UMMS Affiliation
RNA Therapeutics Institute
Publication Date
2016-10-08
Document Type
Article
Disciplines
Cell Biology | Developmental Biology | Evolution | Genomics
Abstract
The advent of sexual reproduction and the evolution of a dedicated germline in multicellular organisms are critical landmarks in eukaryotic evolution. We report an ancient family of GCNA (germ cell nuclear antigen) proteins that arose in the earliest eukaryotes, and feature a rapidly evolving intrinsically disordered region (IDR). Phylogenetic analysis reveals that GCNA proteins emerged before the major eukaryotic lineages diverged; GCNA predates the origin of a dedicated germline by a billion years. Gcna gene expression is enriched in reproductive cells across eukarya - either just prior to or during meiosis in single-celled eukaryotes, and in stem cells and germ cells of diverse multicellular animals. Studies of Gcna-mutant C. elegans and mice indicate that GCNA has functioned in reproduction for at least 600 million years. Homology to IDR-containing proteins implicated in DNA damage repair suggests that GCNA proteins may protect the genomic integrity of cells carrying a heritable genome.
Keywords
developmental biology, evolutionary biology, genomics, germline, intrinsically disordered proteins, mouse, stem cells
Rights and Permissions
© 2016, Carmell et al.
DOI of Published Version
10.7554/eLife.19993
Source
Elife. 2016 Oct 8;5. pii: e19993. doi: 10.7554/eLife.19993. Link to article on publisher's site
Journal/Book/Conference Title
eLife
Related Resources
PubMed ID
27718356
Repository Citation
Carmell MA, Dokshin GA, Skaletsky H, Hu Y, van Wolfswinkel JC, Igarashi KJ, Bellott DW, Nefedov M, Reddien PW, Enders GC, Uversky VN, Mello CC, Page DC. (2016). A widely employed germ cell marker is an ancient disordered protein with reproductive functions in diverse eukaryotes. Open Access Publications by UMMS Authors. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19993. Retrieved from https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/oapubs/2962
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Included in
Cell Biology Commons, Developmental Biology Commons, Evolution Commons, Genomics Commons