title: The evolution of pro-opiomelanocortin: looking for the invertebrate fingerprints.
abstract: The presence and role of the pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) gene and encoded peptides in invertebrates are here summarized and discussed. Some of the POMC-derived peptides show a significant similarity regarding their functions, suggesting their appearance before the split of protostomian-deuterostomian lineages and their maintenance during evolution. The basic mechanisms that govern the exchange of information between cells are usually well conserved, and this could have also been for POMC-derived peptides, that are mainly involved in fundamental functions such as immune and neuroendocrine responses. However, the presence and functions that POMC-derived peptides exhibit in taxonomically distant models, are not always reflected by the expected gene homology, leaving the problem of POMC evolution in invertebrates in need of additional study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Malagoli
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Accorsi
authors.forename: Enzo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ottaviani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D006801:Humans; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000235:genetics*; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D013312:Stress, Physiological
chemical_list: D009479:Neuropeptides; D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin