title: Evolution of the NET (NocA, Nlz, Elbow, TLP-1) protein family in metazoans: insights from expression data and phylogenetic analysis.
abstract: The NET (for NocA, Nlz, Elbow, TLP-1) protein family is a group of conserved zinc finger proteins linked to embryonic development and recently associated with breast cancer. The members of this family act as transcriptional repressors interacting with both class I histone deacetylases and Groucho/TLE co-repressors. In Drosophila, the NET family members Elbow and NocA are vital for the development of tracheae, eyes, wings and legs, whereas in vertebrates ZNF703 and ZNF503 are important for the development of the nervous system, eyes and limbs. Despite the relevance of this protein family in embryogenesis and cancer, many aspects of its origin and evolution remain unknown. Here, we show that NET family members are present and expressed in multiple metazoan lineages, from cnidarians to vertebrates. We identified several protein domains conserved in all metazoan species or in specific taxonomic groups. Our phylogenetic analysis suggests that the NET family emerged in the last common ancestor of cnidarians and bilaterians and that several rounds of independent events of gene duplication occurred throughout evolution. Overall, we provide novel data on the expression and evolutionary history of the NET family that can be relevant to understanding its biological role in both normal conditions and disease.
authors.affiliation: Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Filipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Patologia e Imunologia Molecular da Universidade do Porto (IPATIMUP), Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Duarte-Pereira
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Patologia e Imunologia Molecular da Universidade do Porto (IPATIMUP), Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Raquel M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas (ICAAM), Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal.
authors.forename: Luís Teixeira
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: da Costa
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Patologia e Imunologia Molecular da Universidade do Porto (IPATIMUP), Porto, Portugal.|Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pereira-Castro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D020440:Gene Duplication; D005810:Multigene Family / Q000235:genetics*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C465760:ElB protein, Drosophila; C085456:Noc protein, Drosophila; C417033:net protein, Drosophila