title: The vertebrate muscle-specific RING finger protein family includes MuRF4--a novel, conserved E3-ubiquitin ligase.
abstract: Muscle-specific RING finger (MuRF) proteins are E3-ubiquitin ligases and key regulators of muscle growth and turnover. Here, using a range of phylogenomic approaches, we established the complete-definitive MuRF family of vertebrates. Adding to recognized MuRF1, 2 and 3, we describe a novel family member, hereafter MuRF4, which was independently lost during placental mammal and bird evolution, but is otherwise conserved. MuRF4 transcripts were expressed in heart and skeletal muscles of zebrafish, but were barely detectable in striated muscles of adult anole lizards. We also demonstrate that MuRF1 underwent retrotransposition in the teleost fish ancestor, before the retrogene fully replaced the original gene and muscle-specific function.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK.
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Macqueen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK; Laboratorio de Biotecnología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile; Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research (INCAR), Víctor Lamas 1290, PO Box 160-C, Concepción, Chile.
authors.forename: Eduardo N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Fuentes
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Biotecnología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile; Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research (INCAR), Víctor Lamas 1290, PO Box 160-C, Concepción, Chile.
authors.forename: Juan Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Valdés
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Biotecnología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile; Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research (INCAR), Víctor Lamas 1290, PO Box 160-C, Concepción, Chile.
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Molina
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK.
authors.forename: Samuel A M
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D020440:Gene Duplication; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D023281:Genomics; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D054829:RING Finger Domains; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases
keywords: E3-ubiquitin ligase; Evolution; Muscle-specific RING finger family; Novel MuRF: MuRF4; Retrotransposition; Striated muscle