title: Growth hormone locus expands and diverges after the separation of New and Old World Monkeys.
abstract: While most mammals including the prosimians have a single copy of the growth hormone (GH) gene, anthropoids possess a cluster of GH-related genes. Throughout the evolution of the main anthropoid groups [New World Monkeys (NWM), Old World Monkeys (OWM), and apes], two features stand out of the GH loci. The first is the appearance of chorionic somatommamotropin hormone (CSH) genes within the OWM lineage and the second is the expansion of the loci intergenic regions in the OWM and apes. In relation with this loci expansion, the NWM possess intergenic regions of homogeneous lengths (3.5 kb). In contrast, heterogeneous lengths (6 and 13 kb) have been reported for species of the OWM. At the present, none of the OWM genomic GH loci organizations have been described. Here, we report the genomic organization of the GH locus in the rhesus monkey, this locus has six GH-related genes separated by five intergenic regions. The 5' end gene (GH-1) encodes for the pituitary GH and is followed by CSH-1, GH-2, CSH-2, CSH-3 and CSH-4 genes. The five intergenic regions have heterogeneous lengths and also present more or less the same Alu distribution as the human GH locus. To analyze the events that contributed to the extension of the intergenic regions of the GH locus and the emergence of the regulatory elements, the five GH locus intergenic regions of the spider monkey (NWM) were sequenced. The results of comparing the loci from both species suggest that the long intergenic regions (13 kb) of the rhesus GH locus share a common ancestor with the 3.5 kb intergenic regions of the spider monkey. However, the observed increased length of the former is due to an insertion (approximately 8.7 kb) at their 3' end. Interestingly in this insert, we discovered a DNA element resembling the enhancer of the CSH genes of the human GH locus. On the other hand, we observed that the short intergenic regions (6 kb) increased by a different recombination event.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Genomic Sciences and Bioinformatics, Unit of Laboratories of Genetic Engineering and Gene Expression, Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Autonomous University of Nuevo Léon, Monterrey, Mexico.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: González Alvarez
authors.forename: Agnès
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Revol de Mendoza
authors.forename: Dolores
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Esquivel Escobedo
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Corrales Félix
authors.forename: Irám
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rodríguez Sánchez
authors.forename: Víctor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dávila
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Pieter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: de Jong
authors.forename: Yun-Xin
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Hugo A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Barrera Saldaña
mesh_terms: D020087:Alu Elements; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002427:Cebidae / Q000235:genetics; D002520:Cercopithecidae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D021901:DNA, Intergenic; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D020440:Gene Duplication; D005809:Genes, Regulator; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008253:Macaca mulatta / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D051078:Platyrrhini / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013045:Species Specificity; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D021901:DNA, Intergenic; D013006:Growth Hormone; D004247:DNA