title: Opsin evolution in the Ambulacraria.
abstract: Opsins--G-protein coupled receptors involved in photoreception--have been extensively studied in the animal kingdom. The present work provides new insights into opsin-based photoreception and photoreceptor cell evolution with a first analysis of opsin sequence data for a major deuterostome clade, the Ambulacraria. Systematic data analysis, including for the first time hemichordate opsin sequences and an expanded echinoderm dataset, led to a robust opsin phylogeny for this cornerstone superphylum. Multiple genomic and transcriptomic resources were surveyed to cover each class of Hemichordata and Echinodermata. In total, 119 ambulacrarian opsin sequences were found, 22 new sequences in hemichordates and 97 in echinoderms (including 67 new sequences). We framed the ambulacrarian opsin repertoire within eumetazoan diversity by including selected reference opsins from non-ambulacrarians. Our findings corroborate the presence of all major ancestral bilaterian opsin groups in Ambulacraria. Furthermore, we identified two opsin groups specific to echinoderms. In conclusion, a molecular phylogenetic framework for investigating light-perception and photobiological behaviors in marine deuterostomes has been obtained.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy. Electronic address: salvatore.daniello@szn.it.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: D'Aniello
authors.affiliation: Biology of Marine Organisms and Biomimetics, Research Institute for Biosciences, University of Mons, Avenue du Champs de Mars 6, 7000 Mons, Belgium; School of Biological & Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Delroisse
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valero-Gracia
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy; BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Lowe
authors.affiliation: Schools of Medical and Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Byrne
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences and Molette Biology Laboratory for Environmental and Climate Change Studies, Auburn University, Auburn, USA; Department of Zoology, Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, Stockholm, Sweden; Friday Harbor Laboratories, University of Washington, Friday Harbor, WA 98250, USA.
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Cannon
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences and Molette Biology Laboratory for Environmental and Climate Change Studies, Auburn University, Auburn, USA.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Halanych
authors.affiliation: School of Biological & Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Elphick
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Marine Biology, Earth and Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Place Croix du Sud 3, bt L7.06.04, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mallefet
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Evolution and Development, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaul-Strehlow
authors.affiliation: Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Lowe
authors.affiliation: Biology of Marine Organisms and Biomimetics, Research Institute for Biosciences, University of Mons, Avenue du Champs de Mars 6, 7000 Mons, Belgium.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Flammang
authors.affiliation: Museum fuer Naturkunde Berlin, Invalidenstr 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ullrich-Lüter
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wanninger
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Arnone
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002816:Chordata, Nonvertebrate / Q000235:genetics*; D004447:Echinodermata / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D055355:Opsins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010802:Phylogeny; D011487:Protein Conformation
chemical_list: D055355:Opsins
keywords: Ambulacraria; Echinoderm; Echinopsin; Hemichordate; Opsin; Photoreceptor cell evolution; Phylogeny