title: Comparative analysis of SOX3 protein orthologs: Expansion of homopolymeric amino acid tracts during vertebrate evolution.
abstract: To understand more fully the structure and evolution of the SOX3 protein, we comparatively analyzed its orthologs in vertebrates. Since complex disorders are associated with human SOX3 polyalanine expansions, our investigation focused on both compositional and evolutionary analysis of various homopolymeric amino acid tracts observed in SOX3 orthologs. Our analysis revealed that the observed homopolymeric alanine, glycine, and proline tracts are mammal-specific, except for one polyglycine tract present in birds. Since it is likely that the SOX3 protein acquired additional roles in brain development in Eutheria, we might speculate that development of novel brain functions during the course of evolution was affected, at least in part, by such structural-functional changes in the SOX3 protein.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering, University of Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Marija
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mojsin
authors.forename: Natasa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kovacevic-Grujicic
authors.forename: Aleksandar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krstic
authors.forename: Jelena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Popovic
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Milivojevic
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stevanovic
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D055748:SOXB1 Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D025841:Small Ubiquitin-Related Modifier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019680:Trinucleotide Repeat Expansion / Q000235:genetics*; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D010455:Peptides; D055748:SOXB1 Transcription Factors; D025841:Small Ubiquitin-Related Modifier Proteins; C011083:polyproline; C019529:polyalanine; C011080:polyglycine