title: Distant cousins: genomic and sequence diversity within the BPI fold-containing (BPIF)/PLUNC protein family.
abstract: PLUNC (palate, lung and nasal epithelium clone) proteins make up the largest branch of the BPI (bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein)/LBP (lipopolysaccharide-binding protein) family of lipid-transfer proteins. PLUNCs make up one of the most rapidly evolving mammalian protein families and exhibit low levels of sequence similarity coupled with multiple examples of species-specific gene acquisition and gene loss. Vertebrate genomes contain multiple examples of genes that do not meet our original definition of what is required to be a member of the PLUNC family, namely conservation of exon numbers/sizes, overall protein size, genomic location and the presence of a conserved disulfide bond. This suggests that evolutionary forces have continued to act on the structure of this conserved domain in what are likely to be functionally important ways.
authors.affiliation: Academic Unit of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Infection and Immunity, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2JF, UK. c.d.bingle@sheffield.ac.uk
authors.forename: Colin D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Bingle
authors.forename: Lynne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bingle
authors.forename: C Jeremy
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Craven
mesh_terms: D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000818:Animals; D005091:Exons; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C485599:BPIFA1 protein, human; D006023:Glycoproteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins