title: Divergence of duplicate POMC genes in gilthead sea bream Sparus auratus.
abstract: Proopiomelanocorticotrophin (POMC) in vertebrates is produced in the pituitary gland and undergoes post-translational processing to give rise to a range of biologically active peptides. Teleosts possess 2-3 different POMC transcripts which have been proposed to have originated from a whole or partial genome duplication. In the present study 2 transcripts of gilthead sea bream POMC (sbPOMC-α1 and α2) were cloned and characterised. sbPOMC-α1 is expressed principally in the melanotroph cells of the pars intermedia (PI) and sbPOMC-α2 is expressed in the corticotroph cells of the rostral pars distalis and probably also in the PI. The 2 sbPOMC transcripts have a differential tissue distribution in extra-pituitary sites. An appraisal of POMC evolution indicates sbPOMCs belong to one of the two main clades that exist in teleosts and that overall a non conservative process of gene loss occurred in this infraclass.
authors.affiliation: CCMAR, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal.
authors.forename: J C R
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Laiz-Carrion
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Louro
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: A V M
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Canario
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Mancera
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Power
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D029941:Fish Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D020440:Gene Duplication; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000378:metabolism; D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D021541:Sea Bream / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D020539:Sequence Analysis, Protein
chemical_list: D029941:Fish Proteins; D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin