title: Parvalbumin isoforms in zebrafish.
abstract: By using an analysis of existing genomic information it is concluded that in zebrafish nine genes encode parvalbumin (PV). These genes possess introns that differ in size and show nucleotide variability but they contain the same number of exons, and for each corresponding exon, the number of nucleotides therein are identical in all the paralogs. This rule also applies to the multiple PV genes of other species e.g. mammals. Each of these genes displays, however, characteristic 5' and 3' UTRs which appear highly conserved between closely related species (so that orthologs among these species can be readily identified) but which show larger numbers of mutations between species that are more distant in evolution. A tree is presented which suggests that the traditional classification of PVs as alpha or beta (based mainly on charge of the protein molecule) is not sustainable. Numbers 1-9 are assigned to the various isoforms to facilitate their identification in future studies. A bifurcation of isoforms into 1 and 4; 2 and 3; 6 and 7; 8 and 9 appears to have occurred simultaneously in more recent time, i.e. perhaps approximately 60 mys ago when primates and rodents branched.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Howard University, Washington, DC, NW, USA. ffriedberg@fac.howard.edu
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Friedberg
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002147:Calmodulin / Q000235:genetics; D020832:EF Hand Motifs; D005091:Exons; D007438:Introns; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010320:Parvalbumins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D019209:Troponin C / Q000235:genetics; D020506:Untranslated Regions; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D002147:Calmodulin; D010320:Parvalbumins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D019209:Troponin C; D020506:Untranslated Regions; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins