA binding and bending. We studied Sox genes in sturgeon, one of the most primitive groups of fishes characterized by a high chromosome number. Male and female genomes were screened for Sox genes using highly degenerate primers that amplified a broad range of HMG boxes. A total of 102 clones, representing 22 different sequences coding for 8 Sox genes, was detected and classified according to their orthologues. Sox2, Sox3, Sox4, Sox9, Sox11, Sox17, Sox19, and Sox21 were found in sturgeon; these genes represent Sox groups B, C, E, and F. In a phylogenetic analysis (neighbor-joining, maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony), these genes clustered with their mouse orthologues. In the case of Sox4, Sox17, and Sox21, we found evidence of gene duplication.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Anne Kathrin
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Hett
authors.forename: Arne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ludwig
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes / Q000235:genetics*; D020440:Gene Duplication; D016678:Genome; D024742:HMG-Box Domains / Q000235:genetics; D006609:High Mobility Group Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D019849:Sex Determination Processes; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D006609:High Mobility Group Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors