A Novel Neuron-Specific Regulator of the V-ATPase in .

The V-ATPase is a highly conserved enzymatic complex that ensures appropriate levels of organelle acidification in virtually all eukaryotic cells. While the general mechanisms of this proton pump have been well studied, little is known about the specific regulations of neuronal V-ATPase. Here, we studied CG31030, a previously uncharacterized protein predicted from its sequence homology to be part of the V-ATPase family.

Horizontal gene transfer drives the evolution of Rh50 permeases in prokaryotes.

Background: Rh50 proteins belong to the family of ammonia permeases together with their Amt/MEP homologs. Ammonia permeases increase the permeability of NH/NH across cell membranes and are believed to be involved in excretion of toxic ammonia and in the maintenance of pH homeostasis. RH50 genes are widespread in eukaryotes but absent in land plants and fungi, and remarkably rare in prokaryotes.

Molecular phylogeny of four homeobox genes from the purple sea star Pisaster ochraceus.

Homeobox genes cloned from the purple sea star Pisaster ochraceus (Phylum Echinodermata/Class Asteroidea) were used along with related sequences available from members of other representative animal phyla to generate molecular phylogenies for Distal-less/Dlx, Hox5, Hox7, and Hox9/10 homeobox genes. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred based on the predicted 60 amino acid homeodomain, using amino acid (AA) and nucleotide (NT) models as well as the recently developed codon substitution models of sequence evolution. The resulting phylogenetic trees were mostly congruent with the consensus species-tree, grouping these newly identified genes with those isolated from other Asteroidea.

A conserved non-reproductive GnRH system in chordates.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a neuroendocrine peptide that plays a central role in the vertebrate hypothalamo-pituitary axis. The roles of GnRH in the control of vertebrate reproductive functions have been established, while its non-reproductive function has been suggested but less well understood. Here we show that the tunicate Ciona intestinalis has in its non-reproductive larval stage a prominent GnRH system spanning the entire length of the nervous system.

The 1.3-A resolution structure of Nitrosomonas europaea Rh50 and mechanistic implications for NH3 transport by Rhesus family proteins.

The Rhesus (Rh) proteins are a family of integral membrane proteins found throughout the animal kingdom that also occur in a number of lower eukaryotes. The significance of Rh proteins derives from their presence in the human red blood cell membrane, where they constitute the second most important group of antigens used in transfusion medicine after the ABO group. Rh proteins are related to the ammonium transport (Amt) protein family and there is considerable evidence that, like Amt proteins, they function as ammonia channels.

Evolution and functional characterization of the RH50 gene from the ammonia-oxidizing bacterium Nitrosomonas europaea.

The family of ammonia and ammonium channel proteins comprises the Amt proteins, which are present in all three domains of life with the notable exception of vertebrates, and the homologous Rh proteins (Rh50 and Rh30) that have been described thus far only in eukaryotes. The existence of an RH50 gene in bacteria was first revealed by the genome sequencing of the ammonia-oxidizing bacterium Nitrosomonas europaea. Here we have used a phylogenetic approach to study the evolution of the N.

Ammonium channel expression is essential for brain development and function in the larva of Ciona intestinalis.

Ammonium uptake into the cell is known to be mediated by ammonium transport (Amt) proteins, which are present in all domains of life. The physiological role of Amt proteins remains elusive; indeed, loss-of-function experiments suggested that Amt proteins do not play an essential role in bacteria, yeast, and plants. Here we show that the reverse holds true in the tunicate Ciona intestinalis.

The genome of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus.

We report the sequence and analysis of the 814-megabase genome of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, a model for developmental and systems biology. The sequencing strategy combined whole-genome shotgun and bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) sequences. This use of BAC clones, aided by a pooling strategy, overcame difficulties associated with high heterozygosity of the genome.

Functional and hierarchical interactions among zebrafish vox/vent homeobox genes.

The vertebrate Vox/Vent family of transcription factors plays a crucial role in the establishment of the dorsoventral (DV) axis, by repressing organizer genes such as bozozok/dharma, goosecoid, and chordino. In Danio rerio (zebrafish), members of the vox/vent gene family (vox/vega1, vent/vega2, and ved) are thought to share expression patterns and functional properties. Bringing novel insights in the differential activity of the zebrafish vox/vent genes, we propose a critical role for the ved gene in DV patterning of vertebrate embryos.

The draft genome of Ciona intestinalis: insights into chordate and vertebrate origins.

The first chordates appear in the fossil record at the time of the Cambrian explosion, nearly 550 million years ago. The modern ascidian tadpole represents a plausible approximation to these ancestral chordates. To illuminate the origins of chordate and vertebrates, we generated a draft of the protein-coding portion of the genome of the most studied ascidian, Ciona intestinalis.