title: Evolutionary history of the chitin synthases of eukaryotes.
abstract: Chitin synthases are widespread among eukaryotes and known to have a complex evolutionary history in some of the groups. We have reconstructed the chitin synthase phylogeny using the most taxonomically comprehensive dataset currently available and have shown the presence of independently formed paralogous groups in oomycetes, ciliates, fungi, and all diatoms except raphid pennates. There were also two cases of horizontal gene transfer (HGT): transfer from fungus to early diatoms gave rise to diatom paralogous group, while transfer from raphid pennate diatom to Acantamoeba ancestor is, to our knowledge, restricted to a single gene in amoeba. Early evolution of chitin synthases is heavily obscured by paralogy, and further sequencing effort is necessary.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Ultrastructure, Limnological Institute, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 3 Ulan-Batorskaya, Irkutsk 664033, Russia morozov@lin.irk.ru.
authors.forename: Alexey A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Morozov
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Ultrastructure, Limnological Institute, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 3 Ulan-Batorskaya, Irkutsk 664033, Russia.
authors.forename: Yelena V
authors.initials: YV
authors.lastname: Likhoshway
mesh_terms: D000048:Acanthamoeba / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D002687:Chitin Synthase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016798:Ciliophora / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D017377:Diatoms / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005658:Fungi / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D015870:Gene Expression; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009868:Oomycetes / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes; D002687:Chitin Synthase
keywords: chitin; glycotansferase; horizontal gene transfer; protein evolution