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Duplication and parallel evolution of the pancreatic ribonuclease gene (RNASE1) in folivorous non-colobine primates, the howler monkeys (Alouatta spp.)
- Source :
- Scientific Reports, Scientific Reports, Vol 9, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2019)
- Publication Year :
- 2019
-
Abstract
- In foregut-fermenting mammals (e.g., colobine monkeys, artiodactyl ruminants) the enzymes pancreatic ribonuclease (RNASE1) and lysozyme C (LYZ), originally involved in immune defense, have evolved new digestive functions. Howler monkeys are folivorous non-colobine primates that lack the multi-chambered stomachs of colobines and instead digest leaves using fermentation in the caeco-colic region. We present data on the RNASE1 and LYZ genes of four species of howler monkey (Alouatta spp.). We find that howler monkey LYZ is conserved and does not share the substitutions found in colobine and cow sequences, whereas RNASE1 was duplicated in the common ancestor of A. palliata, A. seniculus, A. sara, and A. pigra. While the parent gene (RNASE1) is conserved, the daughter gene (RNASE1B) has multiple amino acid substitutions that are parallel to those found in RNASE1B genes of colobines. The duplicated RNase in Alouatta has biochemical changes similar to those in colobines, suggesting a novel, possibly digestive function. These findings suggest that pancreatic ribonuclease has, in parallel, evolved a new role for digesting the products of microbial fermentation in both foregut- and hindgut-fermenting folivorous primates. This may be a vital digestive enzyme adaptation allowing howler monkeys to survive on leaves during periods of low fruit availability.
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
0301 basic medicine
RNase P
Biological anthropology
Zoology
lcsh:Medicine
Evolutionary ecology
010603 evolutionary biology
01 natural sciences
Article
Evolutionary genetics
Evolution, Molecular
03 medical and health sciences
Gene Duplication
Gene duplication
Animals
Data Mining
lcsh:Science
Gene
Alouatta
RNASE1
Phylogeny
Multidisciplinary
Genome
biology
lcsh:R
Foregut
Genomics
Ribonuclease, Pancreatic
Ruminants
biology.organism_classification
030104 developmental biology
Digestive enzyme
Howler monkey
biology.protein
Pancreatic ribonuclease
lcsh:Q
Muramidase
Molecular ecology
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 20452322
- Volume :
- 9
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Scientific reports
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....9a6d63ff9dafd6a5422175ab368ca777